How To Reverse Sear Tomahawk Steak

Does the thought of cooking at large cut of meat, like a Tomahawk Steak, scare you away from buying it in the first instance? Worried you can’t master a perfect Tomahawk Steak Recipe? Fear not! All your Tomahawk Steak dreams will come true if you can follow this simple reverse sear for the perfect medium rare Tomahawk Steak.

Mastering the reverse sear of a Tomahawk Steak is like mastering a reverse parallel car park for the first time. Daunting at first, but so easy to nail that time and time again, you can’t possibly go wrong with ‘hitting the spot’. A serious game changer, let’s get started on what a reverse sear is all about, then the how’s-to for the perfect medium rare Tomahawk Steak.

What is a reverse sear?

A reverse sear is all about time and patience. It requires the Tomahawk Steak to be cooked on a low temperature, ideally in an oven, for some hours, before being seared on high-high-high heat. Like blow torch high heat. The result? The perfect medium rare Tomahawk Steak of course!

Hot tip: you will need to start cooking in the morning if the Tomahawk Steak is for lunch, and at lunch if it’s for dinner…

How do I reverse sear the perfect medium rare Tomahawk Steak?

First of all, you’ll need a Tomahawk Steak, a baking tray, baking rack and a good digital thermometer to help get the timing right. Optional is for a good quality, clean beef rub to add flavour to your Tomahawk Steak.

• Marinate your Tomahawk Steak in the beef rub for a few hours or overnight.
• In the morning, bring your Tomahawk Steak to room temperature before cooking.
• Preheat your oven to roughly 100-110 degrees.
• Layer your baking tray with baking paper, then atop the Tomahawk Steak. Insert your digital thermometer in the centre of the Tomahawk Steak 
• Place the Tomahawk Steak in the centre of your oven and cook your Tomahawk Steak until the internal temperature is between 43-46 degrees.
• Remove the Tomahawk Steak from the oven and reverse sear by either of the two methods below:
  • Transfer the Tomahawk Steak to a cast iron pan or griddle that is heated to medium-high with some cooking oil or ghee. Sear both sides of the Tomahawk Steak until they are browned, and the internal temperature reaches around 52ºC for rare, 57ºC for medium-rare or 63ºC for medium.
  • Leave the Tomahawk Steak on the wire rack and turn your oven up to 260ºC.  Baste both sides of the Tomahawk Steak with melted butter and return to the center of the oven. Again cook the Tomahawk Steak until the internal temperature reaches around 52ºC for rare, 57ºC for medium-rare or 63ºC for medium.
• Once the Tomahawk Steak is cooked to your desired level, place it onto a cutting board and cover loosely with aluminium foil. 
• Rest for the Tomahawk Steak for 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving. This will allow the juices of the Tomahawk Steak to be ‘absorbed’ and not overly spill onto the cutting board. You’ll want the cut pieces of the Tomahawk Steak to look deep red to pink and soft to the touch.

Finally serve your Tomahawk Steak with either this tapenade or chimichurri plus your favourite sides including a generous green salad and roast vegetables. Enjoy!