Make this insanely easy AND JUICY Traeger smoked tomahawk steak recipe. Smoke it to rare then finish it with a simple reverse sear or reverse grill finish. Plus youโll get a tasty (optional) compound smoked steak butter idea to try. Letโs do it!

This recipe also includes a compound smoked steak butter.
It’s optional… But seriously, you have to try it because when smoking a fancy cut of steak like this, you gotta add a beautiful fancy butter on top!!
What is a tomahawk steak?
A tomahawk steak comes from the rib primal section of a cow. The reason why itโs called a tomahawk steak is because the ribeye cut is left intact with at least 5โ of rib bone. This cut is also sometimes referred to as a cowboy steak.
How do you prepare a tomahawk steak?
If your butcher or local market didnโt fully prepare the tomahawk steak for you, then you will have to clean or french the meat by cutting away the fat and some of the meat from the rib bone. You should scrap all excess fat and meat off the rib bone to give your tomahawk steak a nice looking presentation.
How long to smoke tomahawk steak at 225 F?
At 225 degrees F, it will take you about 2 hours to smoke a tomahawk ribeye to 120 degrees F internal temperature.
How long to smoked tomahawk steak at 250 degrees F?
It will finish smoking a bit faster at 250 degrees F, about 90 minutes.
What’s the difference between ribeye steak vs tomahawk steak?
The main difference between ribeye and tomahawk is that a tomahawk steak will have the rib bone intact. A ribeye steak will not have the rib bone attached thus might be a little less moist, but in reality you wonโt see too much of a difference in the flavor of these cuts of steaks.
What does it mean to reverse sear a steak?
This means that you will sear your steak after you have already cooked it internally to a temperature that you desire. The steak is โcookedโ in this sense, but the outside is rubbery, so youโll then sear it on a grill or cast iron skillet for 2 – 3 minutes per side to give your steak a nice crusty char on the outside.
Ingredients
Hereโs what you need for smoking a tomahawk.
For simple smoked tomahawk steak
- Tomahawk steak (3-4โ thick)
- Olive oil
- BBQ seasoning
A note on trimming tomahawk steak
In the Sip Bite Go recipe video, youโll see we trimmed the meat and fat on the bone of the tomahawk steak before smoking it, to reveal more of the bone, for aesthetic purposes.
Traeger smoked tomahawk steak compound butter
For making your smoked steak dinner super memorable, make this easy compound smoked steak butter in advance of smoking the steak.
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Basil
- Shallot
- Pepper
- Salt
- Lemon zest and juice
How to smoke tomahawk steak
Now Iโll walk you through it…
How to cook a tomahawk steak on the pellet grill
- Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill youโre using to 225 degrees F.
- Prep the tomahawk steak for smoking. If required, remove any fat or tough meat from the ribeye bone to clean it up.
- Season the tomahawk steak by coating it with olive oil as a binder (optional). Sprinkle Traeger ribeye rub all over the tomahawk steak and rub it in with your hands. Place the tomahawk steak into the fridge to let the seasoning adhere to the steak.
- Smoke tomahawk steak 225 degrees F for about 2 hrs until the steak reaches 115 – 120 degrees F internally, as measured with an internal read thermometer.
- Remove tomahawk steak from the smoker.
- Option 1: Finish tomahawk steak in a cast iron skillet on the stove on medium-high heat (use olive oil or butter in the pan).
- Option 2: Grill smoked tomahawk steak on high, at about 500-600 degrees F with the grill lid closed, flipping after 1-3 minutes on each side.
- Remove tomahawk from reverse sear method of choice (grill / stovetop) when the internal temp of smoked tomahawk measures 130 – 135 degrees F (for medium rare) or 135-140 degrees F (for medium, assuming it will come up a bit in temp as it rests).
- Rest smoked reverse-seared tomahawk for 15 – 20 minutes at room temperature, topped with compound butter which should melt in beautifully.
How to make steak compound butter for this smoked steak
- In a small pan on the stove, roast garlic in olive oil on medium-high for about 2 minutes, stirring regularly, until garlic is translucent. Remove the pan from heat and let it cook.
- Once garlic oil cools, transfer to a mixing bowl then add the softened butter, basil, diced shallot, pepper, salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Combine all the ingredients by hand until everything is well incorporated together.
- Place the combined butter onto a plastic saran wrap sheet and roll into a log form. Wrap the ends together tightly and stick the compound butter into the fridge to firm up.
Also see this yummy smoked ribeye steak recipeโฆ
DEMO – Cast iron reverse sear tomahawk steak
As noted in the recipe here on Sip Bite Go, one way to finish smoking tomahawk steak is to grill it OR reverse sear it in a cast iron pan.
Here’s a look at cast iron searing tomahawk after smoking it on the Traeger….
The cast iron pan is prepared at a very high heat to help get a nice thin bark on the tomahawk…
And then youโre done. Yummy!
See how to smoke NY strip steaks…
Try a new Smoker Recipe…
Upgrade Your BBQ Game
The wrong meat thermometer will ruin your food… see the BBQ meat thermometers I credit for getting delicious results.
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โ Jenna
Next, browse the Sip Bite Go recipe collectionโฆ
Traeger Smoked Tomahawk Steak Recipe | Sip Bite Go
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
Simple smoked tomahawk steak ingredients
- 1 medium tomahawk steak 3-4โ thick
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 tbsp bbq seasoning or any steak rub
Traeger smoked tomahawk steak compound butter (optional, not in nutrition facts)
- 3 cloves garlic diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ยฝ cup butter unsalted and softened
- 1 tbsp basil or any fresh leafy green herb
- ยฝ medium shallot diced
- ยฝ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- ยฝ medium lemon zest
- ยฝ medium lemon juice
Instructions
Recipe for smoking tomahawk steak
- Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill youโre using to 225 degrees F.
- Prep the tomahawk steak for smoking. If required, remove any fat or tough meat from the ribeye bone to clean it up.
- Season the tomahawk steak by coating it with olive oil as a binder (optional). Sprinkle Traeger ribeye rub all over the tomahawk steak and rub it in with your hands. Place the tomahawk steak into the fridge to let the seasoning adhere to the steak.
- Smoke tomahawk steak 225 degrees F for about 2 hrs until the steak reaches 115 – 120 degrees F internally, as measured with an internal read thermometer.
- Remove tomahawk steak from the smoker.
- Option 1: Sear tomahawk steak in a cast iron skillet on the stove on medium-high heat (use olive oil or butter in the pan).
- Option 2: Grill smoked tomahawk steak on high, at about 500-600 degrees F with the grill lid closed, flipping after 1-3 minutes on each side.
- Remove tomahawk from reverse sear method of choice (grill / stovetop) when the internal temp of smoked tomahawk measures 130 – 135 degrees F (for medium rare) or 135-140 degrees F (for medium, assuming it will come up a bit in temp as it rests).
- Rest smoked reverse-seared tomahawk for 15 – 20 minutes at room temperature, topped with compound butter which should melt in beautifully.
How to make steak compound butter for this smoked steak
- In a small pan on the stove, roast garlic in olive oil on medium-high for about 2 minutes, stirring regularly, until garlic is translucent. Remove the pan from heat and let it cook.
- Once garlic oil cools, transfer to a mixing bowl then add the softened butter, basil, diced shallot, pepper, salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Combine all the ingredients by hand until everything is well incorporated together.
- Place the combined butter onto a plastic saran wrap sheet and roll into a log form. Wrap the ends together tightly and stick the compound butter into the fridge to firm up.
Dan says
Butter finish was great.