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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Grill Recipes ยป Smoker Recipes ยป Smoked Tomahawk Steak

    Smoked Tomahawk Steak

    Published: Oct 30, 2024 ยท Modified: Dec 13, 2024 by Jenna Passaro ยท This post may contain affiliate links.

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    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 youโ€™ll get a tasty (optional) compound smoked steak butter idea to try. Letโ€™s do it! 

    Traeger Smoked Tomahawk Steak With Reverse Sear On The Grill
    Once you try this tomahawk steak recipe, you’ll see why the smoker is the way to cook it!

    Table of Contents

    Toggle
    • What is a tomahawk steak?
    • How do you prepare a tomahawk steak?
    • How long to smoke tomahawk steak at 225 F?
    • How long to smoked tomahawk steak at 250 degrees F?
    • What’s the difference between ribeye steak vs tomahawk steak?
    • What does it mean to reverse sear a steak?
    • Ingredients
    • How to smoke tomahawk steak
    • How to make steak compound butter for this smoked steak
    • DEMO – Cast iron reverse sear tomahawk steak
    • YOU MIGHT LIKE THESE
    • Get better at smoked BBQโ€ฆ
    • Traeger Smoked Tomahawk Steak Recipe | Sip Bite Go

    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!!

    Jenna Smoked Food Blogger Biting A Tomahawk Steak By The Traeger Pellet Grills Smoker

    What is a tomahawk steak?

    A tomahawk steak comes from the rib primal section of a cow. The reason why itโ€™s 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 didnโ€™t 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 wonโ€™t 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 โ€œcookedโ€ in this sense, but the outside is rubbery, so youโ€™ll 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.

    Medium rare Traeger Smoked Tomahawk Steak Resting On A Cutting Board
    Learn how to cook a tomahawk steak in the smoker, then finish it in a cast iron pan or on the grill…

    Ingredients

    Hereโ€™s what you need for smoking a tomahawk.

    Infographic with ingredients for smoking tomahawk steak on the traeger pellet grill

    For simple smoked tomahawk steak 

    • Tomahawk steak (3-4โ€ thick)
    • Olive oil
    • BBQ seasoning 

    A note on trimming tomahawk steak 

    Raw Trimmed Tomahawk Steak Beef

    In the Sip Bite Go recipe video, youโ€™ll 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. 

    Seasoned Tomahawk Steak On The Traeger Pellet Grills

    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.

    Making compound butter for smoked steak
    • Garlic
    • Olive oil
    • Butter
    • Basil
    • Shallot
    • Pepper
    • Salt
    • Lemon zest and juice
    Compound Butter for Smoked Tomahawk Steak

    How to smoke tomahawk steak

    Now Iโ€™ll walk you through it…

    Infographic with steps and captions describing how to smoke tomahawk steak on a Traeger pellet grill with food blogger Jenna Passaro

    How to cook a tomahawk steak on the pellet grill

    1. Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill youโ€™re using to 225 degrees F. 
    2. Prep the tomahawk steak for smoking. If required, remove any fat or tough meat from the ribeye bone to clean it up. 
    3. 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. 
    4. 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.
    5. Remove tomahawk steak from the smoker. 
    6. 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). 
    7. 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.
    8. 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).
    9. Rest smoked reverse-seared tomahawk for 15 – 20 minutes at room temperature, topped with compound butter which should melt in beautifully.
    Smoking Tomahawk Steak on the Traeger

    How to make steak compound butter for this smoked steak

    Traeger Smoked Tomahawk Steak With Compound Butter On The Traeger
    1. 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. 
    2. Once garlic oil cools, transfer to a mixing bowl then add the softened butter, basil, diced shallot, pepper, salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice. 
    3. Combine all the ingredients by hand until everything is well incorporated together. 
    4. 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. 
    Traeger Smoked Tomahawk Steak Dinner On A Board

    Also see this yummy smoked ribeye steak recipeโ€ฆ

    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 youโ€™re done. Yummy!

    Food Blogger Jenna Passaro holding Traeger Smoked Tomahawk Steak With Reverse Sear

    See how to smoke NY strip steaks…

    Traeger Smoked Tomahawk Steak Medium Rare
    Shut up, that smoked steak looks so good!!

    YOU MIGHT LIKE THESE

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      BBQ Pulled Pork Empanadas (Smoked or Oven-Baked)
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    Sides

    Pro tip: One of my go-to tricks for perfectly cooked food every time is using the right BBQ meat thermometers.

    Get better at smoked BBQโ€ฆ

    Get my free recipe newsletter.

    Follow for new recipes on Instagram and subscribe to the SipBiteGo on YouTube.

    Chat soon!

    โ€“ Jenna

    Next, browse the Sip Bite Go recipe collectionโ€ฆ

    Traeger Smoked Tomahawk Steak With Reverse Sear On The Grill

    Traeger Smoked Tomahawk Steak Recipe | Sip Bite Go

    Juicy Traeger smoked tomahawk steak recipe with reverse sear or reverse grill finish. Also includes a compound smoked steak butter. | sipbitego.com
    5 from 12 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine: BBQ
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Keyword: How to smoke tomahawk steak, smoked tomahawk steak, Smoker tomahawk, Traeger tomahawk
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 2 hours hours 35 minutes minutes
    Servings: 2 people
    Calories: 828kcal
    Author: Jenna Passaro

    Video

    Equipment

    • Traeger Pellet Grill Ironwood 650

    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 youโ€™re 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.

    Notes

    *nutrition info may not be accurate and doesn’t include the compound butter recipe
    See the recipe: https://sipbitego.com/smoked-tomahawk-steak
    Watch the full-length YouTube recipe video for this tomahawk steak smoker dish on Sip Bite Goโ€™s YouTube channel.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 828kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 77g | Saturated Fat: 39g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 30g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 191mg | Sodium: 1592mg | Potassium: 516mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1795IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 161mg | Iron: 7mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @SipBiteGo or tag #sipbitego!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dan says

      January 20, 2023 at 6:07 pm

      Butter finish was great.5 stars

      Reply
    5 from 12 votes (11 ratings without comment)

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