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 you’ll get a tasty (optional) compound smoked steak butter idea to try. Let’s 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!!
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Why this is best way to smoke a tomahawk steak
- SUPER simple.
- Simple seasonings.
- Turns out JUICY and TENDER.
- Includes a tasty compound butter idea.
- PRETTY FAST… The total time for smoking tomahawks is about 2.5 hours.
- Finish quickly on the grill or a cast iron skillet.
- New to smoked food recipes and Treager recipes? see my step by step video for beginners (scroll to bottom of page).
Ingredients
Here’s what you need for smoking a tomahawk.
For simple smoked tomahawk steak
- Tomahawk steak (3-4” thick)
- Olive oil
- BBQ seasoning
A note on trimming tomahawk steak
In the Sip Bite Go recipe video, you’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.
See how to smoke NY strip steaks…
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 I’ll walk you through it…
Quick look at this tomahawk smoker recipe
- Prep and season tomahawk steak for smoker.
- Smoke at 225 degrees F for ~2 hours, until the steak measures 115 – 120 degrees F internally.
- Reverse sear or reverse grill smoked tomahawk steak until done.
- Rest and serve with compound butter if desired.
How to cook a tomahawk steak on the pellet grill
- Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’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: 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 recipe…
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 you’re done. Yummy!
FAQs
A tomahawk steak comes from the rib primal section of a cow. The reason why it’s called a tomahawk steak is because the ribeye cut is left intact with at least 5” of rib bone. This cut is also sometimes referred to as a cowboy steak.
If your butcher or local market didn’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.
At 225 degrees F, it will take you about 2 hours to smoke a tomahawk ribeye to 120 degrees F internal temperature.
It will finish smoking a bit faster at 250 degrees F, about 90 minutes.
Yes, you can smoke a tomahawk steak! Tomahawk steak is a huge cut of beef. By smoking it at a consistent smoke temperature, you’ll impart a nice smoky flavor while ensuring that you are not overcooking it vs cooking a tomahawk over a fire hot grill.
My recommendation is that yes, you should reverse sear smoked tomahawk steak. You should be using your pellet smoker to infuse the tomahawk with smoke. When you use an electric smoker, you really will not get a nice sear on the tomahawk steak because you are smoking at a lower temperature.
If you want a nice sear on your steak, then once you reach your desired internal temperature, you should crank up a grill on high to 500 – 600 degrees F and sear the tomahawk for 1 – 2 minutes per side. This will give you that nice crust that everyone looks for on a 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 won’t see too much of a difference in the flavor of these cuts of steaks.
This means that you will sear your steak after you have already cooked it internally to a temperature that you desire. The steak is “cooked” in this sense, but the outside is rubbery, so you’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.
More Tasty Grill + Smoker Recipes
- Smoked mac and cheese
- Smoked cream cheese
- Smoked brisket flat
- 321 ribs
- Beer can chicken on the smoker
- Smoked wings
- Smoked tomahawk steak
- Traeger tri tip
- Smoked turkey breast
- Smoked turkey legs
- Whole smoked turkey
- Smoked Traeger pizza
- Smoked onion rings
- Traeger smoked ham
- Smoked whole chicken
- Smoked jalapeno poppers
- Smoked corn on the cob
- Traeger beef ribs
- Smoked leg of lamb
- Smoked shrimp
- Grilled chicken wings
- Grilled skirt steak
- Flank steak marinade
- Grilled potato wedges
- Smoked pulled pork
- Want more? See my lineup of easy smoker recipes
See this Traeger Flatrock grill review.
See my favorite smoker tools and seasonings in my Amazon Storefront.
Meat thermometer recommendations
Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly.
On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:
- Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
- ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill.
It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature.
How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.
While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chefs, hope that answers all your questions about this easy smoked tomahawk steak recipe. It would be delicious served with smoked asparagus or other smoked veggies.
Connect…
- Follow for new recipes on Instagram / TikTok.
- Subscribe on YouTube to the Sip Bite Go channel.
- Browse the Sip Bite Go recipe collection.
- Say “hi” to my husband @handmodelpatrick.
Traeger Smoked Tomahawk Steak Recipe | Sip Bite Go
Equipment
Ingredients
Simple smoked tomahawk steak ingredients
- 1 medium tomahawk steak 3-4” 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
- ½ cup butter unsalted and softened
- 1 tbsp basil or any fresh leafy green herb
- ½ medium shallot diced
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ medium lemon zest
- ½ medium lemon juice
Instructions
Recipe for smoking tomahawk steak
- Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’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.
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