Today, we’re diving into an epic recipe: the perfect Tomahawk Steak. This cut of meat with the long bone exposed doesn’t just sit unassumingly on a serving dish. Like all the best steaks, this large cut of steak demands attention and makes you feel like a grilling warrior! 

Hanging Tomahawk Steak with Garlic Butter Lobster is served.

Treat yourself and your crew to these bone-in steaks and some lobster drenched in garlic butter for the next birthday or other special occasion celebration. Whether you’re a backyard BBQ hero or just someone who appreciates a damn good meal, get ready to make an unbelievably great steak.

Why You’ll Love the Tomahawk Steak Recipe 

This huge bone-in ribeye steak is a cut of beef with a long-exposed rib bone, which resembles a Tomahawk axe. As stunning as this perfect steak looks, you’ll love it for the generous marbled fat, tenderness, and rich flavor; typical of ribeye cuts. 

The meal is complete!

And, did I mention the best part of why you’ll love this recipe? Two words: power tools. Nuff said. We’ll drill a small hole in the bone so we can hang out our Tomahawk Steak over the fire. 

This cowboy steak meal comes together quickly too, in about an hour! You’ll love how tender the meat gets and how well it goes with the savory garlic butter lobster. 

Tomahawk Steak Ingredients

  • Steaks – If you don’t know where to begin with finding this type of steak, ask your local butcher at the meat market or grocery store to prepare one for you. 
  • Seasonings – The Bourbon Prime Seasoning rub I created brings the best flavor to this tender steak with notes of mushroom, butter, Worcestershire, and seaweed. 
  • Oil – Canola oil or a little olive oil helps the rub stick to the steak and form a nice crust. High-smoke-point grapeseed oil is another great option. 
Shaking on the Bourbon Prime seasoning over the oiled steak.

Garlic Butter Lobster Ingredients

  • Lobster Meat – Rich, buttery lobster meat is what elevates this steak recipe to another level of decadence. Fresh from the sea is always better. 
  • The Sauce – White wine, clarified butter, and garlic simply belong together in this decadent lobster sauce. Add some chopped green chives and a sprinkling of my Chipotle Garlic Seasoning and it’s damn near perfect. 

If you’re a steak lover like me, then you will be in heaven with this prime Tomahawk beef steak topped with lobster! It’s so freakin’ delicious, I almost always make it on my birthday.

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Let’s Cook the Best Tomahawk Steak

Let’s dive into the cowboy-style cooking process!

For the first step, using a 1/4″ power drill, drive that pilot hole into the top part of the bone of your Tomahawk ribeye steak. Then, truss the Tomahawk using some string, wire, a piece of butcher twine, or a meat hook to hang nicely over your fire about 5-6 inches away from the coals.

Drilling a hole in the bone of the ribeye steak.

Lather the steak with the oil. Thoroughly season the Tomahawk on all sides with my Bourbon Prime Seasoning. If you don’t have this seasoning yet, go ahead and use your favorite steak seasoning (I won’t take it personally!).

Once the steak is seasoned, set it in the fridge for 1 hour to set. 

Hanging the Tomahawk Over the Fire

Build a large fire in your fire pit that reaches a medium-high heat (around 350 degrees F). Set up your tripod or your hanging device the best way you know how given your particular setup. 

A close up of the steak hanging over the fire.

Pull out your Tomahawk steak from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Next, hang your Tomahawk steak over the open fire. Cook it for about 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 100 degrees F.

Keep adding charcoal and wood to maintain a consistent temperature as needed.

The steak hangs over the smokeless fire pit.

Don’t forget to bring the bourbon to your firepit!

Here’s my best insider tip to keep the steak rotating while it cooks. I manually rotated mine as needed while sitting next to the fire, all while sipping on some of my favorite bourbon.

Reverse Sear Method

When the steak is close to hitting temperature, get your fire very hot. Next, place your bone-in steak on the hot grill and continue cooking that Tomahawk, flipping every 1-1.5 minutes until it sizzles and reaches 120 degrees F internally.

After the quick sear stage in the cooking method, I use an instant-read thermometer. This helps me get the most accurate read of the internal temperature of the meat. Once the reverse searing of the steak is done, go ahead and pull it off and let it rest.

Reverse searing the tomahawk.

For more Tomahawk action, check out my Tomahawk Beef Short RibsTomahawk Steaks with French Onion Crust, and then my Dirty Tomahawk Steaks with Steakhouse Butter.

Garlic Butter Lobster 

While the steak is resting it is the perfect time to make the lobster in garlic butter. 

Add a cast iron skillet to the center of a sear plate. Melt your clarified butter, then add minced garlic to simmer until golden brown. Deglaze the skillet with white wine, then add your lobster meat to cook in the butter mixture for about 3-4 minutes until warm. I then added some of my Chipotle Garlic seasoning for added chili flavor. 

Once the lobster meat is done, garnish with some chopped chives, pull off, and then layer it generously over your rested steaks. You’re welcome!

Garlic cooks in clarified butter in a cast iron pan.

What to serve with a Tomahawk Steak? 

This steak recipe paired with garlic butter lobster is a full meal on its own! If you want to add some vegetables or another side dish, complete the perfect meal with some roasted veggies, mashed potatoes, or whatever you like! 

Leftover Steak and Reheating

I doubt you’ll wind up with leftovers, but if you do, then go ahead and store your Tomahawk steaks and your lobster wrapped tight in plastic. Keep in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

To reheat your leftovers, arrange them on a baking sheet covered in a sheet of parchment paper. Then, place them in the oven at 375 degrees F until warm!

The steak is sliced in half.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use a different type of steak for the Tomahawk Steak recipe?

Absolutely! While the Tomahawk Steak is a showstopper, you can adapt the recipe to your preferred cut. Ribeye or Porterhouse steaks work well for a similar experience, adjusting cooking times accordingly!

What’s the key to getting the Tomahawk Steak perfectly cooked over an open fire?

Consistent rotation is the secret. Hang the Tomahawk over the flames and make sure to rotate it throughout the cooking process. This ensures even cooking and that charred, smoky flavor we all love.

I don’t like lobster, the bug meat of the sea, can I substitute it with Jumbo shrimp?

Feel free to customize! Shrimp is another great option that goes perfectly with the garlic butter sauce.

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Hanging Tomahawk Steak with Garlic Butter Lobster is served.

Tomahawk Steak

The Tomahawk Steak is a large cut of steak that demands attention and makes you feel like a grilling warrior. Paired with garlic butter lobster, it's next-level decadent and delicious!
Author:Derek Wolf
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 2 People

Ingredients 

Tomahawk Steak:

Lobster Meat Skillet:

  • 4-6 oz Lobster Meat
  • 2.5 oz White Wine
  • 3 tbsp Clarified Butter
  • 1.5 tbsp Garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup Chipotle Garlic Seasoning
  • 1 tbsp Chives finely chopped

Instructions 

  • Using a 1/4” drill bit, drive a hole into the top part of the bone of your tomahawk steak.
  • Using some trussing string, wire or a butcher hook, truss the Tomahawk so that it will hang nicely over your fire about 5-6 inches away from the coals.
  • Lather your steaks with a little canola oil or olive oil.
  • Thoroughly season your steaks on all sides. For the perfect flavor, season the sides with my Bourbon Prime Seasoning.
  • Once the steaks are seasoned, set in the fridge for 1 hour to set.
  • Build a large fire in your fire pit. Wait until the fire is a medium-high heat (around 350 degrees F). Set up your tri-pod or another hanging device over the pit.
  • Pull your steaks out of the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
  • Hang your Tomahawk steaks over the fire and cook for about 30 minutes until the internal temperature is 100 degrees F. Keep adding charcoal and wood to maintain the temperature of the fire.
  • When the steaks are close to hitting temperature, get your fire very hot. Place your steak on a grill grate and flip every 1-1.5 minutes until it reaches 120 degrees F internal for medium rare (about 4 minutes more cooking).
  • Once the steaks are done, pull them off and let them rest for 10-15 minutes.
  • Add a cast iron skillet to the center of the sear plate. Melt your clarified butter then add your minced garlic to simmer until golden brown.
  • Deglaze the skillet with white wine, then add your lobster meat along with the Chipotle Garlic seasoning to cook in the butter for about 3-4 minutes until warmed.
  • Once the lobster meat is done, pull it off and layer generously over the top of the Tomahawk steak. Garnish with chopped chives. Enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 550kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 199mg | Sodium: 305mg | Potassium: 550mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 392IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 187mg | Iron: 6mg

Derek Wolf

Derek is the driving force behind Over the Fire Cooking. He started cooking with live fire in 2016 and decided to start a social media page so his friends and family could follow the journey. Fast forward to today and Over the Fire Cooking has spread across multiple platforms with millions now following Derek's fire cooking journey. He's a southern fellow who enjoys everything from classic BBQ to Central and South American inspired dishes. Whatever he's cooking up, it's guaranteed to be so freakin' delicious!

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    1. This is from Breeo. Similar to Solo, but actually Breeo invented and has the patent on the reburning fire pit technology and is American made.