Tomahawk Steaks with French Onion Crust takes everything you love about french onion soup and pairs it with steak. I teamed up with my good friends at Buffalo Trace to create this recipe and it turned out even better than I expected! The secret was all in the carmelized onions. The crisp and slight sweetness it brought to these steaks was unreal and mega delicious. Not to mention the melted cheese on top. Out. Of. This. World! Let me tell you how to make it yours.
Sponsored by Buffalo Trace
French Onion Crust
We’ll get to the tomahawks soon enough, but first we need to talk about these caramelized onions. In my opinion, these onions are what made this recipe. It all started with… Butter. As most good dishes do. I tossed the butter into a cast iron skillet that was already preheated on the grill.
Move the butter around with a spoon, tongs, or a spatula to coat the bottom of your skillet with it. Now, we’ll add the onions. I used sweet yellow onions for this Tomahawk Steaks with French Onion Crust recipe because they pair best with the sweetness of the bourbon. More to come on that soon. The onions are best if they are sliced slightly thinner than pencil thickness. Toss them all into the skillet and mix around.
More on tomahawks steaks here! Try these Hanging Tomahawk Steaks and Dirty Tomahawk Steaks with Steakhouse Butter recipes!
From here, we’ll toss the remaining ingredients into the skillet. My favorite of said ingredients is, of course, the Buffalo Trace. It’s the secret ingredient that gives these caramelized onions a distinctive sweetness, making it almost nutty in flavor. It’s that sweetness that pairs so well with the fatty and savoriness of the tomahawk steaks.
Tomahawk Steaks Hitting the Grill and… More Butter
Alright, now the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Time to grill the tomahawk steaks.
Before these steaks hit the grill, I seasoned them with some salt and pepper. Then, take them over to the fire and set them on the grill grate. I let my tomahawk steaks cook 12-15 minutes per side, waiting for them to reach an internal temperature of 120F. Pull them from the grill to rest once they hit that internal temperature.
While the tomahawks are resting, let’s make the cheese crust portion of the French Onion Crust. To make this, simply mix all your cheese crust ingredients together, making sure to use melted butter. The melted butter is important because the panko crumbs will absorb that butter and help hold all the ingredients together. It should be at a paste-like consistency and easy to spread across the tomahawk steaks.
Under the Fire Cooking
Yes, you read that correctly. We’re going to be cooking the last portion of this Tomahawk Steaks with French Onion Crust recipe under the fire. Here’s how:
Grab your rested tomahawk steaks and then place them on a cooking sheet (we don’t want to burn or melt a cutting board). Next, pile up those caramelized onions across the entire surface of those steaks. We’ll then cover each steak with the cheese crust. I spread it all across the top of the onions that were on top of the steaks.
Now, take a large sheet of aluminum foil and lightly lay it over the steaks. Next, I put my welding gloves on so that I could grab some hot, fiery coals from the fire. Carry them over to the tomahawks and then place them on top of foil that was directly over the steaks. This, my friends, is how we turn our cheese paste into a French Onion Crust.
You can carefully peek under the foil to check on cheese, making sure it gets a slight char but isn’t burning. After you’ve achieved your desired charred-ness for the cheese crust, remove the foil. Lastly, transfer your steaks over to a cutting board, slice and serve. Best enjoyed with friends and family. Cheers!
If you’re a bourbon drinker like myself, give this Bourbon Mushroom Steak Tips Recipe a try!
For more delicious recipes, check out my cookbook Food X Fire!
Needing more spice in your life? My spice line can help with that. Check them out here.
Tomahawk Steaks with French Onion Crust
Ingredients
Steak:
- 3 Whole Tomahawk Steaks
- 1.5 tbsp of Coarse Sea Salt
- 1.5 tbsp of Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp of Canola Oil
French Onions:
- 2 medium Sweet Onions thinly sliced
- 2 cups of Beef Broth
- 2 oz of Buffalo Trace
- 8 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 tsp of Rosemary chopped
- 1 tsp of Thyme chopped
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp of Butter
Cheese Crust:
- 2 tbsp of Gruyere grated
- 2 tbsp of Panko Crumbs
- 2 tbsp of Melted Butter
- 1 tbsp of Parmesan grated
- 1 tbsp of Chopped Parsley
Instructions
- Lay out your tomahawk steaks (or ribeyes) and lather with canola oil. Generously season with salt and black pepper, then place in the fridge overnight to dry brine.
- Preheat your fire to a medium-high heat temperature (around 375F) for direct grilling. As the fire is warming up, pull out your steaks to bring them to room temperature.
- Add a cast iron skillet over the fire along with some butter and let it melt. Next, add the onions and let them saute until they begin to brown (5-6 minutes). After they brown, add the minced garlic and let brown as well (another 2 minutes). Deglaze the skillet with some Buffalo Trace Bourbon, then add the rest of the ingredients for the french onions. Let simmer over medium-high heat until most of the liquid has been reduced (around 20 minutes). Make sure to stir the onions occasionally to prevent burning. Once the onions are brown and most of the liquid is gone, pull the onions off and set aside.
- Add your steaks to the grill and cook for 12-15 minutes per side until they have a nice crust and are 120F internal. Once the steaks are done, pull them off and let them rest for 10 minutes.
- As the steaks rest, mix together your cheese crust in a bowl. You are looking for a paste-like consistency. If you need it thicker, add more cheese and panko crumbs. If you need it thinner, add more melted butter.
- Once the steaks are fully rested, add the steaks to a sheet pan. Add a spoonful of the french onions on top of each steak. Top the onions with the cheese crust. Take two non-stick aluminum foil sheets and cover the steaks. Grabbing some coals from the fire, add them right on top of the cheese crust in order to broil them. Let cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Once done, sliced your steaks, pour some more Buffalo Trace, serve and enjoy!