Tomahawk
A rib eye left on its whole rib bone, cleaned back for show. It is a steak for a table, not for one person.
- Section
- Rib
- Fat
- High, well marbled
- Best cooked
- Reverse sear, or indirect heat then a hard sear
- Best doneness
- Medium rare
Tap a section to explore its cuts.
Chuck
The shoulder. Hard working muscle and rich flavour, where the short ribs begin.
Rib
The richest marbling on the animal, and the home of the scotch fillet.
Striploin
Along the back. Firm, beefy steaks with a fat cap down one edge.
Tenderloin
Tucked under the loin, doing almost no work. The most tender cut there is.
Rump
The hip. Big beef flavour for the price, and a favourite on the grill.
Plate
Below the ribs. Loose grained, intensely flavoured and quick to cook.
Flank
The belly behind the plate. Lean, long grained steaks made for a marinade and a hot grill.
Round
The hind leg. Lean, hard working muscles such as topside and silverside, used for roasts and corned beef.
Shank
The hind leg from below the round to the knee. Very lean and tough, so it is slow cooked or minced rather than served as a steak.
What is a tomahawk steak?
A tomahawk is a rib eye cut from the rib section with the entire rib bone left attached, and the bone scraped clean along its length. That long handle of bone is where the name comes from.
They are big. A tomahawk commonly runs well over a kilogram, which makes it a shared steak, carved at the table and eaten by several people rather than ordered by one.
What part of a cow is tomahawk steak?
A tomahawk comes from the rib section, in the upper middle of the back between the chuck and the striploin. It is a rib eye on the bone with the full length of rib left on.
Location and anatomy
It is cut across the rib cage like a rib eye, but the rib bone is left long and scraped clean of meat, which gives it the axe shape.
The eye of the rib is the thick centre muscle, the same meat as a scotch fillet. The rib cap is the marbled outer muscle wrapped around the eye. The long rib bone is often 20 centimetres or more, left for presentation.
How to cook it
At that size you cannot simply throw it on a hot grill: the outside will burn long before the centre is warm. Cook it slowly first, over indirect heat or in a low oven, until the centre is close to done. Then sear it hard to build the crust, rest it well, and carve the eye off the bone into slices for the table.
A meat thermometer earns its keep here. Medium rare is the usual target, which keeps the marbling soft and the slices pink right across.
When a tomahawk is the right order
When the steak is part of the occasion. Order it for a group that wants to share one centrepiece rather than a plate each. If you simply want the flavour for yourself, a scotch fillet gives you the same muscle for a fraction of the size.
Also from the rib: Scotch fillet, Rib eye on the bone, Beef back ribs.
Where to order tomahawk
Sydney has plenty of places to order a good steak, and our pick of the best steak restaurants in Sydney is a good place to start.
Our venues serving tomahawk are Elements Bar and Grill in Walsh Bay and Pyrmont (MB2 tomahawk steak and MB9 wagyu tomahawk), Elements Brasserie in Belmore (tomahawk steak) and Elements Smokehouse in Darlinghurst (tomahawk steak). Look out for Tomahawk with Tommy’s at Pyrmont and Walsh Bay too.
Cuts to compare with tomahawk
Frequently asked
How many people does a tomahawk feed?
It is cut to share. A large tomahawk suits a table rather than one person, which is why it is usually carved and served in slices.
Is a tomahawk just a rib eye?
Yes, with the whole rib bone left on and cleaned back. The meat is the same rib eye muscle.
What is the best way to cook a tomahawk?
Slowly first, then a hard sear at the end, so the centre cooks through without burning the outside.
How many people does a tomahawk feed?
A 1.5 kg Angus tomahawk usually feeds two to three people. A wagyu tomahawk of similar weight is much richer, so sliced to share it comfortably stretches further.
