How to cook the perfect tomahawk steak

Light the barbecue and gather your cooking accessories. Season the steak and set aside.

When the barbecue coals are covered in white ash, lay the tomahawk steak on the grill with the lid on. Use an upturned roasting tin or disposable foil tray if your barbecue is not lidded.

Cook for the times listed. To prevent the outside of the meat from burning, stand by the steak as it cooks with a pint of water to hand. As soon as the flames flare up, dampen the heat by flicking water on the coals until they die down.

Leave to rest for 10-20 minutes, then slice and serve.

Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Season the steak and set aside. Light the barbecue.

Place the tomahawk steak in an ovenproof tray and roast for the times listed.

When the barbecue coals are covered in white ash, lay the tomahawk steak on the grill and cook for 2 minutes each side, until caramelised.

Leave to rest for 10-20 minutes, then slice and serve.

Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Season the steak and set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan. Add the steak and cook on a high heat for 2 minutes each side.

Place the tomahawk steak on an ovenproof tray and roast for the times listed.

Leave to rest for 10-20 minutes, then slice and serve.

WATCH Charmaine

Watch our step-by-step video to see Charmaine, chef tutor at the Waitrose Cookery School perfectly cook a tomahawk.

LISTEN to Angela

Listen to Angela Hartnett cook a tomahawk steak with Café de Paris-style butter for Nick Grimshaw and guest Harry Hill on episode 14, season 5 of Dish, the podcast from Waitrose.

See the recipe

Herb butter

Crush 2 cloves of garlic with a pinch of sea salt and a little freshly ground black pepper in a pestle & mortar.  Pound in a handful of finely chopped herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, basil and parsley, and the zest of ½ lemon. Add 75g cubed unsalted butter, crushing it in as you go. Spoon the butter onto a square of baking parchment, roll it into a log and twist the ends. Put in the fridge to firm up for 30-40 minutes. Place slices on the cooked tomahawk steak to melt.

Béarnaise

Put ½ a diced shallot, 2 tbsp dry white wine, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar and 1 tarragon sprig in a pan, bring to the boil, and simmer until reduced by ½. Discard the tarragon and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Add 1 egg yolk and set over a pan of barely simmering water. Season and whisk for 3-4 minutes, until it doubles in volume. Take off the heat and pour in 75g melted unsalted butter, in a slow, constant stream, whisking as you go. Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice, and stir through a little chopped tarragon. 

Spicy dipping sauce

Mix together 2 tsp Cooks’ Ingredients Gochujang, 2 crushed cloves of garlic, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp Chinese rice vinegar, 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds and 2 tbsp water. 

Chimichurri

Mix finely chopped fresh oregano, flat leaf parsley and shallots with 2 crushed cloves of garlic. Add the juice of ½ lemon, 3 tbsp rapeseed oil, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar and ½ tsp dried chilli flakes, season and mix well. 

Salsa verde

Put 25g fresh parsley leaves, 2 tbsp capers, ½ garlic clove, 4 anchovy fillets, ½ tsp Dijon mustard, ½ tsp red wine vinegar and 7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil into a food processor, and blend until fairly smooth. 

Before cooking, let the meat come to room temperature, and season with salt.

The easiest way to make sure the steak is cooked exactly the way you like it is to use a temperature probe: rare should be 48°C, medium rare 52°C, medium 58°C, medium well 62°C and well done 68°C.

During cooking, baste the meat with melted butter or with beef dripping, which adds extra flavour.

After cooking, let your steak rest on a wire rack over a tray in a warm place for 10-20 minutes (depending on the size). This allows the muscle to relax, so the meat stays tender.

Always slice the meat against the grain.

Finish with a sprinkle of sea salt.