Reverse-Sear Tomahawk
A steak this thick has exactly one honest path: low and slow to 47°C internal, rest while the fire climbs, then a violent ninety-second sear per side over open coals. Edge-to-edge rosy, crust like a campfire. Most of the two and a half hours is the steak and the fire doing their jobs — yours is mostly to not interfere.
mostly unattended — the clock does the work
By Jake Morrow on YouTube✓ claimed by creator
Ingredients
for 3 servings
- 1.2 kgtomahawk ribeye — about 6 cm thick, bone frenched
or: thick-cut bone-in ribeye (5 cm+) · close match — Same cut minus the handle. Identical method; check the internal temp 10 minutes earlier.
- 1 tbspkosher salt
- 2 tspcoarse black pepper
- 40 gunsalted butter
- 4 sprigsfresh thyme
- 2 clovesgarlic — smashed, skin on
- to tasteflaky sea salt
Equipment
checked against your kitchen
- ✓kamado
Oven + cast-iron pan reproduces the method faithfully, minus the coal flavor.
- ✓thermometer
Leave-in probe strongly preferred for the slow phase.
What 12 cooks learned
from real Cook Mode sessions — not reviews
- Finished it:
- 9 of 12
- Struggled:
- 3
- Reported success:
- 88% across 69 reports
Palate consensus
- 3 of 5 cooks who answered said too much richness — but your palate leans the other way, so your compile leaves it alone. Yours, not theirs.
Every number here carries its denominator. Patterns below our sample floor are not shown at all — and only the strongest ones are allowed to change your compiled recipe.
Method
lanes run in parallel — the numbers are one honest walk through the graph
- 1meat
Salt the steak on every surface and set it on a rack, uncovered, at room temperature for at least 45 minutes. Overnight uncovered in the fridge is even better — dry surface, deep seasoning.
1 h · 5 min attentionDone when: Surface tacky-dry, no visible salt grains left.
- 2fireparallel track
Set the kamado up indirect and settle it low — 120°C dome. Small fire, bottom vent barely open. You want an oven, not a forge. Yet.
30 min · 10 min attention120°C ambientDone when: Dome steady at 120°C for ten straight minutes.
- 3
waits for: steps 1 and 2
Pepper the steak, probe into the dead center, onto the indirect side. Roast until the probe reads 47°C — anywhere from 45 to 75 minutes depending on the steak. Trust the probe, not the clock.
1 h · 5 min attention47°C internalDone when: 47°C dead center. Pull it — carryover is real and the sear adds more.
- 4fire
Steak off and onto a board. Open both vents wide and let the fire climb to searing heat — 260°C-plus at the grate. The steak rests while the fire builds; the schedule takes care of itself.
15 min · 5 min attention260°C ambientDone when: You cannot hold your hand at grate level for three seconds.
- 5
Steak over the open coals. Don't touch it. Ninety seconds. Trust the sear. Flip, butter, thyme, and garlic on top, ninety more, basting with what melts. Roll the fat edge on the grate for thirty seconds to finish.
7 min54°C internal⏱ First side — hands off · 2 minDone when: Deep, crackling crust on both faces; 54°C internal for medium-rare.
→ the crust
- 6
Rest on the board, ten full minutes, nothing on top. The juices are redistributing; slicing early pours them onto the board instead of keeping them in the meat.
10 min · 1 min attention⏱ Rest — do not slice · 10 min - 7
Carve the meat off the bone in one piece, slice against the grain, and fan the slices through the buttery board juices. Flaky salt over everything. The bone goes to whoever earned it.
5 minDone when: Edge-to-edge rosy with a thin seared rim — the reverse-sear signature.
Why this grade?
- influencer provenance+45
- claimed by creator+3
- validation: kitchen-tested+6
- 74 verified cooks+16.9
- 88% success across 69 reports+5.4
- Trust score76/100