Essentially a large ribeye steak on the bone, this Tomahawk steak recipe is the perfect cut to cook over coals. The smoke and fat come together to create a little bit of magic. The chimichurri sauce adds a punch of acidity that barbecued meat craves. This is steak cooking and eating in its purest form – no tricks, no gimmicks, just high-quality meat, a live fire, and a well-made sauce with chips. Indulge your carnivorous instincts and revel in the glorious simplicity of this combination. The meat is, of course, the star, but the sauce plays a crucial supporting role, offering a lively counterpoint to the smoke, fat, and salt, elevating the whole experience. Chips, in my opinion, are essential to any proper steak night and need no further introduction.
Serves 2
Ingredients
For the chips:
For the chimichurri:
Method
Start with the chips:
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into chips. I personally don’t like them too chunky, but the thickness is up to you.
- Place the chips in a large pan and set it in the sink. Run hot water from the tap, as hot as possible, over the chips while stirring them in the pan. You’ll notice the starch coming off. Wash them like this for a couple of minutes.
- Switch to cold water, cover the chips, and season with sea salt. Place the pan over high heat, bring to a boil, then reduce to a good simmer. Cook for 10-14 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chips. A key to great chips is to be bold with the first blanching – cook them a little longer than you’d expect.
- Carefully drain the chips in a colander, then transfer them to a tray to cool, keeping them in a single layer to avoid breaking them. Transfer the tray to the fridge and allow the chips to cool completely.
- Heat your deep fryer, or a large pan with vegetable oil or beef dripping, to 130°C. In batches, to avoid overcrowding, fry the chips for 6-minutes. Drain the excess oil, lay them on a tray, and return to the fridge to cool.
For the chimichurri:
- Place the dried oregano and red wine vinegar in a bowl and let it sit for 5-minutes.
- Then, add the chopped parsley, chilli, garlic, and olive oil. Season generously with sea salt, stir well, and allow to sit for 10-minutes.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
To cook the Tomahawk:
- Remove the Tomahawk steak from the fridge at least 40-minutes before cooking.
- Rub the steak with a drizzle of oil, season generously with sea salt, and let it sit for 10-minutes.
- When the coals are ready (once the flames have burned out and the charcoal is white/grey), place the steak on the hottest part of the grill. Cook for 1-minute on one side, then flip and cook for another minute. If the flames become too fierce, move the steak to a cooler part of the grill until they die down.
- Once both sides have seared and a crust has started to form, move the steak to a cooler part of the grill (or to a higher shelf if your BBQ has different levels). Keep the steak moving around the cooler areas of the grill, flipping it occasionally.
- Return the steak to the hottest part of the grill only briefly, before moving it back to the cooler areas, allowing it to soak up the smoke and flavour. Continue cooking like this for about 12-15 minutes.
- Remove the steak from the grill and let it rest for at least 15-minutes before serving.
Meanwhile:
- Turn the fryer up to 185°C. Fry the chips in batches for 4-5 minutes, or until they are perfectly golden brown. Remove from the fryer, drain the excess oil, and season generously with sea salt.
