Three-inch thick steaks

[Ann-Marie in the backyard]

A friend of mine wants me to "smoke" a couple of Fred Flintstone steaks for a shared dinner (he buys the beef, I cook, he and his wife and my husband and I dine). Asked him what cut of beef, and he said tomahawk or ribeye or strip steak. I'm going to keep it simple and reverse-sear both of them over KBB with a little hickory wood added. Salt and pepper seasoning, and probably some compound butter to go with.

First, does strip steak even come that thick? And is there anything special I should know about a hunk of beef that thick (and that isn't brisket)?

[Panhead John]

Great friends you got there Ann Marie. Heck of a deal. Most of the steaks I get at my Costco are around 1 1/2” to 2” thick. 3” is pretty thick for a steak. I think most people will be happy with 2” or a little less. You could ask the butcher to cut you some, if they really want one that thick. Your plan on cooking them sounds spot on to me. If the steaks are really thick, just leave them smoking off heat for a little longer than usual, then sear as you normally would.

I did see a tomahawk at Costco once that looked it was almost 3” thick, but couldn’t measure it in the store.

[jfmorris]

If you buy a NY strip primal yourself you can cut it as thick as you want - I used to do that back when I could get USDA prime for $7 a pound. You can also go to the meat counter and get them to cut you some that thick I am sure.

You almost gotta treat a steak this thick like a roast, go low and slow, then sear at the end. A 3 inch steak might take a surprising amount of time to reach 120ish, before you sear it. Best find out how well done every one likes their meat.

[IowaGirl]

I agree w Jim -- treat a 3-4" thick "steak" like a roast. Either roast and reverse sear ... or cook from frozen.

For a cook-from-frozen method -- Do a front "sear while flipping often" method on a screaming hot grill at first until you get the kind of crust you want on the outside surfaces. I flip every 30 seconds, sprinkling the surfaces with seasoning every time I flip.

Then switch to a low-and-slow cook and gently roast the meat to the internal temp you want.

[Uncle Bob]

I'll just throw out another alternative if you've just gotta have 3" thick (personally I prefer 2", just more manageable for a multitude of reasons). Get a picanha cut and basically split it into two pieces rather than the typical three. You might need to manage the timing on the pointy end a bit more for desired doneness, but it could work.

[Troutman]

Find a butcher or ask the meat cutter in your grocery store, they can custom cut one for you.

[shify]

Yup - can get a strip roast the same way you can get a ribeye roast (aka prime rib). Unlikely you'll find a tomahawk type roast though. But if he wants to cook two big steaks for four people, you likely aren't even cooking a super thick roast. Probably two 2-inch ribeyes would be more than enough. When I get a 2 inch ribeye from the butcher, I would guess each steak is usually 24-30 oz and is enough for 2 people

The other option is just one big roast and cook it like prime rib. Dry brine 2+ days, cook/smoke over as low a heat as possible till done and then do a crazy hot sear. All you need after that is some compound butter and some flaky salt

[jfmorris]

Wouldn't a tomahawk ribeye be just a bone-in prime rib, cut between the bones? Assuming you can find one with bones that big. I have a 6 to 7 pound prime rib in the freezer and am thinking of just pulling it out, and slicing into nice thick steaks, with bones hanging off some of them.

[shify]

jfmorris - Yes but a tomahawk ribeye specifically refers to a bone-in ribeye with that extra few inches of the bone still attached

https://www.snakeriverfarms.com/media/catalog/product/cache/fd3fd1671f3c67a963e2bd1c16b24bf4/d/r/drr_dry-aged_tomahawk-0002_2_square.jpg

I've only seen them in the stores/butcher shops pre-cut into steaks, unlike the regular bone-in ribeyes which I often see as a sub-primal and then sliced to order by the butcher. That the differentiation I was trying to make

[jfmorris]

Yeah - the bones on the picture you link to are longer than what is hanging out of a prime rib, for sure!

[Greygoose]

Cook indirect ,,,keep the thermo pen handy,,,,,,,then sear the bejezuss out of them ,,,
all about timing,,,,and enjoying

[Steve B]

Agreed. If their 3” thick or there abouts. Treat them like roasts. Low and slow. Probably will take 1-1/2–2hrs. Than sear them Cowboy style. Right on the coals.
Ok I just made myself hungry thinking about this cook.

[mgaretz]

I’d sous vide them and then sear.

[Ann-Marie in the backyard]

For some reason I'm not all that excited about sous vide. I wish I were! I keep reading about it, and I'm impressed seeing what people are able to do with it, but right now I'd rather spend money on a dedicated smoker than sous vide equipment. I might change my mind in a few months and then give it a try -- you never know.

[Papa Bob]

sous vide is a worthy opponent, its fun ,exact, really tasty on some things and you can get set up for not a lot of investment. I'm a big fan but still like to play with fire and smoke 😎😎😎

[coolfins]

The last Tomahawks I cooked where about two in. I cold smoked for about an hour, sous vide, then seared them on the flat top. One of the best steaks I've had.

[Ann-Marie in the backyard]

That looks great! What do you have wrapped around the bone -- parchment paper?

[coolfins]

I believe I did them at 135 for 3 hrs

[coolfins]

Not really sure what it was, came that way. Maybe butchers paper, had a waxy consistency.

[JeffJ]

Find a butcher or a grocery store with a good meat department and they can custom cut them for you.

[Ann-Marie in the backyard]

Thank you all for the advice and help! (We were in Wisconsin for a few days for our godson's high school graduation party, and I didn't get online much.)

I'm not choosing the beef, our friend Gary is. He did say three inches, but that might have been a bit of exaggeration. It's good to know how far I can extrapolate the reverse sear idea. Not sure when this will all take place, but there will be pictures! Thanks again, everyone --

[Midway]

I bought a pair of Tomahawk Cowboy Ribeye's at Costco and grilled them for 4th of July a couple years ago. I always prefer bone in and these were a real treat. All I currently have is a LYNX Propane grill and I did a reverse grill by turning off one of the 3 burners and searing on the infrared burner to finish. One steak will easily feed two big eaters and these tasted amazing. I ordered a MAK Two-Star Pellet grill and should get it in a few weeks and imagine it would do an even better job though I would probably still use the LYNX for final searing. You have a generous friend. Those Steaks are VERY expensive.

[TripleB]

Beautiful Tacoma. I was stationed at Ft. Lewis back in the 70's. Went back to the Tacoma area a couple years ago for a BBQ competition I was judging in. Wow, has that area changed. Did not even recognize it. All my landmarks were gone. Beautiful Tomahawk by the way.

[Ann-Marie in the backyard]

Very expensive is right! The prices online are pretty wild. That's why I wanted to check in with people who've cooked them before and get advice. It's bad enough if I screw up something I bought -- I really don't want to fail on a gift like this.

[Bob's BBQ]

We do these every year for our anniversary. Hang them in the pit barrel to 110-115 degrees (you can put them on the indirect side of a grill if you don't have a pit barrel), then move to the PK for a good sear. They come out great. And they are all of 3" thick.