OVERVIEW

Few cuts have quite the same sense of occasion as a tomahawk. Essentially a beautifully marbled ribeye with the rib bone left long, it’s made for cooking over charcoal. The trick is to cook it gently first, allowing the smoke and heat to work their way evenly through the meat, before finishing directly over a fierce fire. The result is a deep, dark crust surrounding perfectly pink beef. A rich peppercorn sauce is about as classic an accompaniment as you can get.

This recipe is written for a Dual Zone setup. If you’re using a ConvEGGtor instead, install it for the first part of the recipe, in a legs-up position topped with the Stainless Steel Grid. For the reverse sear at the end, remove the ConvEGGtor and grid and install a Cast Iron Searing Grid.

SET UP YOUR EGG

Remove the steak from the fridge around an hour before cooking. Rub with rapeseed oil, then season generously all over with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Set up your EGG for both direct and indirect cooking using the Dual Zone System. Install the Dual Zone Basket (or ConvEGGtor Basket) with a Half Moon Ceramic Deflector bottom left, Half Moon Stainless Steel Grid top left and Half Moon Cast Iron Searing Grid bottom right. The target temperature is 120°C.

Place the steak onto the grid above the Ceramic Deflector, add the rosemary, thyme and garlic alongside it, then close the Dome. Cook gently until the centre of the steak reaches an internal temperature of 46°C-48°C. Depending on the thickness of the steak, this should take around 35-50 minutes.

MAKE THE PEPPERCORN SAUCE

While the steak is cooking, melt the butter in a Cast Iron Skillet and gently soften the shallot. Add the peppercorns and cook for another minute.

Pour in the brandy and allow it to bubble vigorously until reduced by around half. Add the beef stock and reduce again for a few minutes, then pour in the cream and stir through the Dijon mustard. Simmer gently until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Taste and season with a little salt if needed.

Keep warm while you finish the steak.

SEAR THE STEAK

When the steak is cooked, remove it from the EGG and set aside to rest while you increase the temperature to 250°C.

Place the steak onto the Cast Iron Searing Grid over direct heat and sear hard for around 90 seconds to 2 minutes on each side, turning as needed, until the outside is deeply browned and caramelised. Don’t forget to hold the steak upright with your tongs to sear the thick edge of fat.