Ever since I started my website and social media accounts, I occasionally see people with these huge, bone-in ribeye steaks and it has made me very, very jealous. I have had a difficult time finding these types of steaks around me, but then Costco had blessed my local store with these giant meat lollipops and I had to partake.
While I wasn’t exactly looking to buy meat on this particular Costco trip, there was a 47 ounce USDA Prime ribeye just calling my name…and I listened.
There is debate on whether or not you would consider this a tomahawk steak, because some purists believe the bone needs to extend at least six to eight inches out from the meat. This particular one was 4.5″, but I’ll consider it a tomahawk anyway.
As stated above, this ribeye was 47 ounces! And was just over 2 inches thick. I even had my buddy, Lego Batman, come to help show size of scale.
Since this is a premium cut of beef and I spent a good amount of money on it, I wanted to make sure I didn’t screw this up. Here’s what I did:
REVERSE SEARED RIBEYE STEAK
Ingredients
- 1 monster-sized ribeye steak
- rub
Smoker
- Pecan wood
- 250F for the low and slow
- 550F+ for the sear
Directions
- Rinse beef, pat dry
- Apply rub on all sides, let rest for 15-20 minutes
- Get smoker up to 250F, put wood of choice in
- Place steak on grill surface (can be done prior to reaching 250F temp)
- Smoke until internal meat temp reaches 125F, remove from grill surface
- Place meat on hot, searing surface, preferably a cast iron skillet
- Sear steak for 1-2 minutes on each side, until internal meat temp reaches 130-135F
- Rest for 10-15 minutes
- Slice and enjoy!
As I take the meat out of the package, I give it a quick rinse and pat it dry with a paper towel. I do this because the meat sits suffocating in plastic wrap and want to make sure it’s somewhat of a fresh surface. Once patted dry, I apply rub. For those of you that follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that lately I’ve been favoring a blend of two different types of rub: Grunt Rub (garlic rub) from Code 3 Spices and What’s Your Beef? rub from Loot n’ Booty. I like to let the meat rest for about 15 to 20 minutes before putting on the smoker because I like how the meat sweats and the rub starts to soak into the meat.
After I have my smoker started and wood chunks put in, I will put the meat in even when it is not at the desired temp of 250F because it’s just more time for it to get smoke flavor in. I give the meat a quarter turn every 20 minutes or so and then flip it over and do the same. This particular steak, with it being so thick, took an hour and a half to smoke and get to the desired internal temp of 125F.
I had all intentions of placing the steak in the cast-iron skillet on my Kamado Joe for searing, but time was running out and people were getting hungry, so I fired up my stove and put the cast-iron skillet on high heat and seared it there. In the skillet, I put 1/4 C of butter and some rub and let it melt before searing on both sides of the steak.
While searing, the steak will develop that delicious brown crust on the outside. Don’t be afraid to try to sear the sides of the steak as well.
Once you reach your desired internal temp (I go 130-135 for medium rare), put the steak on a cutting board and let rest for about 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. I love to let it rest afterwards so that way the meat relaxes and the juices start to build up. You’ll notice this as you start to slice.
This was a big hit with my family and guests (yep, it fed all of us)! My only regret is I started late and it finished while dark outside, so natural lighting for my pictures wasn’t there. Guess I’ll have to do this again!
