What Is a Tomahawk Steak? A Complete Buying and Cooking Guide

A tomahawk steak is a thick, bone-in ribeye with the full rib bone left long and frenched, so it looks like an axe handle.

The meat is the same richly marbled muscle you know as scotch fillet, but the presentation turns it into a genuine centrepiece.

This guide covers what the cut actually is, what a tomahawk steak costs per kilogram in Australia, how to pick a good one, and how to cook it with confidence, whether that is your first tomahawk or your fortieth.

What Is a Tomahawk Steak?

A tomahawk is cut from the rib primal, the same section that gives you ribeye and scotch fillet, with at least 20 cm of rib bone left attached and cleaned of meat. That cleaning process is called frenching, and it is what creates the dramatic handle. Underneath the presentation, you are eating the longissimus dorsi, the ribeye muscle, along with the prized spinalis cap that carries much of the cut's flavour.

Because the steak is cut to the thickness of the rib bone, a tomahawk is usually 5 cm thick or more and weighs between 1 and 1.5 kg. That thickness changes how it cooks: it behaves more like a small roast than a quick weeknight steak.

It sits at the indulgent end of the spectrum among the cuts of beef ranked by flavour and fat content, which is exactly why it has become the go-to for birthdays, celebrations and serious weekend cooking.

Tomahawk vs Ribeye: What Is the Difference?

A tomahawk and a ribeye are the same muscle; the difference is the bone, the thickness and the price you pay for presentation. Flavour-wise there is nothing a tomahawk delivers that a well-marbled scotch fillet cannot, so the choice comes down to occasion and budget.

If tenderness per dollar is the goal, a boneless cut wins, and our ribeye vs sirloin comparison breaks that decision down further. If you want the steak everyone photographs before dinner, the tomahawk is unbeaten.

How Much Does a Tomahawk Steak Cost in Australia?

In Australia, tomahawk steak generally sells for around $58 to $112 per kilogram, depending on breed, feeding program and marble score. At Carnivore Society, 100% grass fed and finished tomahawk ribs start from $58 per kg from Bass Strait and $63 per kg from Cape Grim in Tasmania, while grain-fed Wagyu tomahawk at marble score 8 to 9 runs up to $112 per kg. A typical single steak of 1 to 1.2 kg lands between roughly $70 and $135.

Why so expensive? Two honest reasons. First, the muscle itself is premium ribeye, which commands top-tier pricing in any form. Second, you pay per kilogram and the long bone adds weight you do not eat, while the frenching adds skilled butcher labour. That is worth knowing before you buy: some of the price is presentation, not protein.

Buying whole ribs or boxes rather than single steaks drops the per-kg price noticeably, which is how serious buyers make the cut affordable for more than special occasions.

How to Choose a Good Tomahawk Steak

Choose a tomahawk by marbling first, then weight, thickness and sourcing, not by the length of the bone. Fine, even threads of intramuscular fat through the eye of the meat are what deliver flavour and juiciness, so a marble score of MB2+ and above is a sensible floor, and MB4+ or Wagyu grades take it into indulgence territory.

Look for a steak between 1 and 1.5 kg and at least 4 to 5 cm thick. Thinner tomahawks overcook before the bone-side flesh is done, which wastes the whole point of the cut. Check the bone is cleanly frenched and the cap muscle is intact.

Feeding matters too. Grass fed and finished beef, like our Cape Grim and Bass Strait range, brings a cleaner, more mineral flavour, while grain-fed Wagyu delivers heavier marbling and richness. Neither is wrong; they suit different tables.

Finally, grading is your proof of quality. Independent standards exist for a reason, and our guide to why MSA grade beef matters explains what the grading actually guarantees you as a buyer.

How to Cook a Tomahawk Steak

The most reliable way to cook a tomahawk steak is a reverse sear: bring it to temperature slowly in a low oven or on indirect BBQ heat, then sear it hard at the end. Because the steak is so thick, cooking it hot from the start burns the outside long before the centre is done.

Reverse Sear in the Oven

Season generously, then roast at 120°C until the internal temperature reaches about 48 to 52°C for medium rare, usually 45 to 60 minutes. Sear in a large, screaming-hot pan or on the BBQ for 1 to 2 minutes per side to build the crust.

On the BBQ

Set up two zones. Cook on the indirect side with the hood down, then finish over direct flame. The method suits every cut in our guide to the best cuts for grilling, but the tomahawk rewards it most.

Resting and Carving

Rest for at least 10 minutes, loosely covered. Carve the whole eye off the bone in one piece, slice across the grain, and serve the slices fanned out with the bone on the board.

Where to Buy Tomahawk Steak Online

The easiest way to buy a tomahawk steak in Australia is online from a specialist butcher who ships cold-chain, cryovac-sealed cuts to your door. Supermarkets rarely stock the cut, and when they do, thickness and marbling are usually compromised.

Our Cape Grim grass fed tomahawk is the flagship: 100% grass fed and finished in Tasmania, cut thick and delivered cryovac sealed so it keeps for weeks in the fridge unopened, or freezes cleanly. For maximum marbling, the Shimo Wagyu tomahawk at MB8 to 9 is the occasion piece.

If you are new to ordering meat this way, our guide to buying premium steak online in Australia covers delivery, packaging and what to check on arrival.

Order Your Tomahawk Centrepiece

A tomahawk steak is a bone-in ribeye built for occasions: same great muscle, unforgettable presentation. Choose by marbling and thickness, cook it with a reverse sear, and rest it properly.

Order grass fed and Wagyu tomahawks, cut thick and delivered Australia-wide.