Tomahawk Chop Ribeye

“One night after service, I rented a party bus and brought the entire staff to [meat purveyor] Pat LaFrieda's place in North Bergen,” says Marc Forgione, executive chef/owner of the American Cut steakhouse at the Revel in Atlantic City. “There I saw these thick ribeyes with a large bone sticking out of them, and was told it was called a Tomahawk Chop. I immediately decided that I needed to serve them at my restaurants.”

Tomahawk Ribeye.
Courtesy of public relations.

“At American Cut, we pair the Tomahawk with my chili lobster, creating what I think is the ultimate surf ‘n’ turf. If you can’t find the 28-day-dry-aged, 40-ounce, prime Creekstone Farms ribeye we use, buy the best ribeye you can find. We serve the chop with chimichurri sauce.”

Ingredients:

For the Chimichurri Sauce:

[3/4] cup extra-virgin olive oil
[1/2] cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
[1/2] cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoons red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Kosher salt
[1/4] cup sherry vinegar

For the Tomahawk:

One (40-ounce) dry-aged ribeye, about 2-1/2 inches thick
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil
4 ounces (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 head garlic, halved horizontally
6 sprigs fresh thyme

Preparation:

To Make the Chimichurri Sauce:

1.    In a medium bowl mix together the olive oil, parsley, cilantro, shallots, pepper flakes, garlic and salt. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 1 day.

2.    Right before serving, add the sherry vinegar. The reason you add vinegar at the last minute is because longer contact with the vinegar will ruin the bright, green color of the sauce.

To Make the Tomahawk:

1.    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F; position the rack in the middle.

2.    Pat the steak dry and season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Let the steaks come to room temperature before cooking.

3.    In a large, ovenproof sauté pan set over high heat, warm enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Heat it until just before it starts to smoke.

4.    Add the steak and sear 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-high, and cook the steak, without moving, for about 4 minutes.

5.    Check the bottom of the steak to see if it is charred to your liking, and flip to the other side and cook 1 to 2 minutes.

6.    Transfer to a baking sheet and cook in the oven for about 10 minutes for medium rare. Return the steak to the pan, and over medium heat, add the butter, garlic and thyme. Increase the heat to high and baste the steak for about 2 minutes (if the butter starts to burn, lower the heat, and add bit of oil to the pan to reduce the overall temperature of the butter).

7.    Transfer the steak to a plate and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. Reserve the brown steak butter in the pan. When ready to serve, slice the steak across the grain.

Assemble the Dish:

1.    Divide the sliced steak between 2 warmed plates and sprinkle on some flaky sea salt.

2.    Spoon chimichurri sauce on top of the steak, drizzle on the reserved steak butter, and sprinkle with smoked salt and black pepper.

3.    Serve with more chimichurri on the side.
 

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