Since I really got into barbecue, I’ve seen many a pitmaster post their cooks with the tomahawk ribeye steak – basically, a ribeye steak that hasn’t been removed from the bone. The comments I’ve seen related to these posts have been pretty much, “Yeah, it looks cool, but not worth the money. Just buy the steak and stop paying for the bone.”
So, I pretty much took that advice… until the day I was in Costco and saw a three-pack of them staring at me in the meat section. That’s when the devil sitting upon my shoulder whispered in my ear, “Come on. What? You gonna leave this plane of existence without having cooked this at least once?”
Not too long afterward, I decided to find out for myself whether the price and effort are worth it.
Smoke It, Then Grill It
Up until then, most of the videos I’ve seen were similar to the way I cook tri-tip steaks – smoke it until it reaches an internal temperature of 115 degrees, then reverse sear it on a hot grill. So why overthink it now, right?
I decided that this was a great opportunity to put my birthday gift – the Char-Griller 980 Gravity Charcoal Grill – to the test. While it was heating up, I spread a little oil on the steak, then doused it with a generous dose of salt and pepper, with a light coating of steak seasoning to finish it off.
When the temperature reached 250 degrees, I put the steak on and inserted the probe. Then I played the waiting game (ages 12 and up).
After about an hour, my desired internal temperature was reached. I took off the steak and brought the grill up to 600 degrees. Once it was nice and hot, I placed the meat back on and seared each side for about four minutes, turning it halfway after two minutes.
When the internal temperature climbed to 125 degrees, I removed it from the heat and let it rest for about 15 minutes. When I finally cut in, it was an ideal medium-rare – pink, tender, juicy, smokey, and a slight char.
Right now, I can hear you asking, “Well? Was it worth it?” My verdict – oh yeah. I’m not sure if there was some subliminal element here. Did it taste a little better than other ribeyes I’ve had because I built up the idea of cooking the tomahawk? Or was there something about smoking and searing it with the bone attached?
I’m not sure, to be honest. All I know is that it was fantastic, and I’ll definitely purchase and cook these again.
The Wine: 2018 Educated Guess Cabernet Sauvignon
As much as I love me some Pinot Noir, when it comes to a steak like this, I need something big and bold. For this, I reached for a 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon from Educated Guess.
I’ve had California Cabs with ribeyes before, of course, and this one didn’t disappoint when I broke it open for this special meal. Rich, robust fruits, with earthy hints of tobacco, mushroom, and leather on the nose and the tongue. When I make this steak in the future, I’ll mix it up – maybe a Malbec or Syrah. But if I had no choice but to take this one off the shelf again, I’ll be hunky-dory with that.
As for the winemaker, Educated Guess is actually one of the labels produced by Roots Run Deep, a Napa Valley winery. Their other labels include Hypothesis, Higher Education, Bound and Determined, and Truth Be Told.
Visiting the Roots Run Deep website, you can learn about their history, approach to winemaking, and the wines themselves:
Roots Run Deep Winery was founded in 2005 with a single aim: to produce unparalleled wines from the Napa Valley. Grapes sourced from the best vineyards in Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena, Oak Knoll, Yountville, and Carneros go into making wines of superb quality and unmatched value. Since its founding, Roots Run Deep has expanded the wine portfolio into the Sonoma Coast, Lake County, and Lodi, searching the state for the best quality fruit in order to continue fulfilling our singular mission of delivering amazing wines at remarkable prices.
Educated Guess Cabernet Sauvignon, produced primarily with Napa Valley fruit, is the company’s first release and flagship wine. It ages 12 months in French oak and is typically blended with small amounts of Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.
I probably don’t need to introduce any of my readers to the Napa Valley wine region. Its reputation precedes it, after all. But maybe just a little tidbit from Wine-Searcher.com to round out this post is in order:
Situated immediately north of San Pablo Bay, the valley runs roughly SE – NW for approximately 35 miles (60km) between the Vacas and Mayacamas mountain ranges (to the east and west respectively). The scenic 40-minute drive between the Napa and Calistoga townships passes through some of the most valuable viticultural real estate on Earth.
There are several reasons for Napa Valley’s global renown as a wine region. Most obvious is that the wines are produced to high standards, in a popular style, and are very well marketed. Then there is the region’s accessibility from San Francisco. This draws millions of wine tourists to the valley each year to sample its wines and world-class gastronomy.
Next up, we stay in the realm of bovine – pulled beef tacos, to be precise. Stay tuned.
Cheers!