A tomahawk steak is a bone-in ribeye cut from the rib primal, with the rib bone left long and scraped clean so the whole thing looks like an axe. That is the short answer, and it is where most guides stop.
This one keeps going. Below you will find which ribs it comes from, what the bone actually does, how much meat sits on a 1.5kg tomahawk once you account for that bone, how many people it realistically feeds, and why it carries the price it does on a Sydney steakhouse menu.
What Part of the Cow Does a Tomahawk Steak Come From?
A tomahawk steak comes from the rib primal, the section running roughly from the sixth to the twelfth rib along the top of the animal's back. It is the same muscle group Australians buy boneless as scotch fillet and Americans call ribeye, simply left attached to its rib bone.
Three muscles make up the eating part. The longissimus dorsi is the large central eye. Wrapped around it sits the spinalis dorsi, better known as the ribeye cap, which most chefs will tell you is the best-eating muscle on the whole animal. A small third muscle, the complexus, sits alongside them near the shoulder end.
None of those muscles do much work, which is why the cut eats so tender. Fat deposits between the fibres rather than around them, giving the marbling that renders during cooking. Because each side of the carcass carries only seven ribs in that section, a single animal yields a limited number of tomahawks.
Why the Bone Stays On, and What Frenching Means
The bone is left long for presentation, then cleaned by a process called frenching, where the butcher scrapes the meat, fat and membrane off the rib until it finishes as a bare handle. It takes time and a steady knife, and it is a large part of what separates a tomahawk from a plain bone-in rib steak.
The bone itself adds very little flavour, despite what the marketing usually claims. What it does do is slow the heat reaching the meat beside it, so that side often comes out a touch pinker. Treat the bone as theatre and a carving handle rather than a flavour ingredient.
How Big Is a Tomahawk Steak?
Most tomahawk steaks are cut 4cm to 6cm thick and weigh between 1kg and 1.5kg with the bone in. The bone accounts for a meaningful share of that number, so 1.5kg of tomahawk gives you less eating meat than 1.5kg of boneless scotch fillet. That is worth knowing before you compare prices per kilo.
| Measure | Typical tomahawk |
|---|---|
| Thickness | 4cm to 6cm |
| Weight, bone in | 1kg to 1.5kg |
| Exposed bone | 20cm or longer |
| Cut from | Rib primal, ribs 6 to 12 |
| Boneless equivalent | Scotch fillet, sold as ribeye overseas |
Thickness is not an accident. The steak is cut to the width of the rib bone, which is why a tomahawk is always thick and why it needs a different approach in the kitchen to a 300g steak.
How Many People Does a Tomahawk Steak Feed?
A tomahawk between 1kg and 1.5kg comfortably feeds two people, and stretches to three once it is carved and served with sides. Ordered as a single main it is far more meat than most diners finish, so treat it as a shared centrepiece rather than an individual portion.
| Weight, bone in | Comfortably feeds |
|---|---|
| 1kg | Two |
| 1.2kg | Two, or three with generous sides |
| 1.5kg | Two to three |
Appetite matters more than arithmetic here. A table ordering entrees and sides will get three serves out of a 1.5kg steak; a table of three ordering nothing else will not.
Tomahawk vs Ribeye, Scotch Fillet and Cowboy Steak
A tomahawk is a ribeye. Take the bone off and you have a scotch fillet; shorten the bone and you have a cowboy steak. The meat is identical across all three, so the decision comes down to presentation, thickness and how many people are sharing.
| Cut | What it is | Bone |
|---|---|---|
| Scotch fillet | The boneless ribeye muscle | None |
| Cowboy steak | Bone-in ribeye | Short, trimmed |
| Tomahawk | Bone-in ribeye, cut thick | Long and frenched |
If you are weighing the tomahawk against the rest of a steakhouse board, our guide to Australian steak cuts runs through how sirloin, eye fillet, T-bone and porterhouse compare on tenderness and flavour.
Why a Tomahawk Costs More Than a Ribeye
Three things drive the price. The first is the meat itself, since the rib primal is well marbled and includes the ribeye cap. The second is grading, and in Australia that means the AUS-MEAT marbling scale, which runs from 0 to 9 and is assessed visually in the eye muscle. A higher marble score lifts the price per kilo before anything else happens.
The third is the bone. You pay for weight you cannot eat, and you pay for the butchery time that turns a rib into a clean handle. Add restaurant kitchen time and tableside carving, and a tomahawk sits at the top of most steak menus for reasons that have very little to do with hype.
How to Cook and Carve a Tomahawk
The reverse sear is the method that suits this cut best: cook it low and slow first, then finish with a hard, fast sear. A steak this thick will burn on the outside long before the centre is ready if you try to do the whole job over high heat.
Set the oven low, around 110°C to 120°C, and sit the steak on a rack over a tray. Pull it when the internal temperature reads about 10°C below your target, then sear it in a screaming hot pan or over direct heat for a minute or two a side. A thermometer is not optional at this thickness.
| Doneness | Internal temperature |
|---|---|
| Rare | 48°C to 50°C |
| Medium rare | 52°C to 54°C |
| Medium | 57°C to 60°C |
| Medium well | 63°C to 65°C |
Then rest it, properly, for 10 to 15 minutes. Carving is simple once it settles: run the knife down the bone to release the eye, cut the cap away and share it around, then slice the rest thickly across the grain.
Tomahawk Steak FAQ
Is a tomahawk steak just a ribeye with a bone?
Yes. The eating quality is the same as a boneless scotch fillet, because it is the same muscle group from the same part of the animal. What changes is the thickness, the presentation and the sharing size. If the bone does not matter to you, a scotch fillet gives you the same flavour with more edible weight per kilo.
Is a tomahawk steak worth the money?
It depends what you are buying it for. On pure eating value a boneless scotch fillet wins, because you are not paying for bone weight. As an occasion steak for a table of two or three, the tomahawk earns its place, since carving a whole cut in front of people turns dinner into an event.
How many tomahawk steaks does one animal produce?
Only a handful. The rib primal covers about seven ribs on each side of the carcass, and each tomahawk takes the width of one rib. That puts the ceiling in the low teens per animal, and in practice fewer, since not every rib section gets trimmed for tomahawks instead of rib roast or boneless ribeye.
What is a tomahawk steak called without the long bone?
A cowboy steak. It is the same bone-in ribeye with the rib trimmed short instead of left long and frenched. Some butchers call it a rib steak or a bone-in scotch fillet. Names shift between countries, so the reliable check is where it sits on the animal, not the label.
Can you order a tomahawk steak for one person?
You can, but very few people finish one. A 1.5kg steak carries more meat than a standard main plus sides, so ordering it solo usually means a takeaway container. If you are dining alone and want the same flavour, order a scotch fillet from the same rib section instead.
How long does a tomahawk steak take to cook?
Longer than you expect. At home, a reverse sear runs 30 to 45 minutes in a low oven before the sear, plus 10 to 15 minutes resting. In a restaurant, allow extra time from the moment you order, and tell the floor team early if the table is on a schedule.
The Tomahawk at Elements Bar and Grill
There are two ways to order it. The house tomahawk is a 1.5kg cut, and it arrives whole and gets carved in front of you at the Pyrmont dining room and at Walsh Bay, which is rather the point of ordering the bone in the first place. Above it sits the MB9 Phoenix Wagyu tomahawk from Mort & Co, grain fed for 365 days or more, in 1.6kg at $499 or 2kg at $599. Both wagyu cuts need 24 hours notice, so ask for one when you book rather than on the night.
Thursday is when the house cut does its best work. Tomahawk with Tommy's puts the 1.5kg steak on the table at $189 with parmesan mascarpone potato puree and two Tommy's Margaritas, built for two to three people to share.
Book a table at Elements Bar and Grill or call 1300 ELEMENTS (1300 353 636). Mention the tomahawk when you book so the kitchen can allow for the cook time.
