You may of hear of the famous Tomahawk Steak you may of even seen them on social media, but what is this steak? Why is it so coveted?
What Is A Tomahawk Steak?
A Tomahawk steak is sourced from the rib primal on a beef steer. An official tomahawk is from the Prime ribs, which is the first 7 ribs of each side of a beef carcass, meaning there is a potential of 14 Tomahawks per "cow".
Once the ribs are removed, they are cut to the bone leaving the ribeye attached to teh bone. This process if callsed frenching, leaving 12 to 14 inches of exposed rib.
Essentially, a Tomahawk is a Ribeye attched to its rib bone.
Why Do You Want A Tomahawk Steak?
So its just a ribeye with a big bone right? Yes and no. Its generally a MASSIVE ribeye roast attached to teh bone. The bone keep a lot of flavour and allows for an impressive presentation. We recommend a tomahawk for a 2- 4 person meal with a bottle of your favourite read wine. This is an enterainment piece and will be a WOW factor for anyone.
How To Buy A Tomahawk Steak?
A lot of meat vendors will avoid selling Tomahawks, the profit just ins't as high as Ribsteaks or Ribeyes (the alternative if you choose to not cut Tomahawks). There isn't a lot of true farm to fork vendors that have access to rail beef, which is required to cut a proper tomahawk. Make sure you pick a reputable source.
Once you find a vendor, take a look at what they are offering. Many will sell US beef, as the tomahawk market is abundant and will often ship to Canada. Look for words liek "Choice" or "Select" these are from the American grading system.
An aged tomahawk will be much, much more tender than a fresh cut one. The enzymes in the beef will break down teh fibers over time. Look for a minimum of 21 days aged.
Make sure you are getting the WHOLE rib not a halved Tomahawk. If the price is to good to be true, its probable a half tomahawk (1-2lbs) or from a smaller steer or cow. A smaller steer isn't fninshed as well and will have minimal marbling, a cow is inferior meat usually reserved for grinds - however many vendors will sell it as cuts in an attempt to undercut pricing
Ottawa Valley Meats Tomahawks
We get ours right from the source. This means we are involved from farm to delivery. We make sure we pick the largest steers to get your the biggest and juciest tomahawks. That's why we have Ottawa's largest Tomahawks at 3 to 4lbs each! We grade every one at top 3rd AAA or Prime. We also age every one for 28 days. If you are buyign a tomahawk as a gift or a WOW item, remember OVM makes sure it has the best.
