How to Cook a Tomahawk Steak Sous Vide — Big Poppa's Holiday Drum Sear Method
It's a holiday and Big Poppa wants to cook a spectacular tomahawk and spend time with his family — not stand over a smoker all afternoon. His solution: sous vide. The Chairman's Reserve Tomahawk goes into a vacuum-sealed bag with a light coat of Cash Cow at noon, circulates in 120°F water until dinner, then gets a 2-minute-per-side sear on the BPS drum at full heat with Little Louie's and more Cash Cow for the crust. The steak cannot overcook in the water bath. There is no timing pressure. You can be wherever you want until it's time to sear.
Why Sous Vide Is the Right Move for a Dinner Party Tomahawk
A tomahawk is 2–3 inches thick. Cooking it on a grill or smoker requires constant attention — managing temperature, monitoring doneness, timing the sear relative to your guests. Sous vide removes all of that. You seal the steak and set the circulator; the water holds it at exactly 120°F for as long as you leave it. An hour, three hours, six hours — it doesn't matter. When you're ready to eat, you pull it and sear. That's the entire cook plan.
The technique is called "sous vide" — French for "under vacuum" — and the mechanics are simple: a vacuum-sealed bag in temperature-controlled water circulates at whatever internal temperature you set. The steak reaches that temperature and stays there. The BPS drum handles the sear phase, and the result is a holiday-worthy tomahawk that was basically cooking itself while everyone was having fun.
Why use less seasoning in the sous vide bag?
Nothing escapes a vacuum-sealed bag. Every bit of seasoning you put in stays in contact with the meat for the full cook. Over-season a sous vide steak and the salt cures the surface and changes the texture. Big Poppa uses a light coat of Cash Cow in the bag — enough to add flavor during the long water bath — then applies Little Louie's and additional Cash Cow when the steak comes out for the sear. That's when the seasoning builds the crust.
The BPS Drum Sear: 2 Minutes Per Side Over Full Coals
The BPS drum's fire basket raises and lowers — for the sear phase, it goes to the highest position to get the grate as close to the coals as possible. Load the coals, let them get fully engaged (ashing over and glowing), then sear 2 minutes per side. When the fat from the tomahawk hits the coals, expect flames. That's not a problem — that's the sear. The flame contact is what creates the caramelization on a steak of this thickness in 2 minutes.
Pull at 130°F internal. The steak came out of the water bath at 120°F — the sear adds the final 10 degrees and the crust. Rest briefly before slicing. The ribeye cap section will run slightly more done than the eye near the bone, which gives you options at the table.
What is the BPS drum's sear mode?
The BPS Stainless Steel DIY Drum Smoker has a fire basket that can be positioned at different heights — low for smoking with an air gap, or raised for direct high-heat searing with the grate positioned just above the coals. Sear mode is simply the fire basket at the top position with a full coal load. It creates the kind of direct radiant heat that a traditional grill achieves, but in a drum that can also serve as a full smoker.
Full Recipe: Tomahawk Steak Sous Vide with BPS Drum Sear
Ingredients:
- 1 Chairman's Reserve Primal Tomahawk (2–3 lbs)
- Big Poppa Smokers Cash Cow Seasoning (light coat in bag + more for sear)
- Big Poppa Smokers Little Louie's Seasoned Salt (for sear)
- Season lightly and vacuum seal. Apply a light coat of Cash Cow to all sides. Vacuum seal tightly.
- Sous vide at 120°F. Set circulator to 120°F. Submerge sealed tomahawk. Cook a minimum of 1 hour, up to 6 hours. The steak holds at temperature — pull when ready.
- Set up drum for searing. Raise fire basket to the high sear position. Load coals and let them get fully engaged before searing.
- Pat dry and season for the sear. Remove tomahawk from bag. Pat completely dry. Apply Little Louie's and a generous coat of Cash Cow to all surfaces.
- Sear 2 minutes per side. Place directly over the coals. Sear 2 minutes per side — expect flames as fat hits the coals. Pull at 130°F internal.
- Rest briefly and slice. Rest 5–10 minutes. Slice the eye and the ribeye cap separately — the cap will run slightly more done and is Big Poppa's favorite section.
Frequently Asked Questions: Sous Vide Tomahawk Steak
120°F for a rare-to-medium-rare finish after the sear. The sear adds the final few degrees via carryover. If you prefer medium-rare without a hard sear finish, 130°F is the more typical sous vide target for beef.
One hour minimum, up to 6 hours at 120°F. Big Poppa puts it in at noon and sears at 6 PM. The steak cannot overcook past the set temperature — that's the entire advantage of the method for entertaining. It's cooking while you're with your guests.
Nothing escapes the bag — all seasoning stays in contact with the meat for the full cook. Too much salt in a sealed bag cures the surface and changes the texture. Light Cash Cow in the bag for flavor during the water bath; Little Louie's and more Cash Cow when it comes out for the crust at the sear stage.
Raise the fire basket to the top sear position with a full coal load. Pat the tomahawk dry, apply Little Louie's and Cash Cow, then sear 2 minutes per side directly over the coals. Expect flames as fat hits the coals — that's the sear. Pull at 130°F internal.
Sous vide. Set it in the morning, spend the day with your guests, walk out and sear it 4 minutes before dinner. There is no timing pressure, no monitoring, no window to miss. The steak holds at 120°F until you pull it. Nothing else gives you that kind of flexibility on a holiday cook.
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The Drum That Does It All.
From low-and-slow smoke to full sear mode, the BPS Stainless Steel DIY Drum Smoker does both. Pick up Cash Cow and Little Louie's and watch this full cook on the Big Poppa Smokers YouTube channel.
Tomahawk Steak Sous Vide with Drum Smoker Sear
3-4
15 minutes
6 hours
American
Main Dish, Drum Smoker
Big Poppa's holiday tomahawk method — the steak you cook while you're having fun. Chairman's Reserve Tomahawk goes into a vacuum-sealed bag with a light coat of Cash Cow at 120°F and circulates for up to 6 hours unattended. When dinner is ready, raise the BPS drum fire basket to sear mode, hit the tomahawk with Little Louie's and more Cash Cow, and sear 2 minutes per side directly over the coals. Pull at 130°F. The ribeye cap goes to Big Poppa. Nobody argues.
Ingredients
1 Chairman's Reserve Primal Tomahawk (2–3 lbs, bone-in)
Big Poppa Smokers Cash Cow Seasoning (light in bag + more for sear)
Directions
Apply a light coat of Cash Cow to all sides of the tomahawk. Vacuum seal tightly — use less seasoning than you normally would; nothing escapes the bag.
Set immersion circulator to 120°F. Submerge sealed tomahawk. Cook for at least 1 hour, up to 6 hours.
When ready, raise BPS drum fire basket to the high sear position. Load coals and let them get fully engaged.
Remove tomahawk from bag and pat completely dry. Apply Little Louie's and a generous coat of Cash Cow to all surfaces.
Place directly over the coals. Sear 2 minutes per side. Expect flames as fat hits the coals — that's the sear working. Pull at 130°F internal.
Rest 5–10 minutes. Slice the eye and ribeye cap separately. Save the bone.
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