How Chris Santos Perfects Cooking A 64-Ounce Tomahawk Steak - Exclusive
Restaurant chef and "Chopped" judge Chris Santos is well-known for his creative and fearless approach to cuisine. His original claim to fame was New York City's Stanton Social, which helped elevate communal and stylish dining experiences to their current ubiquity in the restaurant world. On television, he's often impressed by chefs who can think way outside the box while still executing at the highest level.
His penchant for going above and beyond in the kitchen has taken on new life at his Las Vegas eatery Stanton Social Prime where, among a menu full of lavish delights — from his famous french onion soup dumplings to steak tartare quesadillas — Santos is wowing guests with a 64-ounce tomahawk steak. It's a feast fit for a king, let alone a table of well-dressed socialites on their way to the casinos and clubs. "The entire short rib is attached, so you're getting a pound of short rib and about 48 ounces of tomahawk. We're serving it with bone marrow [and] these amazing pan drippings that eventually we flambé with cognac."
That's a monstrous amount of meat to cook, especially multiple times a night for countless guests with extremely high expectations. So, what's the secret? Santos would say a whole lot of patience and attention to detail. Speaking exclusively with Tasting Table, Santos shared how his kitchen has mastered steaks on such a grand scale, as well as cooking tips to remember for the next time you're throwing some oversized cuts of meat on the grill.
A big steak needs a lot of time and heat to deliver big flavor
The thought of cooking up a 64-ounce steak — enough to feed an entire dinner table — is understandably daunting. Chris Santos admitted that the secret to perfecting such a hefty cut of meat is "all about the care that we take in the kitchen."
What that translates to is there's no undercutting or rushing the process. The first step is breaking up the cut into two parts. "The short rib we cook separately because it takes much longer — we do a sake braise for about 10 to 12 hours," said Santos. Then the ribeye part of the cut gets cooked to order, so guests need to be prepared to wait at least "35 or 40 minutes" to get their dinner.
To get a textured char on the outside and a succulent, pink center, Santos said the steak is "cooked primarily in a 700-degree boiler." For added flavor, it's basted constantly throughout the cooking process with "a secret salt blend" and a "secret steak butter that has roasted garlic and other things in it." After it cooks, Santos said it's "rested for a good five to eight minutes" in a literal bath of "warm pan drippings that have French cultured butter and roasted black garlic." By the time it gets to the table, it's cooked and dressed to perfection, and hungry guests are clamoring to dig in.