My buddy raised a couple of pigs, had ’em cut up and filled a freezer. So when it came time to buy some pig, I dug through and looked for something unusual. Something I haven’t cooked before. When I saw the “pork steak” label, I knew that’d be a good fit for the website. Did a little researching and it turns out it’s just a slice of the shoulder. So I’ve done the whole shoulder, I’ve done strips from the shoulder – Country style ribs – and only appropriate I do steaks from the shoulder.
Having that knowledge, it’ll be a straight forward shoulder smoke – we’re going 250F until 205IT. Let’s kick it off right.
The Prep Table
Was a nice night, so I brought the prep outside – much to MrsForensicBBQ’s delight. Wasn’t going to make a mess sprinkling that Fine Swine BBQ Rub around the kitchen. Use that blend so much, it’s almost time to make some more!
Went heavy with the coating. Was looking forward to the steak version of the pork shoulder. Look back to the pork shoulder I just posted – here – You know there’s a solid bark on there, but the surface to meat ratio is never there. It will be for this one.
The Process
Throw ’em on and check ’em every so often. I wanted to keep ’em moist, so we’re going to throw a little bit extra on there throughout the cook. I’ve mentioned this particular blend before – but it’s really just apple juice, apple cider vinegar and some cajun seasoning. Give it a splash every hour or so. We’re in for the long haul – looking about a 6 hours or so. Not exactly your weeknight meal, but you can always crank the temp and grill if you need.
As we were getting towards the end, maybe the last hour or two – I added that blue bottle (Parkay) on there and let it melt on in there. I do the same with my pork ribs all the time.. nearly ALL the time.
When them steaks hit 200F, take ’em off and tent it with some foil. I dialed up (literally) the RecTeq to 450F and then gave the steaks a quick sear on each side. Bring ’em on in afterward and get ready to eat!
The Result
Doug got me a bottle of hot sauce and said it was a must try. My first taste of it was in the middle of the last Flavor & Fire 4N6BBQ Presents. Didn’t taste it much then, so this was the time to taste it appropriately. Sauced one up and left one un-sauced to get the full flavor of the pork steak.
Flavor was everywhere with this. As I thought, we got that crust flavoring with every bite. I preferred the un-sauced to really taste the pork and just a little bit of BBQ sauce. The sauced steak was a great flavor too – I just always want to taste that meat. I enjoyed these more than the country-style ribs, which was a plus. Pulled pork is just a different meal in itself, so can’t compare. Don’t sleep on the pork steak, we’ll be going to back to this recipe for sure!
The Recipe
Pellet Smoker Pork Steaks
Ingredients
- 2 1-lb Pork Steaks
- 1/3 Cup Favorite pork rub ish
- 4 Tbsp Parkay
Optional soak
- 1 part Apple juice
- 1 part Apple cider vinegar
- Dusting Cajun seasoning
Instructions
- Pre-heat RecTeq to 250F.
- Coat the pork steaks with your favorite BBQ pork rub (Fine Swine Pork Rub). Let it set for 10-15min to adhere (or use mustard if you're one of those ?) – then flip and re-apply.
- Place on the grates and spritz/soak every hour or so when it's looking a bit dry. We're looking to cook until 200F, so dig in for a good 4-5hrs or so.
- At 200F IT, remove from grates and tent with foil to keep warm. Set RecTeq to 450F and throw back on the grates to sear – 3-5 minutes each side.
- Enjoy!