Pork Steaks

My mid-Western husband swears by pork steaks and can't understand why we can't find them in Georgia restaurants (I'm from GA). I told him I had never heard of a pork steak until I moved to St. Louis. I'm not too fond of them - too greasy. Give me some good pulled pork anytime.

My sister likes to grill these on our gas grill with a simple butter and herb mopping. They are a LITTLE greasy, but not too bad, and oh, so succulent. I am rather fond of them myself. It's DIFFERENT.

Pork steaks are definitely a St. Louis thing. A native would call them "park steaks". I'd never heard of them until moving to StL 20 years ago. I've tried them a few times and have only had one that was good. StL joints that prepare them, like Phil's, drown them in a supersweet sauce... yuck!

Pork steak needs to be braised to cut the fattiness or grilled slowly to render out some of the fat. But, properly cooked, it's great stuff. Usually very cheap, too.

If you are ever in Hannibal Missouri, Bubba's down on the riverfront has great bbq pork steaks.

In answer to Jim Ross - I have been to Bubba's and I love it. Next time I'll try the pork steak. My hubby is always after me to give it another chance.

I'll have to give Bubba's another chance some day but then, what can you say when your food is brought to you and then see the chef just coming in for work? I think our food was made by the young man who was our server and was cleaning as well because as soon as the chef came in, the young man left to "run errands". I must say, we were the first customers of the day but when you post your hours to open at x time you should be ready. Anyway, I was disappointed by a very small portion of pulled pork for my sammie and my SO had catfish which seemed like it was reheated, very dry. BTW, I love pork steaks but didn't realize it was a midwest thing. I went to a small college in rural Iowa and pork was on the menu daily in one form or another.

I love pork steak. We could not afford pork chops and Mom would always fix pork steak. Not BBQed but fried. Back in those days you got enough grease to make really good gravy. Pork chops were often too dry then much less now.

Greasy is good,pork fat rules.

I am from Iowa originally too.

OK, I'll bite. What is a "pork steak"? What part of the hog is it from? Any talk of greasy food perks my interest!

quote:

Originally posted by olphart

OK, I'll bite. What is a "pork steak"? What part of the hog is it from? Any talk of greasy food perks my interest!

Pork steak is cut from the butt portion of the shoulder. It's hard to find here (SC) too, but the shoulders are usually used for BBQ.

Pork steak is like a pork chop from the wrong side of town.

I don't think that I have ever seen pork steak on any menus here in North Carolina but it is always available in our grocery stores. I cook Pork steaks the same way that I cook my pork chops. They are good with mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese and always applesauce or cooked apples.

OK, I know what they are now. I love to grill them.

Pork Steaks are known all over...We used to see them in the markets at the 'cheaper end' of the pork section of the meat counter. To compare (in location on the animal) to beef, they would be similiar to the 7 bone Chuck Steak. Cheap Tough and generally ignored by most consumers, except those who shop the cheaper cuts. We used to do Pork Steaks on the grill, but I really prefer to buy the whole "Butt portion" now and smoke them forever, rather than the chewy devils I used to serve.

i like to smother pork steaks in green , or red chile . let 'em simmer , nice and slow , and look out !!! 9 and yes , they're almost always cheap

Pork steak is so versitile. I like to grill them on my gas grill slowly with wood chips to create a hearty, smoky taste and top it with a good hearty barbecue sauce.

You can bake it, barbecue it, smoke it, and one of my favorite ways to prepare pork steak is to bread and fry it.

Pork steak is a vital staple in my house.

Am from St. Louis. Live in Fort Worth now. Just need to know what cut to ask for when I go to the butcher.... Down here in Texas I can't find anyone that knows what I am talking about when I ask for a pork steak... HELP PLEASE ! ! !

Kirk

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pork steaks are cut from pork shoulder blade (Boston) roast. Like the roasts, the steaks are flavorful and contain a significant amount of fat, which helps keep them moist while cooking. Because the pork steak is cut from an active muscle location on the pig, it is less tender than some other cuts. It is also referred to as "blade steak."

Kirk
1. Welcome to Roadfood.
2. I deleted your duplicate request for information, you will get answers here I am sure.

About Pork Steaks. Normally they are slices of Pork Butt (bone-in) Just to be sure we are talking of the same Piggy Parts. Take a Whole Pork Shoulder.. the portion that extends down the foreleg is the "Picnic", the rest--Chest and side is the Butt. Lots of BBQ places smoke whole shoulders, or Whole Butts to obtain "pulled pork". If you slice the butt into about half-inch thick slices you get steaks that usually sell pretty cheap in the stores around here. Many folks who tend to classify cuts of meat by the 'price' consider Pork Steaks to be Po'Folks Food. Price currently runs about $1.00 or so a pound.

Pork steaks may be cheap but they sure are tasty. I guess it is due to the fat?

I get a smoked shoulder and slow cook for about six hours. I enjoy that and then I freeze the remainder which I have cut into slices and then I fry them for sandwiches.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

My customers love them BBQ'ed..
In between two slices of white bread with mayo on one side and catsup on the other..

In one of the episodes of Alton Brown's Motorcycle tour TV series, he stopped at a BBQ stand near Bowling Green KY where the owner grilled Pork Steaks over a High Heat open fire. While that is pretty far off the 'Lo and Slo' definition of BBQ cooking, It's what he did. Brown had some fun learning the grilling tricks at that stop and seemed to like the Pork Steaks.

All the advice here about pork steaks has been good. They are a St. Louis tradition.

Traditional way (in fact, the way I cooked ours yesterday) is as follows:

1) Start charcoal in Weber kettle, medium heat, indirect method; open a Budweiser.
2) Make sure the Cardinals are on the radio
3) Season pork steaks with salt and pepper, or use a seasoning mix (I like Riley’s); have another Budweiser.
4) Grill slowly on each side until brown; on the hot side of the grill.
5) Place pork steaks in a heavy duty foil pan, add some barbecue sauce (Maull’s, a St. Louis brand, is best for this) Add a bit of Budweiser or water to thin the sauce a bit. Cover the pan with foil, and place it back over the Weber, indirect (this is important)
6) Bake in the covered Weber over low heat for about 45-60 minutes; or until very tender. The Weber should be at about 250 degrees. Enjoy Budweiser as appropriate. Cheer for the Cardinals.
7) Enjoy your pork steak dinner with a baked potato and corn on the cob.

It’s not real Southern style barbecue, but it’s extremely good, low maintenance, and cheap. Our kids just love them. Great for a crowd, and because they are just tenderizing and continuing to stay warm over low heat, good if your schedule for dinner needs to be flexible. The leftovers make great sandwiches or can be used as a base for burgoo or Brunswick stew.

Another St. Louis tradition is to cook brats the same way, in barbecue sauce. Now, I don’t care for that as much, as I like brats with mustard.

St. Louis style sauce, like Maull’s isn’t as thick or sugary as a KC style sauce like Masterpiece. It’s thinner, a bit more vinegar.

Don’t try this with pork chops, they will dry out. You must have the blade steaks, as cut from the butt roast. Don't worry about the fat, if you've cooked them properly, the fat melts out.

quote:

Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-BowenAbout Pork Steaks. Normally they are slices of Pork Butt (bone-in). If you slice the butt into about half-inch thick slices you get steaks.Price currently runs about $1.00 or so a pound.

Al is correct (as always) in his description but I was looking for a poster to go one step further. Pork Steaks are not just cut or sliced but rather cut with a meat saw. I say this because most pork steaks are served with the bone in and in fact in some parts of the country they are called country ribs. Now this is not to say that you can’t find Pork Steaks that are boneless because boneless pork butts are now available across the country. But either way the butcher just runs and entire pork butt through a meat saw and slices them into ½ or ¾ inch steaks. But I have to add if you put a dry rub on them and throw them into the smoker or use any indirect heat method there should never be a problem with grease. They’re just like smoking a pork butt if you cook them correctly they will maintain their great taste, have a nice smoke ring, and the fat will just melt away.

Here is a section of my HACCP, or hazard analysis critical control point report I wrote for our county health department. I’m as time permits doing a complete re-write but that said, as is it’s pretty good. The entire HACCP is on my web page and your welcome to read, copy, or use in any way you choose if you go to www.DrofBBQ.com.

Remember the process is designed to ensure the production of a safe product, and yet a tender juicy product. Redness or pinkness in pork, beef and poultry can come from nitrites. Nitrites enter the meat through such environmental sources as the animals food and water supply and the water used for washing prior to processing and as a preservative (such as a brine) during processing. Nitrites produce the color we associate with cured meats such as ham and bologna.

Why isn’t my pork shoulder, country ribs, or pork steaks tender? It’s the collagen. Collagen is a long, stiff protein that is the most prevalent protein in mammals. It's made up of three separate molecules composed of amino acid chains, twisted around each other, like the fibers are twisted around each other to form a rope. This structure is what makes the collagen so strong; this strength is also what makes it more difficult to break down. The more collagen there is in a piece of meat, the tougher it is to cut and to chew. For cuts that are high in collagen, cooking methods that use slow, moist heat, such as smoking, are the best. Collagen is soluble in water and when it is cooked slowly with moist heat, it becomes gelatin. Weight-bearing muscles and muscles that are constantly used contain higher amounts of collagen than muscles that aren't used for support or aren't used as frequently.

You can also make collagen less tough by slicing up meat into smaller pieces, which makes the fibers smaller and easier to break apart. This is why some BBQ companies chop their pork shoulders or brisket. They are unwilling to cook it long enough to complete the process. They don't want the shrinkage from the extended cook time, and so they remove the meat from the smoker early and have to chop it inorder to get it tender.
Jack@DrofBBQ.com

I can find pork steaks at H.E.B.Grocery stores here in the San Antonio area,sometimes they have both the bone in and boneless variteties.I usually cook one in the elctric convection oven for a couple of hours with salt and pper and other seasonings,and i also add a little water to the pan as well.I usually bake them for 350 degrees or so.
I think Goerke's Restaurant out near Marion serves them.It's this old place that sits out in the country but does get alot of customers. Haven't seen pork steaks listed on the menus of many of the places around here,just mainly at Goerke's.

StLouisGuy.. I cook mine over direct flame. Toss on a dash of Lawrys, grill them about 3 or so minutes each side then baste them with BBQ Sauce. Always come out tender here.. Cheap food, quick cook, and I only swig down a beer or two during the standing up and cooking process.

We grill ours with a simple baste of butter and an Italian blend seasoning. The great thing is that you don't have to cook them very long, as you don't have to worry about pork anymore.

Very similar to Vic.

Disregard my stupid remark above. I said the same thing in answer to this thread at the beginning.

DUH......

quote:

Originally posted by UncleVic

StLouisGuy.. I cook mine over direct flame. Toss on a dash of Lawrys, grill them about 3 or so minutes each side then baste them with BBQ Sauce. Always come out tender here.. Cheap food, quick cook, and I only swig down a beer or two during the standing up and cooking process.

You are correct; either a quick grill, either to the medium-well stage, or a long slow cook, will produce tender meat. Anything inbetween is a challenge. I've done the fast cook method as well, but prefer the slow cook. To each his own--they are all good!

To other here, the marinade baste is a good method also, and depending on your sides, it's nice to have something a little less overpowering than barbecue sauce. The marbling in the meat makes for one delicious steak!

Oh my.......

BBQ Pork Steaks are some of me favourites!!!

woo-hoo! Pork Steak season is here! (usually coincides with the start of baseball season)

Publix has them every once in a while..

Pork steak is simply a pork butt(upper shoulder) that has been sliced with a meat saw about 1/2" thick(bone-in). I usually grill them with a teriyaki-ginger glaze or McCormick's Caribbean Jerk and they turn out great.

I trim them close. Them broil till just done. If you cook the fat out thay are stringy as opposed to juicy
britt

I cook them all the time! Fry them on low for about an hour or so in butter, with lemon pepper and garlic powder, and they turn out fork tender and deliciious!IMO they are much more tender and tastier than a loin chop, due to the fat content! Have also done them on a grill and they are equally as good! Don't look a "cheap" cut of pork in the mouth!!! :)

The pork blade steak is one of the best kept secrets around. What I am seeing are from the front of the hog with a slight amount of blade bone in the middle. I grill them on a high heat just like any other steak. They are surprisingly inexpensive. I have raved about them to a family friend who has 4.5 people in her house. I know that if my mom was aware of them, she would have served them to me and my four other brothers.

We should stop talking about it right now before the rest of the world discovers them.
There was a time when pork ribs were cheap......

mark

It sounds like I re-invented the wheel. One day the other year, I grabbed a pork butt at the store and had the butcher saw it into 1" thick slices for grilling. It just seemed like a natural thing to do, because of the fat running through it which would sort of self-baste it during the grilling. It worked fine, as I recall.

So these are a normal supermarket item elsewhere? Who knew.

Here in the middle of California, we have pork steaks a plenty, as well as every other way with pork you can think of.. pork is very popular with our Hispanic population.. as for myself. I cook em like my ex husband used to make em..... like pork chops.. breaded and fried...yum!