Pork Steaks? Have you ever heard of them?

GrillinFool

GrillinFool

New member
Have you ever heard of a pork steak? The notion of slicing a pork shoulder/pork butt/boston butt (all the same thing) into steaks rather than smoking that cut for pulled pork was seemingly born in St. Louis. It has since spread throughout the Midwest, but walk into a place on the coasts or the south and ask for a pork steak and they will look at you like you are smokin something.

If you have heard of them what do you think? If you've made them how do you do it?
 
GrillinFool said:
Have you ever heard of a pork steak? The notion of slicing a pork shoulder/pork butt/boston butt (all the same thing) into steaks rather than smoking that cut for pulled pork was seemingly born in St. Louis. It has since spread throughout the Midwest, but walk into a place on the coasts or the south and ask for a pork steak and they will look at you like you are smokin something.

If you have heard of them what do you think? If you've made them how do you do it?
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They’re pretty popular down here, and I’m in the South. As you say, it’s just a Boston Butt they cut into slices. I’ve grilled them with direct heat with good success. I've also cooked several in the Outdoor DO with some BBQ sauce (basically braising). Typically, I brown them in a skillet, cover in gravy, then simmer until fall apart tender. They are also good battered and fried.
 
We buy em all the time to use in pork stew. I did sear one up like a steak, but didn't like it that way.
We put em in the slow cooker with all the other stew ingredients and let em go all day long in there. When we are ready to eat, we pull the steaks apart into chunks and remove the bones, then serve.
 
Keltin said:
They’re pretty popular down here, and I’m in the South. As you say, it’s just a Boston Butt they cut into slices. I’ve grilled them with direct heat with good success. I've also cooked several in the Outdoor DO with some BBQ sauce (basically braising). Typically, I brown them in a skillet, cover in gravy, then simmer until fall apart tender. They are also good battered and fried.
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That's what I do too...except, after I brown them, I caramelize some sweet onions in the pan and turn that into a gravy, add the pork steaks and simmer.
 
GrillinFool said:
Have you ever heard of a pork steak? The notion of slicing a pork shoulder/pork butt/boston butt (all the same thing) into steaks rather than smoking that cut for pulled pork was seemingly born in St. Louis. It has since spread throughout the Midwest, but walk into a place on the coasts or the south and ask for a pork steak and they will look at you like you are smokin something.

If you have heard of them what do you think? If you've made them how do you do it?
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Sure.. pop them on the grill, fry them what ever.. it's a cheap pork cut that tastes pretty good. Frankly with the low cost I find with pork loin... I would rather have the loin than the pork steaks.
 
I just use them like I would a pork chop. In fact, I quite often do chops for me and one son and steaks for DW and the other because they don't like food with bones in it.
 
Uh, mine have bones in them?? Are we talking about two different things here? Checking my packaging, it says "Pork Shoulder Blade Steaks". They have a bone in them near the middle.
 
Maverick2272 said:
Uh, mine have bones in them?? Are we talking about two different things here? Checking my packaging, it says "Pork Shoulder Blade Steaks". They have a bone in them near the middle.
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Maybe my butcher does different things as pork streaks - I have never had a bone in a pork steak.
 
Or maybe two different cuts? What does yours say on the packaging Miniman? And where does the butcher say it comes from?
Mine apparently come from the shoulder.
 
BamsBBQ said:
pork steak,pork butt, all from the same cut of meat

same as country style ribs... at least around here
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Well no, BAM, you just pointed out a different cut. If I understand you correctly you just said pork steak = pork butt. Which would explain the no bones thing.

Mine says pork steak = pork shoulder. This has bones in it. Those are two different parts of the hog, and would account for my confusion on which one we are talking about.

And if both cuts can be called pork steaks, then that would explain why my packaging was so specific in saying "Pork Shoulder Blade Steaks" instead of just "Pork steaks".
Does that make any sense to anyone else? I am by far no expert in meat cuts that is for sure! And I could have understood BAM incorrectly.
 
Maverick2272 said:
Well no, BAM, you just pointed out a different cut. If I understand you correctly you just said pork steak = pork butt. Which would explain the no bones thing.

Mine says pork steak = pork shoulder. This has bones in it. Those are two different parts of the hog, and would account for my confusion on which one we are talking about.

And if both cuts can be called pork steaks, then that would explain why my packaging was so specific in saying "Pork Shoulder Blade Steaks" instead of just "Pork steaks".
Does that make any sense to anyone else? I am by far no expert in meat cuts that is for sure! And I could have understood BAM incorrectly.
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I’ve gotten Boston Butts with and without bones. in fact, I’ve got 2 9lb beasts right now that both have large bones....but the 2 or 3 I bought before these were smaller and did not have bones.

The Pork Steaks I get just call ‘em "Pork Steaks" without specifying the actual cut, but it’s obvious they were cut from a bone-in Boston butt since they do have bones. Country Style Ribs are also from the Boston Butt here, but cut vertically instead of horizontally (if that made sense???).
 
pork shoulder = pork butt = boston butt = country style ribs = pork shoulder steaks

all cut from the shoulder of the hog

it all depends if the butcher removes the bone or not... just cost more when they debone it and less flavor IMHO

Edit:
take it from a guy that buys lotttttttttttttsssss of these..lmao
 
Pork steaks are not anything new, and are quite common. In fact, in some countries, steak more commonly refers to pork than beef...
 
Thank you Joe, Keltin, and BAM!!

So what you guys are saying is that when they call it a pork butt it is really a cut from the shoulder not the pigs actual arse?? LOL!
 
Maverick2272 said:
Thank you Joe, Keltin, and BAM!!

So what you guys are saying is that when they call it a pork butt it is really a cut from the shoulder not the pigs actual arse?? LOL!
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EDIT: It would also seem that whether or not it has bones is up to the butcher as well? Well I am with BAM on that one, I think the bones do add flavor to it especially if done in a stew. The marrow is good stuff!
 
OK, well now that I am on the same page as everyone else on what actual cut we are talking about... back to topic!
Yes we do buy them. So far I didn't like making it like a traditional steaks, but I like Keltin and Mamas suggestions on that.
I do very much like them in stews and such. Slow cooked the meat falls right apart and the bones definitely lend themselves to the stew.
 
Maverick2272 said:
OK, well now that I am on the same page as everyone else on what actual cut we are talking about... back to topic!
Yes we do buy them. So far I didn't like making it like a traditional steaks, but I like Keltin and Mamas suggestions on that.
I do very much like them in stews and such. Slow cooked the meat falls right apart and the bones definitely lend themselves to the stew.
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and i also cut them into strips and bbq them...country style steaks..lmfao:yum:
 
Yeah, that's the thing. They are still part of the shoulder/butt, so they can be tough when cooked like a conventional steak. I've done it a few times, and while edible, this cut is better with a braising type approach.

I think the best grill job I did on some was 4-5 minutes a side (direct heat) with a little wood on the coals for smoke, then put them in a pan, added BBQ sauce, covered tightly and let them sit in the oven at 250 for 1 hour to loosen up.

Oh, and I didn't let the coals go to waste, but instead made foil packet potatoes after the pork steaks came off the grill. :thumb:
 
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