St. Louis BBQ pork steaks, a regional specialty ~ doused in BBQ sauce and slow cooked on the grill until tender.
St. Louis BBQ Pork Steaks
I've moved around quite a bit since college, staying mostly in the Midwest. Always takes some getting used to new digs, and there's always new food to try that's unique to the city or region. Fifteen years ago, we moved to St. Louis where Provel cheese, toasted ravioli and paper-thin crust pizza are mainstays. But guys, pork steaks are King and rule the land. I had never seen or heard of them before we moved to St. Louis.
What is this St. Louis pork steak I speak of? It's a blade steak cut from a pork butt. The kind of pork cut you slow-cook for hours. Pork steaks are cheap and ALWAYS on sale in the grocery stores here in St. Louis. And, yes, these steaks are tough ~ you cannot just throw them on the grill, they will be inedible. Trust me, I learned the hard way the first time I made them.
A properly cooked St. Louis pork steak is a little chewy but tender, and doused in BBQ sauce, usually something local, like Maull's. My first attempt was awful and I honestly didn't understand the appeal of a pork steak. But then a neighbor told me to cook them in the oven in barbecue sauce until tender, then finish off on the grill. So I tried it that way, so much better.
I have several St. Louis-style pork steak recipes clipped out from newspapers and magazines. My favorite is the one fromCook's Countrymagazine that was published in our local newspaper. It's all done on the grill and it's easy. Make a tasty BBQ sauce with beer, brown the pork steaks, pour the sauce over the steaks in a big disposable pan, cover and cook for about an hour and a half. Pretty darn easy and delicious!
Nope, I never saw a pork steak in Chicago, Minnesota, Iowa or Ohio. But BBQ pork steaks are practically on every street corner pop-up BBQ stand in St. Louis during the summer, and on many a backyard grill for the summer holidays. It's just what we do in St. Louis ~Kelly
You might also want to try mySt. Louis-style BBQ Ribs.
If you try these BBQ Pork Steaksor any other recipe on the blog, then don't forget to rate the recipe and let me know how yours turned out in the comments below ~ I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of what I'm cooking in my kitchen and recipes.
St. Louis-style pork steaks cooked in BBQ sauce until tender, all in one pan on the grill.
5 from 6 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 1 hourhour45 minutesminutes
Total Time: 2 hourshours
Servings: 8servings
Calories: 278kcal
Author: Kelly
Ingredients
1½cupsketchup
2cupslight-bodied American beer
¼cupsteak sauce, like A.1.
¼cupdark brown sugar, packed
2tablespoonsapple cider vinegar
2tablespoonsWorcestershire sauce
1teaspoongarlic powder
1teaspoonhot sauce, like Frank's
½teaspoonliquid smoke
6-8pork steaks (mine were huge, I cut in half for 6 steaks)
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat grill. For gas, turn all burners on high for 15 minutes. For charcoal, make sure you to use enough charcoal to cover the circumference of the grill.
Make the sauce. Whisk together the first 9 ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer BBQ sauce to a large, disposable aluminum pan and set aside.
Season the pork steaks to taste with black pepper and grill until well-browned, 6 or 7 minutes a side. Transfer the steaks to the pan with the sauce and turn to coat. Cover the pan with foil and place back on the grill. Turn the burners down to low and cook for about 90 minutes until tender. Check after about an hour to see if the sauce looks too thick or dry; if so, add a little water.
Carefully remove the pan from grill. Remove steaks to serving platter or pan. Skim any excess fat from sauce and spoon over steaks or serve on the side.
Recipe Notes
The pork steaks I bought were huge (from Costco, natch!) so I cut three in half for 6 steaks. Use your judgement, I don't think they're this big outside of St. Louis.
You can turn the grill back up to high and finish off the steaks, just grill a few minutes a side until lightly charred around the edges. I don't think it's necessary, but you're the boss.
You can easily adapt this to the oven by browning the steaks on the stovetop or grill, placing them in a roasting pan with the sauce, and then into the oven, covered, for a couple of hours.
I'm not a beer person, so I deferred to my husband. He chose a local beer, Schlafly. Appropriately good call.
St. Louis pork steaks are "steaks" that are cut from a pork butt. They are typically seared over a hot charcoal fire and then braised in a mixture of beer and barbecue sauce.
Start out on medium heat, letting the pork steaks cook slowly until they reach 140 degrees F internally. Then switch to high heat and flip every minute or two until the exterior is browned and seared. Remove and let rest before serving.
Try a Marinade or Brine. A marinade or brine can introduce more moisture or lots of flavor into your meat before you cook it. A marinade is a sauce that introduces extra flavor to your pork, depending on the aromatics or herbs you choose to include. A brine pulls more moisture into the meat, which keeps your pork juicy ...
The quickest way to cook pork chops is to pan-fry or griddle them. As the chops can be quite large, this method is best when serving one or two people. If you're cooking for more you might want to try roasting or grilling.
Though steaks and chops may be used interchangeably in some recipes, these two cuts bring different things to the table. The former is inherently fatty and succulent because it's taken from the shoulder. Meanwhile, the latter tends to be leaner with a milder flavor profile, since it comes from the pig's loin.
Take the steak straight out of the pan without flipping over and place on a plate to rest for two minutes. That allows the juices to settle and it will be lovely and tender. That's how simple it is: 6 minutes on one side, 2 minutes on the other and 2 minutes to rest = the 10 minute pork steak!
Pork steaks are usually more affordable than pork chops due to the higher fat content while pork chops are usually more expensive because the cuts are leaner and have more meat than fat. The price gets even higher for premium cuts like center-cut or boneless chops.
A pork steak, also called Boston butt or pork blade steak, is a steak cut from the shoulder of the pig. Pork steaks are mentioned as far back as 1739, though without details about how they were cut or how they were cooked.
Mild tenderizing is accomplished through the use of acidic ingredients. Lemon juice, flavored vinegar, red wine, and coffee are all recommended as marinade ingredients that can soften the meat a little. For more extensive tenderizing, you'll need either an enzymatic ingredient or a powdered meat tenderizer.
Undercooked pork carries the risk of food-borne illness, and overcooked pork can be dried-out, tough, and chewy. Cook your chop until it's around 135 degrees, and then transfer it to a cutting board—the residual heat will bring it to the USDA's recommended 145 degrees.
Unlike the more lean tenderloin and chops, pork shoulder is an incredibly forgiving cut of meat. It becomes more tender as it cooks and benefits from a lengthy cook time, so even if it stays on the heat a few minutes too long, you won't suddenly end up with something dry or rubbery.
Soak your pork in a salt-based brine before cooking it using your desired method. Pork chops need to soak between 12–24 hours, an entire pork tenderloin needs to soak for 6–12 hours, and an entire pork loin requires 2–4 days of soaking. Rinse the brine from the meat after the brining period is complete.
Washing beef, pork, lamb, or veal before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces. We call this cross-contamination. Some consumers think they are removing bacteria and making their meat or poultry safe.
Worcestershire sauce with cola is a classic combo for slow-cooked pork, but barbecue sauce and orange juice, a pale ale and apple cider vinegar, or Dijon mustard and honey are equally as delicious combos.
Grill the pork steaks, following the specific instructions for your grill type, until they reach an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C). Always use an easy-read thermometer to check for doneness and to ensure the safety of the people you're grilling for.
You can safely stop cooking your pork when it reaches 140°F and allow it to rest for 5–6 minutes before serving. The meat will continue to carryover-cook to 145°F after you remove it from the heat source.
If fresh pork has reached 145°F (62.8 °C) throughout, even though it may still be pink in the center, it should be safe. The pink color can be due to the cooking method or added ingredients.
Heat a heavy-based or non-stick frying pan to around medium heat. Oil the steak on both sides, rub in and season with salt, pepper and anything else you fancy. Put the pork steak in the hot pan. Keep a close eye on it – it should take roughly 6 -7 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the steaks.
Pork is a rich source of certain vitamins and minerals your body needs to function, like iron and zinc. It's also an excellent source of high-quality protein. Minimally processed, lean, fully-cooked pork eaten in moderation can provide certain benefits when added to your diet.
What is the most expensive cut of pork? It's usually the pork tenderloin (also called pork tender or fillet). A lot of the other loin cuts tend to err on the more expensive side since it has some high-quality meat to offer.
You can easily make pork steaks tender by marinating them for at least 4 hours. Using juices with acid, such as orange juice, will also help to tenderize pork.
For juicy, flavorful pork chops, try brining the chops before grilling or broiling — two high-heat cooking methods that can quickly dry out lean pork chops. Brines are essentially salty, sugary water solutions; they'll keep the meat moist, while adding flavor.
Place each pork steak on the grill grates and cook each side about 4 minutes to get a good char on the outside. They're done at this point and after a short 5 minute rest, ready to serve. You can really taste the grill flavor and the vinegar sauce goes nice with the richness of the pork.
St. Louis-style spare ribs are the meatier ribs cut from the belly of thehog after the belly is removed. They are usually trimmed down by cutting away the hard breastbone and chewy cartilage, otherwise known as connective tissue. St. Louis-style ribs are flatter than baby back ribs, which makes them easier to brown.
Pork steaks are very versatile and can be cooked via sautéing, grilling or braising. Be careful not to overcook the Pork Steaks (especially since we cut them thin) or they will become dry and tough. Reach 145F, and remove from heat.
On a page dedicated to “How the pork steak was born,” Don and Ed, members of the Schnuck family, are named the pork steak's inventors — two culinary innovators who in the 1950s “wanted to offer a cut of meat for grilling that was inexpensive enough to fit every family's budget.” Both claims are wrong.
St Louis ribs are flatter and straighter, whereas the baby back ribs are curved and shorter. Because the St Louis ribs are flatter and easier to brown and get just right on the grill, they can cook more evenly, which is excellent. They also have a more succulent and fattier characteristic.
Introduction: My name is Aron Pacocha, I am a happy, tasty, innocent, proud, talented, courageous, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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