Pork steaks are a Midwest BBQ staple. Cut from the pork shoulder (butt), these steaks are full of the same tough connective tissue found in pulled pork, meaning you can't cook them like a standard beef steak. However, when cooked to the right temperature, they become incredibly tender and flavorful.

Here we’ll take a look at what makes pork steaks not only good, but great, and how you can use temperature to make sure that’s the case every time. We’ll be following the process laid down by Jeff Phillips of Smoking-Meat.com for smoking them, but you can apply the thermal principles we discuss here to any method of cooking these delicious cuts. Let’s go.

Is a pork steak the same as a steak, but from pig?

A pork steak is actually nothing like a steak, in that it is not from any of the main “steak muscles” that correlate to those on a steer. Those corresponding cuts are usually called pork chops. Rather, a pork steak is a slice right out of the shoulder (butt) of the hog. They are made by taking a pork butt to the meat bandsaw and cutting slabs, each with a piece of the bone still in it.

Pork steaks are usually cut about 1/2–3/4″ thick, though thicker versions can easily be had. If your local butcher doesn’t have any on offer, you can almost certainly have them whip some up for you in a matter of minutes. The specimens I used for this recipe were on the thick side, about 3/4″ thick, and they came in at about 20 oz. each—a pound and a quarter—which is plenty enough and to spare for my appetite. A few of these cheap cuts will easily feed your family.

The Science of Thermal Mass and Collagen

A whole pork butt usually requires an internal temperature of 195–203°F (91–95°C) to shred. However, because pork steaks are sliced thin (usually 3/4″), they have significantly less thermal mass. This allows us to achieve perfect tenderness at a lower target of 185°F (85°C).

The "Thermal Jumpstart" Method

As you surely know, pork butt is full of tough connective tissue. That collagen-y goodness needs to go through a full dissolution cycle before the meat turns palatably tender. Before the connective tissue melts, it just isn’t enjoyable. The target temp for a whole pork butt is usually in the 195–203°F (91–95°C) range, but pork steaks are much thinner and have less thermal mass that must absorb heat. Because we don’t have to melt all of the collagen in a whole shoulder when we cook these steaks—and because we don’t need our pork steaks to shred into pulled pork when we eat them—185°F (85°C) will do just nicely as a doneness temperature.

However, that can still take a little time. After a second try, we found that giving the steaks a thermal jumpstart by first going through a sear really helped to get them done faster. We heated the grill, seared the seasoned steaks, and then, once they’d cooked to about 140—155°F (60–68°C) turned the cooker down to finish them.

A smoker running between 225 and 250°F (107 and 121°C) will impart some smoky flavor while gently bringing the steaks the rest of the way up to temp. We used a Smoke X2™ and a Billows™ BBQ fan to control the smoker heat and to monitor the temperature of the steaks as they cooked. Of course, we also used a Thermapen^® to verify the steak temps at the end of cooking.

Phillips recommends, as do we, giving the steaks a baste of barbecue sauce towards the end of cooking. When they get up to 185°F (85°C), give them a nice brushing of sauce, preferably something with a good bit of vinegar—but also with some sugar—cook for 10 minutes, flip, baste, and finish for 10 more. The result is pork steaks that are almost like perfect ribs: a bit of bite, a sticky-savory exterior, full of meaty goodness.

To avoid a long "stall" in the smoker, we recommend a two-stage process:

• The Sear: Start with a high-heat sear to jumpstart the internal temperature to 140–155°F (60–68°C).
• The Smoke: Finish in a smoker set to 225–250°F (107–121°C) until the final target is reached.

By monitoring your temps with a Smoke X2 and verifying with a Thermapen, these budget-friendly cuts transform into a BBQ masterpiece that rivals expensive ribs.