A St. Louis Barbecue Legend

The pork steak is the cut that raises the question, “What if a pork chop could be ribs?” Also known as a blade steak, it’s a pork shoulder cut down to substantial-sized steaks that are ideal for grilling. It’s cheaper than almost any beefsteak and can be just as satisfying, with a little extra time and attention.

Slicing shoulders into steaks isn’t just a St. Louis thing, but the city embraced the pork steak starting in the 1950s, as chronicled by Serious Eats contributor Robert Moss. While St. Louis’s pork steak tradition goes back generations, it doesn’t have strict rules. “This is something that started off with, you know, people’s uncles cooking in the backyard,” says Jonathan Moxey, a St. Louis native and my pork steak mentor. “There are a number of different approaches, and I think there’s room for all of them.”

Different Ways to Cook Pork Steaks

Some St. Louisans grill pork steaks hot and fast, treating them like chops with better marbling. Others smoke them low and slow, like ribs, and finish them over direct heat, for a caramelized crust. Those uncles in their backyards and other home grillers? They mostly sear them, braise them in foil pans with barbecue sauce and beer, then sear them again to finish. That’s the most forgiving way to go. (Some even switch to the oven to braise the meat between sears.)

My Preferred Method for Cooking Pork Steaks

Each method of cooking pork steaks has its pros and cons. The hot-and-fast method works for a quick dinner, but it doesn’t do much to render out the streaks of fat and connective tissue. I don’t mind cutting around all that when I’m eating a medium-rare ribeye, but the meat-to-gristle ratio is different here—and if you could make a regular old ribeye fork-tender without drying it out, wouldn’t you? That buttery texture is why people pay big bucks for wagyu. The smoke-and-sear method might be the best way to get a pork steak to that point, but it’s fussy and time-consuming. You think you’re up for it until the steaks stall out around 160°F for an hour and you realize that dinner is going to be late… maybe really late.

The sear-braise-sear method is popular among St. Louisans for a reason. What you lose in smoke and bark, you gain in reliability and relaxation. If you’re new to the tradition and want a taste of St. Louis, it’s the place to start. 

And there’s actually an easier, lazier way to do it—skipping that first sear. That way, you don’t have to juggle the high heat needed for rapid browning with the steady warmth that tenderizes the steaks over time. Just start the pork steaks on a 250°F grill (or even in the oven), braise them in barbecue sauce and beer until they hit 195 to 200°F, then finish them over medium-high heat, flipping and basting for 10 to 15 minutes until lacquered and glossy. It’s standard reverse-sear protocol, backyard barbecue-style. All the caramelization and char happen at the end, which means they aren’tlost in the sauce.

The St. Louis–Style Barbecue Sauce for Pork Steaks

The obvious choice for that sauce is Maull’s, another St. Louis favorite. “Pork steaks slathered in Maull’s is a local cliché,” says Ian Froeb, the restaurant critic at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. There’s no mistaking Maull’s, which dates back to 1926, for anything else: It tastes more like a steak sauce (think A1 or Heinz 57) than a Kansas City– or Memphis-style barbecue sauce, with heavy doses of Worcestershire and clove. It’s intensely salty (a two-tablespoon serving contains 33% of the US guideline’s daily recommended sodium intake for the average adult), but when diluted with beer, that’s about right in terms of flavor.

How to Make a Copycat Maull’s Sauce at Home

In my research, I came across a popular Maull’s copycat recipe with 17 ingredients, including orange juice concentrate, lemon zest, and three types of sweetener. What a headache, I thought. I picked up a bottle of the sauce and looked at the ingredient list. In so many words, it was ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and unnamed spices, which taste like clove, plus sugar, water, vinegar, and salt. As usual, the barbecue writers (myself included) were overthinking it.

Some St. Louisans say that Maull’s, which has changed owners in recent years, isn’t what it used to be. I didn’t grow up with Maull’s, so I can’t speak to that, but what it is now is relatively easy to copy. After a few rounds of testing, informed by the nutrition facts on the bottle, I had a pretty good dupe. The sauce’s intense flavors mellow during the three-hour cook, melding with the flavor of the pork and the traditional pour of fizzy yellow lager, which ensures that the steaks stay moist and the sauce doesn’t burn.

How to Buy the Right Pork Steaks

When picking out your pork steaks, look for well-marbled slabs about 1-inch-thick—thicker than three-quarters of an inch, the old standard, but not the monster cuts that have become fashionable in St. Louis, primarily for smoking. My Kansas City supermarket sells them at the butcher counter as “thick-cut pork steaks.” If you aren’t in or near Missouri, chances are, you’ll have to ask a butcher to cut them for you.

The Ideal Final Temperature for Juicy Pork Steaks

In my experience, it’s important to take slow-cooked pork steaks to 195–200°F, where they become fork-tender. Some recipes call for finishing them at lower temperatures, but between about 150°F and 190°F, they’ll often be chewy and dry. At those lower temperatures, the muscle fibers have contracted and squeezed out moisture. But, the collagen hasn’t been exposed to high enough heat to break down into gelatin, which is the process that transforms tough connective tissue into melting, barbecue-style tenderness.

How to Finish Pork Steaks Without the Flare-Ups

The only real risk is in the final sear. Some char is normal—expected, even—but try to keep it from tipping into complete carbonization. Cooking over a medium-hot grill, rather than the standard high heat, helps. So does glazing with the braising liquid, a thin mixture of sauce, beer, and pork juices that coats the steaks evenly and is less likely to burn than an application of thick, sweet sauce. For a lacquered coating, flip the steaks every two minutes or so, brushing them with layers of the beer-and-sauce mixture as you go, trying to avoid any big drips that might prompt flare-ups and burning.

Why Pork Steaks Deserve a Spot on Your Grill

Even if you don’t stick the landing, chances are, your steaks are going to be tasty. “There are certainly pork steaks that are better than others, but you have to go off the rails to ruin a pork steak,” Moxey says. “That and the price are what give it a wide appeal. It’s like, Hey, we’ve got a bunch of people coming over. Chicken’s expensive. Beef’s expensive. Let’s get pork steaks. You know it’s going to be delicious, even if you don’t make it with surgical precision. Like pizza or sex, to be clichéd, if it’s a pork steak, it’s probably pretty damn good.”

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For the Simple Pork Steak Rub:

• 2 tablespoons (18 g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume

• 2 tablespoons (24 g) light brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon (7 g) fresh ground pepper

• 2 teaspoons (4 g) dry mustard powder

• 2 teaspoons (4 g) MSG (optional but recommended)

For the St. Louis Barbecue Sauce (Makes about 3 cups):

• 2 cups (480 ml) ketchup, (see notes)

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) Worcestershire sauce

• 2 tablespoons Louisiana-style cayenne hot sauce, such as Crystal

• 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume

• 1/2 cup (110 g) light brown sugar

• 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

For the Pork Steaks:

• 4 bone-in pork blade steaks (1 to 1 1/2 pounds each; 5-6 pounds total), about 1-inch thick 

• Simple Pork Steak Rub recipe from above

• St. Louis Barbecue Sauce recipe from above

• 1 (12-ounce) can American lager, such as Budweiser

1. For the Simple Pork Steak Rub: In a small bowl, add all ingredients and whisk to combine. Store in an airtight container until ready to use or up to 3 months.

2. For Preparing the Steaks: Pat pork steaks dry with paper towels. Season generously on both sides with prepared pork steak rub and gently pat rub into steaks to help adhere. Transfer to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours.

3. For the St. Louis Barbecue Sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. Lower heat if necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Let cool, then refrigerate until ready to use or up to 1 month.

4. If Using a Charcoal Grill: Prepare a charcoal grill for two-zone cooking at 250 to 275°F: Spread 3 quarts of unlit charcoal briquettes (about 1/2 chimney’s worth of coals) evenly over half of the grill grate. Light a 1/4 chimney (about 1 1/2 quarts) of charcoal. When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over unlit coals.

   Set cooking grate in place and cover, positioning the top vent over the empty side of the grill, not the coals. Adjust bottom vent of grill to half open and adjust top vent of lid to 3/4 open. Attach a probe thermometer to the grill grate, if using, away from the direct heat (if not using, monitor heat with thermometer on grill lid).

   When grill reaches about 200°F, adjust both vents as needed to maintain a final cooking temperature between 250-275°F. If grill runs hot, narrow the vents slightly. If temperature drops too low, open vents a little bit. In case of dramatic temperature fluctuations that you can’t fix by adjusting the vents, add or remove coals using tongs. That should be a last resort.

   If Using a Gas Grill: Preheat gas grill with all burners on high until hot, about 10 minutes. Leave on primary burner (the one closest to the gas tank), and turn off remaining burners to create an indirect heat zone around 250 to 275°F.

5. Set a 9×13-inch disposable aluminum foil pan on the cool side of the grill. Add barbecue sauce and beer to pan and stir to combine and hold warm.

6. Transfer steaks into the sauce one at a time, flip to coat. Then, stack steaks in sauce in pan in two layers.

7. If you have a leave-in thermometer, insert it into the thickest part of one steak. Cover pan tightly with 2 layers of foil, crimping the edges to seal. Close grill and braise steaks until their internal temperature registers 195-200°F with a leave-in or instant-read thermometer, about 2 to 3 hours. Halfway through cooking, rotate the pan and quickly (so you lose as little heat as possible) and carefully remove foil from pan using grilling gloves or pot holders, and flip steak stacks so that the steaks braising on the bottom are on top, and vice-versa. Re-seal pan with your 2 layers of foil, and continue cooking.

8. If using a charcoal grill, light another half chimney of coals during the final 15 minutes of cooking.

9. To Finish the Steaks: Remove pan from grill. Carefully remove the steaks from the pan to a cutting board or plate using a spatula and tongs (they will be tender!) and set aside while reheating the grill. If using a charcoal grill, scatter a 1/2 chimney (about 3 quarts) of lit coals evenly across bottom of grill grate. If using a gas grill, raise temperature to medium-high. Close lid and let heat for 5 to 10 minutes. While the grill preheats, using a ladle or large spoon, skim as much fat as possible off the surface of the braising liquid.

10. Once grill is hot, use a spatula to carefully transfer steaks to the hot grill and cook, flipping carefully once every 2 minutes and basting with the skimmed braising liquid, until steaks develop a reddish-brown lacquered finish and some char along the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. If using a gas grill, lower temperature as needed to prevent burning. If using a charcoal grill, be prepared to flip more often for even charring. Stop basting before the final flip to allow the glaze to set.

11. Alternative Oven Method: In a 9×13 pan, add beer and barbecue sauce and stir to combine. Transfer seasoned steaks to a wire rake set in a rimmed baking sheet. Adjust oven rack to 6 inches from top broiler unit. Preheat broiler on high and broil steaks until lightly charred, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer steaks to sauce in pan and cover tightly with 2 layers of foil. Adjust oven temperature to 250°F (120°C). Braise steaks in a tightly covered pan until their internal temperature registers 195-200°F with an instant-read thermometer, 2 1/2 to 3 hours, flipping and checking for tenderness as described in step 7 above. Carefully remove steaks from braising liquid and transfer to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Broil, using a basting or pastry brush to brush each side with sauce twice, until red and lightly charred, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Watch closely to avoid burning.

12. To Finish: Transfer steaks to a cutting board and let steaks rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice and serve hot. Serve remaining braising liquid on the side, if desired.

Special Equipment

Medium saucepan, charcoal or gas grill, 9×13-inch disposable aluminum foil if grilling or a 9×13 baking pan if cooking in the oven, rimmed baking sheet and wire rack, grilling tongs, basting or pastry brush, ladle or large spoon

Notes

For the ketchup, I prefer the flavor of Red Gold ketchup.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The steak rub can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 months.

The barbecue sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

The cooked steaks are best enjoyed immediately; however, leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.