Internal Temperature for Pork Steaks

[DaveP]

Being a lifelong St. Louisan, pork steaks (pork shoulder steaks) and the 4th of July are traditional. I slow smoked one inch thick steaks from Costco on my on Traeger pellet grill after dry brining for two hours and rubbing with Memphis Dust. As I smoked them I started thinking myself into a circle. Do I smoke to about 200 degrees F like I do for a whole butt so the collagen melts or a lower temperature so they don’t dry out?

I went to 160 degrees F because they were probe tender and looking a little “dry”. I could have used a mop or a spritz of apple juice but it was close to dinner time. They were moist and had a good bite but wonder what my fellow grill masters suggest?

Many thanks! Happy 4th!!

[bbqLuv]

No hard and fast rules in BBQ, for which I am glad. Sounds like you done good.
Happy grilling to you and PBR too.

[HawkerXP]

Probe tender sounds good to me!

[Troutman]

I've found that the real advantage to pork steaks is they are thin. Like a whole butt you want to render down the connective tissues and get the thing tender without loosing the moisture. But being thin, you also need to avoid overcooking. Nothing is worse then dried pork meat. Therefore I've found that the best way to make these is to treat them like you would pork ribs. Smoke them until you get the color and finish you want then wrap them in foil with butter and brown sugar letting them braise. Here's an old cook I did years ago and I still use this method today. Results are perfect, you get the smokiness, the tenderness and the moisture all in perfect harmony!!