St. Louis Pork Steaks - Two Ways

[LA Pork Butt]

I know nothing first hand about cooking St. Louis Pork Steaks. I have never even had a real one, so I am cooking blind. For anyone wondering what a St. Louis Pork Steak is, it is cut from the Boston Butt about 1/2”-1” thick. If you can find them in parts of the country other than St. Louis they would be called blade pork steaks. Lately I have been on a weekly cooking quest to discover effective ways to cook various things. I have three attempts at St. Louis Pork Steaks under my belt and five more to go. The first two attempts were to smoke them low and slow for about an hour followed by braising them in beer and BBQ sauce for two to three hours to an internal temp of 200. Then they were seared off and sauced. The second, method was to cook them like a steak to 140 and then sauce.

I like both methods but they produce different results. The first method melts more collagen, but is nothing like pulled pork would be. The second method to my surprise was slightly more tender, but the fat and collagen was more chewy.

I would appreciate any help from anyone who has tasted the original or can lend some guidance or tips on cooking them.

[jfmorris]

LA Pork Butt I watched Stephen Raichlen make pork steaks on a Weber Kettle on an episode of Project Smoke years ago, and had written down that recipe, which is also on his site:

https://barbecuebible.com/recipe/mon...y-vinegar-dip/

That is the Kentucky style. Here is his take on the St. Louis style:

https://barbecuebible.com/recipe/st-louis-pork-steaks/

Note sure if either of those help, but they are two I had bookmarked for pork steaks. Looks like he is a proponent of cooking it like a steak, and brushing on a BBQ sauce towards the end as a glaze.

I cooked a pack of pork steaks a few months ago, and treated them like a steak, cooking to 140ish, after marinading them a bit. They were good, but definitely different than beef steaks.

[Steve R.]

I don't get down to Monroe County very often, but there is a place in Bowling Green (a couple of miles off I-65) that does a good job with that style: http://smokeypigbbq.com/

[LA Pork Butt]

I based my fast cook on his St. Louis recipe. The Kentucky one looks interesting. I think I like the low and slow method slightly better, but I am not sure it is worth the extra time.

[Troutman]

They remain pretty popular down here in the heart of beef country believe it or not. I do them in the regular rotation, actually got one I was looking at in the freezer thinking about cooking it. I do them exactly like pork ribs; smoke until I get the color and bark, wrap in foil with butter and brown sugar, then finish them with a little glaze until tacked up. Love 'em

[LA Pork Butt]

Troutman That looks like the variation to try for next Friday. Fridays are my experimental cook days.

[bbqLuv]

Experiment cook day, Thanks I should have thought of that.
Live long and BBQ.

[Jfrosty27]

I lived in St. Louis for a couple years and their bbq pork steaks are like religion there. Season them up and grill hot and fast saucing at the end. That’s it. They’re ok but my first choice for this cut is to braise them until fork tender. Yummy.

[LA Pork Butt]

Thanks!