Smoked Pork Steaks on a Z Grills Pellet Grill

Pork steaks are one of my absolute favorite things to cook on a smoker.  Pork steaks are inexpensive, extremely flavorful, really take to the smoke and are quick to cook.

You have to love that winning combination!

Here is a look at how I smoke pork steaks on my Z Grills pellet grill.

Season the Pork Steaks

I was working with a couple of pork steaks that weighed a little over one pound each and were about 3/4 of an inch thick.  They had plenty of marbling and not a whole lot of external fat.

I left the fat strip on the left side of the steaks intact but on steaks with larger fat strips I will trim it down.

The meat gets seasoned with a rub that I use for grilling pork steaks but I up the sugar content since I am cooking at low heat and don’t have to worry about the sugar burning.

Dry Rub for Smoked Pork Steaks

• 1/4 cup smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup seasoned salt (Mortons)
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar

I go pretty heavy with the dry rub.  Let the meat rest for at least 30 minutes to let the the rub start to dissolve into the pork.

Pork steaks are pretty versatile so don’t get caught up on finding a “magic recipe” for the rub.  Salt and pepper works just fine or you could even marinade them in some Italian dressing for a while.

Smoke the Pork Steaks

I used my Z Grills 600 Series pellet grill for this cook and had it running at 250F and was burning hickory pellets. 

I put the pork steaks into the pellet grill and let them cook in the smoke for an hour which is when they reached an internal temperature of 130F.  The meat is not done cooking at this point but it was the perfect time to paint them with a little Head Country barbecue sauce.

Pork is a versatile meat that works well with both sweet and bold barbecue sauces.  I used Head Country because I am worn out by super sweet sauces like Sweet Baby Ray’s.   

If you want to take these in a whole new, but absolutely fantastic, flavor direction then you could use a Sweet Thai Red Chili Pepper glaze like I did for these smoked pork chops.  Mmmmm!

I let the meat cook for another 15 minutes until the steaks reached an internal temperature of 145F.  

Cooking to 145F is important as this is when the pork steak will still be juicy and tender.  The main reason people end up with dry and tough pork steaks is that they overcook them to 160F and beyond.

Trust me, pull these guys off at 145F and you will be happy.

 

Do You Want More Smoke on Your Pork?

If you prefer a stronger smoke flavor profile then you can start these steaks in “Smoke Mode”, which is usually around 180F, and let them cook for 30 minutes before raising the temperature to 250F to finish cooking.

Alternatively, you could cook the pork at 250F the entire time and use a 6 inch smoke tube filled with hickory pellets.  Light the pellets with a propane torch until they have open flames, blow the flames out and then place the tube full of smoking pellets beside the pork.

A full 6 inch smoke tube will smoke for about two hours before the pellets are used up.

Be Careful on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill

If you are cooking on a Pit Boss pellet grill, or any pellet grill with a Flame Broiler, then place the pork steaks away from the Flame Broiler. There is no heat distribution shield between the fire pot and the grease tray on these grills and you can get some significant hot spots near the Flame Broiler even when it is closed.

These steaks turn out best when they get the chance to cook slowly at low temperatures.  Additionally, you don’t want to risk burning the sugar in the rub by placing the steaks on a hot spot.

How Did the Smoked Pork Steaks Turn Out?

These steaks turned out smoky, salty, sweet and spectacular.  

I served the pork steaks with roasted potatoes, steamed broccoli and a pretty basic Cole slaw for one heck of a dinner.  

If you are looking for a something quick and easy to cook on your smoker then you have to give pork steaks a try! 

 

How to Make The Pork Steaks Even Better

If you have the time then you can make these steaks even better by soaking them in this amazing pork steak marinade from Extraordinary BBQ.  This step is completely optional but does add more great flavors.

The Marinade

• 1 cup Apple juice
• 1 cup of regular Coke
• 1 cup of regular Sprite
• 1/4 cup Salt
• 1/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar
• 1 tbs Black Pepper

Combine the marinade ingredients, mix well and place in a gallon Ziploc bag along with the pork steaks.

Let them marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to four hours.

Remove the pork from the marinade, pat dry with paper towels then season and cook as described above.