Pork-Shoulder Steaks With Hot Pepper Dip

Name: Pork-Shoulder Steaks With Hot Pepper Dip
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: southern
Ingredients: 1 quart distilled white vinegar; 1/2 pound salted butter (2 sticks); 1/2 pound lard (or butter); 2 tablespoons kosher salt, or to taste; 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper (3 if you like your dip really fiery); 2 tablespoons ground black pepper (3 if you like your dip really fiery); 1 tablespoon yellow mustard (optional); 1 tablespoon ketchup (optional); Vegetable oil, for the grill; 2 pounds bone-in pork-shoulder steaks (3/4-inch thick); Kosher salt and black pepper

Recipe from R&S Barbecue

Adapted by Steven Raichlen

Pork-Shoulder Steaks With Hot Pepper Dip — David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 45 minutes
Rating: 4(100)
Comments: Read comments

This is pork barbecue as you’ve probably never experienced it, with the shoulder cut crosswise into pencil-thin steaks and grilled directly over hickory embers. Note we're saying grilled, not barbecued (smoked), the way most pork shoulder is cooked in the South. But it’s not complete until it's dipped in a fiery bath of vinegar, melted lard or butter, and cayenne. And no one makes it better than Anita Hamilton Bartlett at R&S Barbecue in Tompkinsville, Ky. To be strictly authentic, you’d grill over a wood fire; barring that, add hickory or other hardwood chunks or chips to your charcoal fire, or place wood chunks under the grate and over the burners of your gas grill. An added advantage: this is “barbecue” you can cook in 15 minutes. —Steven Raichlen

Featured in: Southern Barbecue With a Fiery Dip and a Deep History

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

For the Dip

1quart distilled white vinegar
½pound salted butter (2 sticks)
½pound lard (or butter)
2tablespoons kosher salt, or to taste
2tablespoons cayenne pepper (3 if you like your dip really fiery)
2tablespoons ground black pepper (3 if you like your dip really fiery)
1tablespoon yellow mustard (optional)
1tablespoon ketchup (optional)

For the Pork

Vegetable oil, for the grill
2pounds bone-in pork-shoulder steaks (¾-inch thick)
Kosher salt and black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Make the dip: Place the ingredients in a deep pot along with ½ cup water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat until the butter and lard are melted, whisking to dissolve the salt, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat and gently simmer the sauce until richly flavored, about 15 minutes. Correct the seasoning, adding salt, cayenne or black pepper to taste. Transfer 2 cups of the dip to a baking dish large enough to fit the steaks.
Step 2
Grill the pork: Set up your grill for direct grilling (see note below), and heat to high. Brush or scrape the grill grate clean, and oil it with a tightly folded paper towel dipped in vegetable oil.
Step 3
Immerse the steaks in the dip in the baking dish, turning with tongs to coat both sides. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange the steaks on the grill grate. Grill until browned on both sides and cooked to taste, 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium. Baste the steaks with more dip as they grill.
Step 4
Dunk the steaks in the pot (not the baking dish) of dip before serving. For extra excitement, ladle more dip into small bowls or cups for serving on the side.

Tip

Ideally you’d grill these steaks over a hickory or other hardwood fire. If you have a wood-burning grill, you’ll know what to do. If you’re using a charcoal grill, you could add hickory or other hardwood chunks or chips to the fire; for a gas grill, place wood chunks under the grate and over the burners.

Ratings

4 out of 5

100 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Comments

Mark6 years ago

Slicing pork shoulder into steaks only makes sense. Pork chops generally, are a tasteless, dry ghost of what they used to be. Not so with pork shoulder. I love discovering regional BBQ that I never knew existed and of course, SR is the man when it comes to all things grill and BBQ. My Wife bought me his book 'How To Grill' over ten years ago along with my first Weber Kettle and I never looked back!

scott schulte6 years ago

Pork Steaks have a been a staple in St. Louis for years. They are delicious grilled and covered in bbq sauce.

Denis6 years ago

Yes, I've cooked this. My hacks include using apple cider vinegar, shallots, and spices and herbs: oregano, basil, annatto seed, cumin and coriander for the sauce in addition to the recipe.

Bonbon3 weeks ago

Pork steaks should be slow cooked for 45 min to an hour.

John11 months ago

When I cook pork steaks I go low and slow, so the marbled fat can melt and lend moisture to the meat. For me that means 275 on the oven or cool side of the grill until you hit whatever is your target internal temp. Sauce is served on the side in deference to my anti-sauce family members. Tastes great and is amazingly tender.

Bill1 year ago

"Pencil thin": in the introductory description vs. "3/4-inch thick" in the ingredients list? How does one "square that circle"?

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