Pork Shoulder Blade Steak

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There are so many things you can do once you have a good cast iron skillet, and cooking a tasty pork shoulder steak is one of them. Admittedly, you have a lot of ways to achieve this, which are pretty well known.

With that in mind, I figured why not share two options with you? Therefore, what you’re getting here is not the standard pork steak recipe. Instead, I will be sharing two ways in which you can cook pork steaks, and the steps you’ll need to get it done.

This does happen to be one of my favorite meals, so if I sound a little over-passionate, you know why. Alright, let’s get into it, shall we?

Understanding What Pork Shoulder Steak Is

It may sound weird, but pork shoulder and pork butt are essentially the same thing. I know that makes no sense when you think about where those two body parts should be, but it is true.

The terms are used to speak to a popular pork cut taken from the shoulder of the pig. You will also see it being called a pork shoulder blade steak. You’ll sometimes find bones in the cut.

Regardless of what pork shoulder steaks may be called, they do happen to be very easy to cook.

What Are Some of the Methods You Can Use to Cook Pork Shoulder Steaks?

Remember how I said a pork shoulder steak could be cooked in a series of ways? While I’ll only be covering two below, I thought I should give you an overview of the options that you have at your disposal. It’s possible to cook pork steak by:

• Slow cooking
• Braising
• Smoking
• Roasting
• Pan-frying
• Grilling

I prefer to grill pork steaks or cook them on the stovetop, which is unsurprising since these are the two ways I decided to go over below.

The Texture of Pork Steak

Pork shoulder blade steak is relatively soft. Be that as it may, don’t be surprised if you find a few tough spots hanging around, as that is completely normal.

Thankfully, tenderizing pork shoulder steaks is not a difficult task at all. You can marinate it, or you can pound it with a mallet.

Some people do both while others wonder which of the two methods is the most effective option. If you have to choose one, I’d say it’s best to pound the pork shoulder steak, but make sure that you’re careful around the bones where they are present.

Buying a Pork Steak

Thankfully, pork steaks are pretty popular, meaning that you shouldn’t struggle too much to find your cut. Most grocery stores will have them hanging around in the meat section.

Under normal circumstances, you want pork shoulder steaks to be pre-cut. However, if you cannot find them in that state, it’s not the most difficult thing in the world to cut them yourself.

Since I figured that some of you would have to cut your pork steaks yourself, I thought it would be a good idea to go over the best way to do that, which you can find in the next section.

Cutting Your Pork Chops

When a pork blade steak is not pre-cut, you’ll end up with a slab of neck shoulder meat with one end having a shoulder blade bone.

By looking on one side, you’ll see the bone’s cross-section, while you won’t on the other end. I’d recommend using a sharp chef’s knife if you don’t want the process to become a nightmare.

With it, you want to slice the pork against the grain. I know that the muscles can seem to be running everywhere, which can often present a challenge in identifying the grain. I would say don’t worry about it very much.

You want to make your pork shoulder steak pieces just over an inch thick. On average, the pork shoulder should yield about four pieces before you get to the bone blade.

If you plan to pan-fry the pork steak, I recommend trimming the fat. For grilling, however, leaving the fat present maximizes the flavor.

A Word on Marinade for Pork Shoulder Blade Steaks

I’m very big on flavor, and that comes out in many ways. For example, apart from the health benefits of using olive oil over some of its contemporaries, I also find that I like the flavor it produces.

Believe me when I say that you’ll never regret marinating your pork shoulder steak before you cook it. I also recommend checking out how to perform a pork butt injection. Note that if you’ll be using the grill, then you may want to consider a marinade containing beer.

Not only will this provide a nice flavor, but it will also help you stop carcinogenic PAHs from forming, which is pretty much unavoidable on the surface of any meat that has been charcoal grilled.

You can use a pork shoulder rub or premade marinade to cook pork shoulder steak, but you can also make your own, which is what we’ll be doing here.

Instructions for Pan Fried Pork Steaks

If you prefer to use a cast iron skillet for your pork shoulder steak, then these are the instructions for you!

Step One

Remove your pork steaks from the fridge and allow them to reach room temperature.

Step Two

Using your cast iron skillet, or any other heavy-bottomed pan, place it on the stove for 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat. Once the pot gets hot, you can proceed to throw the olive oil in.

Don’t overdo it. You only need enough oil to coat the skillet’s surface. Remember that pork, especially with its fat present, can become a pretty oily meat, and no one wants to have oil soup for lunch or dinner.

Step Three

Scrape the marinade away and get rid of it. For about 2 minutes per side, sear the pork shoulder steaks. After this, bring the heat to medium-low, and allow both sides to cook until you get the internal temperature to 145 degrees Fahrenheit.

Again, if you prefer your steak well done, you’ll need to aim for 160 degrees. Typically, this segment of the cooking process will run for an additional 5 or so minutes per side.

Towards the end of the process, season both sides with salt and pepper.

Allow the pork steaks to rest tented after they’re done, and you can slice them for service.

Great Tips to Keep in Mind

While it’s not hard to cook pork shoulder steak, I want to ensure that you have the best experience possible. To that end, here are a few quick tips:

1. Ensure that your skillet and oil are really hot before you start. You’ll know you did it right if the pork sizzles on entry.
2. Don’t move the pork chops around in the skillet. Have patience and let the contact with the pan remain constant.
3. If you need a little help with the timing, don’t be afraid to use a timer.
4. Dry your steaks before you cook them. Paper towels should be used to pat them.

Conclusion

Pork shoulder steak can be quite a rewarding meal when it’s done right. Of course, there are multiple ways to go about it, but these are my favorites, and I’m sure you’ll find them to be incredible too!

Thanks for sticking around. Enjoy!