A pork steak, also called

Boston butt A Boston butt is the slightly wedged shaped portion of the pork shoulder above the standard picnic cut which includes the blade bone and the "lean butt" (which is boneless), both extensions of the tenderloin cut and can be used in place of the te ...

or pork blade steak, is a

steak A steak is a thick cut of meat generally sliced across the muscle fibers, sometimes including a bone. It is normally grilled or fried. Steak can be diced, cooked in sauce, such as in steak and kidney pie, or minced and formed into patti ...

cut from the

shoulder The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone) as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder mak ...

of the pig. Pork steaks are mentioned as far back as 1739, though without details about how they were cut or how they were cooked. Shoulder steaks are cut from the same

primal cut A primal cut or cut of meat is a piece of meat initially separated from the carcass of an animal during butchering. Examples of primals include the round, loin, rib, and chuck for beef or the ham, loin, Boston butt, and picnic for pork. Differen ...

of meat most commonly used for

pulled pork Pulled pork is an American barbecue dish, more specifically a dish of the Southern U.S., based on shredded barbecued pork shoulder. It is typically slow-smoked over wood (usually outdoors); indoor variations use a slow cooker. The meat is th ...

, and can be quite tough without long cooking times due to the high amount of

collagen Collagen () is the main structural protein in the extracellular matrix found in the body's various connective tissues. As the main component of connective tissue, it is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up from 25% to 35% of the whol ...

in the meat. Because of this, pork shoulder steaks are often cooked slower than a typical beefsteak, and are often stewed or simmered in

barbecue sauce Barbecue sauce (also abbreviated as BBQ sauce) is a sauce used as a marinade, basting, condiment, or topping for meat cooked in the barbecue cooking style, including pork or beef ribs and chicken. It is a ubiquitous condiment in the Southern ...

during cooking. Pork steaks are considered a cheaper cut of meat, and they are often found on sale.

Bibliography

* Robert F. Moss, "The Unexpurgated History of Pork Steaks"
June 28, 2020

References

Cuts of pork Barbecue Cuisine of St. Louis Steak {{Meat-stub

Bibliography

See also

References