If you're a fan of ribeye, you will love these super-flavorful, juicy, and well-marbled pork shoulder steaks! Ready in a mere 30 minutes and served with a simple green salad, it's a quick and easy meal that deeply satisfies.
Pork chops are one of my favorite cuts of meat. They are wonderfully flavorful and very easy to make. So when I ordered them online a few weeks ago and received pork shoulder steaks instead, I was annoyed. That is, until I opened the package and looked at them.
Wow! Big gorgeous steaks, about ½-inch thick, they are as well-marbled as a ribeye and have a nice strip of fat on the edge similar to a New York Strip. Lightly seasoned and cooked in a cast-iron skillet, they are actually better than pork chops because they are fattier and juicier. I am so enamored, in fact, that I now look for them on purpose and prepare them about once a week!
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Ingredients
If you like recipes with a short ingredient list, you will love this one! All you need to cook these gorgeous steaks are the steaks themselves, salt and pepper, a few spices, and a little bit of oil (you can find the exact measurements in the recipe card below).
The spices I like to use are garlic powder, paprika, and ground cumin. You can experiment with adding a bit of onion powder and dried thyme.
As for the meat, you'll need to ask your butcher for "pork shoulder blade steaks," though they are sometimes sold already packaged. They're typically 1 ¼ lb. each and about ¾-inch thick.
If your butcher doesn't have any pre-cut steaks, you can ask them to cut them for you from a pork shoulder roast.
Instructions
Making these juicy steaks is truly easy. The detailed instructions are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of the steps:
Your first step is to mix the spices in a small bowl, then rub the spice mixture all over the steaks.
Next, heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes. Add the oil, then add the steaks.
Cook the steaks until browned, about 2 minutes per side, plus a few seconds on the fat strip if they have one.
Now lower the heat to medium-low and continue to cook the steaks until they reach an internal temperature of 145F as measured in the thickest part. This should take about 5 more minutes per side.
Transfer the cooked steaks to a platter. Loosely cover them with foil and allow them to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Expert tip: use a griddle
These steaks are BIG. So you might find that your skillet can only accommodate one steak at a time. If that’s the case, either use a cast-iron double-burner griddle, use two skillets, or cook the steaks one at a time and keep the cooked one in a warm (150F) oven while you cook the second one.
Frequently asked questions
As the name implies, it's cut from the pork shoulder. In fact, you can buy a boneless pork shoulder roast and cut it yourself (it helps to freeze it for 20 minutes and use a sharp knife). Since these steaks are cut from a fatty part of the animal, they are beautifully marbled and very juicy. They are also very flavorful.
The chop is cut from the loin of the animal, while the steak is cut from the shoulder (Boston Butt). They are both very flavorful, but the steak is fattier and juicier than the chop which is typically very lean (except for a fat strip on the edge).
No. It should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F (medium doneness), with a rest time of 3-5 minutes. It's OK if it's slightly pink, but it shouldn't be red.
Variations and substitutions
The best way to vary the basic recipe is to experiment with different spices. Unlike a beef steak, which only needs kosher salt and black pepper, a pork steak does benefit from a sprinkling of spices.
I love the combination of garlic powder, paprika, and cumin, but you can use whatever you like. As mentioned above, onion powder and dried thyme are nice additions.
Serving suggestions
These steaks ate big, fatty, and rich. I like to pair them with a super simple side dish, and I almost always opt for this arugula salad. They are also good with steamed veggies - try them with steamed broccoli or with steamed asparagus.
Storing leftovers
Leftovers keep well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently, in the microwave, covered, on 50% power.
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Recipe card
Pan-Fried Pork Shoulder Steak
INGREDIENTS
- 2 pork shoulder blade steaks 1 ¼ lb. each, ¾-inch thick
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- Remove the steaks from the fridge and place them on a cutting board.
- In a small bowl, mix together the kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and cumin.
- Rub the spice mixture all over the steaks.
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes. Add the oil, then add the steaks.
- Cook the steaks until browned, about 2 minutes per side, plus a few seconds on the fat strip if they have one.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and continue to cook the steaks until they reach an internal temperature of 145F as measured in the thickest part. This should take about 5 more minutes per side.
- Transfer the cooked steaks to a platter. Loosely cover them with foil and allow them to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
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NOTES
NUTRITION PER SERVING
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 