Smoked Pork Steaks with Beer Braised Onions

Smoked pork steaks are a delicious and flavorful dish that is sure to satisfy any meat lover's cravings. These succulent cuts of pork are rubbed in a savory blend of spices, smoked and reverse seared, and topped with beer braised onions.

Pork steaks are a flavorful, nutritious, easy-to-cook, versatile, and budget-friendly option for anyone looking to add more variety to their diet.

Are pork steaks good smoked?

Smoking pork steaks can add a delicious smoky flavor to the meat that is hard to replicate with other cooking methods. Slowly smoking these allows the flavors to meld together, resulting in a tender and juicy piece of meat. Additionally, smoking pork steaks can help break down tough fibers in the meat, resulting in a more tender and flavorful end product. This makes them a great option for cuts of meat that may be on the tougher side.

I chose to do a reverse sear on these pork steaks in order to achieve a beautiful crust on the outside and a juicy, tender interior. Instead of starting off by searing the steak in a hot pan or grill, the reverse sear method involves cooking the steak low and slow before finishing it off with a quick sear.

Last Summer I was at our local butcher and they had a great deal on pork steaks. I figured I'd grab a few and toss them on the smoker. I have had them maybe once before and remember them being super flavorful but my friend who cooked them over cooked them. So I knew I had to master them. And let me tell you these bad boys turned out super juicy. And the beer braised onions? Money.

Recipe Rundown

Prep Time:	10 minutes
Smoke Time:	1 hour (pork) 1 hour 20 mins (onions)
Smoker Temperature:	225°F & 300°F
Wood Pellets:	Blend, Apple
Servings:	2

Ingredients Needed Smoked Pork Steaks

Pork Steaks: These can come from various parts of the pig, such as the shoulder (also known as blade or butt steak), loin, or leg. Each cut has its own unique flavor profile and texture, so it's important to choose based on your personal preference. The thickness of the pork steak will impact how it cooks and tastes. Thicker steaks will take longer to cook and may retain more moisture, resulting in a juicier meat.

BBQ Rub: To make this quick, I just stuck to a prepared Pork BBQ Rub with the main ingredients being paprika, garlic, and brown sugar. You could easily opt for a spicy rub or make a homemade rub as well.

Onions: I used white onions since they are a little milder, but yellow would work as well.

Butter: I tossed some butter in with the onions and beer for some richness and a little more flavor.

Beer: I used an amber ale since that is why I had. You can opt for a lager or whatever you have handy. The beer is the liquid for braising and cooking the onions. (No beer? You can substitute with some broth/stock or even try some ginger ale!)

Garlic: A little bit of fresh garlic enhanced the flavor of the braised onions. If you don't have fresh- some garlic powder will do just fine.

Oil: You will need a little cooking oil or even some more butter to perform the reverse sear on the pork steaks.

How to make Smoked Pork Steaks and Beer Braised Onions

Before starting this recipe, one thing to be aware of is that this is a combination cooking method involving a barbecue slow cooking process and a final sear and rest for the pork steaks. This won't result in the typical fork-tender bbq you may be familiar with but instead, a perfectly cooked pork steak with a ton of rich, smokey barbecue flavor!

Step 1: Prepare the pork steaks

For your pork steaks, simply open the package and pat them dry before rubbing them with a few teaspoons of your favorite pork barbecue dry rub. Allow the steaks to sit while you prepare the onions. 

Step 2: Prepare the onions

Slice your onions and place them into your cast iron skillet or pan of choice. Add the butter, chopped garlic, and beer to the onions in the pan, then mix well until everything is combined. Sprinkle with a little more rub, too.

Step 3: Load the steaks and onions into the smoker. 

Once the onions and steaks are ready to go, and the smoker has hit 225°f, you are ready to start the smoking process. 

Once everything is loaded in, button up the lid to your pit. The steaks will cook for an hour and thirty minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 130°f. You can use a wireless meat thermometer to monitor your steaks or an instant-read meat thermometer to check the steaks every 20-30 minutes. 

Step 4: Remove and rest the steaks, then turn up the temp. 

With the steaks at an internal temperature of 130°f, it's time to pull them out of the smoker and allow them to rest while you finish braising the onions. Turn the smoker temperature up to 300°f and allow the onions to continue reducing and concentrating their flavor for another 30 minutes or so. 

Step 5: Sear the Pork Steaks. 

When the onions are close to finishing, heat up a cast iron skillet or a grill and sear the steaks for 3 minutes on each side or until they achieve a golden brown crust. 

Allow the cooked pork steaks to rest for another 3-5 minutes before serving. 

Top the Smoked Pork Steaks with the onions, and enjoy!

Once the rested pork steaks and onions are ready to serve, you can dig right in. The onions should be delicious by themselves, but you can absolutely add ingredients to pump up the flavor even further. Apple juice or apple cider vinegar makes a great addition to the beer braised onions and helps cut through the buttery smokey flavor, adding a brightness that helps keep your palate on edge. 

While the onions are a perfect sauce/veggie accompaniment to these steaks, there is nothing wrong with a touch of bbq sauce. Whether your favorite bbq sauce is a vinegar-based Carolina style, a sweet smokey Memphis, or even an Alabama white, there's really no wrong choice when it comes to this recipe so let your stomach guide you!

Watch me make these Smoked Pork Steaks below!