Direct Heat Pork Steaks with Delicious Mop Sauce Recipe

This pork steak recipe features a super simple salt, pepper, and garlic rub.

Where the flavor comes is the tangy and acidic mop sauce combined with the meat drippings over the hot coals.

Buy a Pork Butt and Cut Your Own Pork Steaks

Skip this step if you bought them pre-sliced.

Take a boneless or bone-in pork butt and slice steaks to around 1.5-2″ thick.

The way you slice doesn’t matter – there’s like 12 different muscles all colliding in the shoulder so the grain isn’t super important here.

For mine I cut from the money muscle side which is opposite the bone.

Season All Sides with Salt, Pepper, and Garlic

I used my homemade SPG rub, found here.

A condensed version would be:

• 4 Tbsp 30 Mesh Black Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Morton Kosher Salt
• 1 tbsp Granulated Garlic

Since these are cut rather thick, you can be pretty aggressive.

Once seasoned, put in your refrigerator to dry brine for 2 hours OR ideally overnight.

Setup Grill for Direct Heat BBQ

This recipe uses a charcoal grill with an elevated cooking grate BUT any grill can work.

The idea here is to elevate the meat above the hot coals so that the meat doesn’t burn. The meat drippings then hit the coals, which creates a vapor that condenses on the meat.

This grilled flavor is super delicious on its own.

Get your grill to 275-325F.

Place seasoned pork steaks on the grill and allow to cook for 60-90 minutes before flipping.

After the first flip, make your mop sauce.

Here’s mine after the first flip, 1 hour and 30 minutes later:

Make Your Mop Sauce

You will need:

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1 thinly sliced medium onion
• 5 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 sliced & juiced lemon
• 2 tbsp of hot sauce
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp dry mustard
• 2 tbsp creamed honey
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 cup water

Melt 1/2 stick of unsalted butter in a medium pot over medium-low heat.

Slice 1 medium yellow onion and crush 5 garlic cloves and add to pan.

Once onions are translucent, add the rest of the ingredients.

Simmer on low until everything is well combined.

Start Mopping the Pork Steaks

After another 60-90 minutes, flip the pork steaks again, and then start mopping.

Mop every 5-15 minutes.

After another hour, flip the pork steaks again and keep mopping.

Take Off the Grill at 185F-190F Internal

Most people are familiar with pulled pork where you’re going to around 200F+ internal.

Don’t do this with pork steaks as the meat will shred.

Rather, I find 185F-190F works well.

At this temperature the meat is tender, the fat has rendered, but it’s not shredding/fall apart like pulled pork.

Once off the grill, rest for 15-30 minutes then slice and enjoy!

Print Pin Recipe

BBQ Pork Steaks with Mop Sauce

BBQ Pork Steak with Tangy, Acidic Mop

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Active Time4 hours hrs

Resting Time15 minutes mins

Total Time4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• ▢ 3-4 lb Boneless Pork Butt

Rub

• ▢ 2 tbsp Kosher Salt
• ▢ 1 tbsp Granulated garlic
• ▢ 4 tbsp Coarse black pepper

Mop Sauce

• ▢ 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 thinly sliced medium onion
• ▢ 5 cloves of garlic crushed
• ▢ 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• ▢ 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• ▢ 1 whole sliced & juiced lemon
• ▢ 2 tbsp of hot sauce
• ▢ 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 2 tbsp dry mustard
• ▢ 2 tbsp creamed honey
• ▢ 1 tbsp paprika
• ▢ 1 cup water

Instructions

• Take a pork butt and slice into 1.5-2" thick pork steaks.
• Season both sides of pork steak with salt, pepper, and garlic dry rub. You can season liberally.
  2 tbsp Kosher Salt, 1 tbsp Granulated garlic, 4 tbsp Coarse black pepper
• Allow pork steaks to dry brine for 2 hours OR overnight.
• Get your grill to 275-325F.
• Once at temperature, setup your grill to cook pork steaks via direct heat bbq.
• After pork steaks have been grilling for 60-90 minutes, flip and then make your mop sauce.

Make Mop Sauce

• Add 1/2 stick of unsalted butter to a medium pot over medium-low heat.
• Add 1 sliced medium yellow onion and 2-5 crushed garlic cloves.
• Cook until onions are transculent.
• Once translucent, set heat to low and add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until well combined.
  1 cup distilled white vinegar, 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 whole sliced & juiced lemon, 2 tbsp of hot sauce, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp dry mustard, 1 tbsp paprika, 1 cup water, 2 tbsp creamed honey

Mop Every 5-15 Minutes

• For the next hour, mop the pork steaks every 5-15 minutes.
• After an hour of mopping, flip the pork steaks and continue mopping every 5-15 minutes.
• Once pork steaks hit 185-190F internal, take off the grill to rest for 15-30 minutes.

Dylan Recipe notes: If you like pork in your ramen, consider allowing these to cool and then store overnight. The next day, chop them up and add to your ramen.

The broth gets this awesome “grilled meat” flavor – it’s not super punchy but a nice compliment.

The pork is also melt in your mouth with the soup.