Description
Delicious, smoky pork shoulder blade steaks are not only inexpensive, but they’re worthy of multiple dinners a month in my opinion and you don’t need to have a grill (or even a grill pan) to make them. When a delicious cut of meat like this only takes 6 minutes to cook and you’ve got garden-fresh zucchini and tomatoes lying around, you’re never far from a whole, healthy salad for dinner any night of the week.
Ingredients
- 1 to 1 1/2 pound pork shoulder or pork butt steaks (500g)
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika (4g)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder (4g)
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (2g)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (1g)
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric (less than 1g) *omit if you don’t have it
- kosher or sea salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper, if desired
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (9g)
- 1 bag of mixed baby salad greens + a handful of chopped iceberg lettuce
- 2 small zucchini or 1 large zucchini, sliced vertically into thin strips
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (for pan-searing the zucchini) (5g)
- a handful of sweet baby grape tomatoes, to taste
- 1 recipe Summer Starburst Dressing, or favorite salad dressing
Instructions
- Marinate the meat. Wash and pat dry the pork steaks until completely dry. Rub 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil into the meat covering every surface. Add paprika, onion powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and turmeric to a small bowl and combine using your hands. Sprinkle the spice rub evenly over both sides of the meat to ensure even coverage. Allow the pork to marinate for at least 15 minutes (or covered and stored in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, or up to overnight).
- Prep the salad greens. Wash and dry the salad greens and iceberg lettuce. Chop into bite-sized pieces and add to a bowl. Top with sliced tomatoes and set aside.
- Pan-sear the zucchini. Heat a cast-iron skillet or another heavy-bottomed skillet to high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. When the skillet is very hot, but not smoking, add the zucchini in a single layer being sure not to overlap the slices. Drizzle the tops with a little more olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper. Do not move the slices once they hit the skillet until they turn golden brown on the bottoms (after approximately 5 minutes of cooking). Flip the zucchini over, season with a little more salt and black pepper, reduce the heat to medium-high, and continue cooking for about 4 to 5 more minutes, or until they turn golden brown with slightly crispy edges. Check the underside of the slices periodically lifting a corner slightly with a pair of tongs to check for color. When they’re ready, the slices should be tender but still have a slight firmness. Remove them to a platter and when cool enough, slice them into the desired size.
- Grill the steaks. Heat a cast-iron grill pan or another heavy-gauge pan over high heat. Just before the pan begins to smoke, drizzle 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil over the tops of the steaks rubbing it in and coating them well. Season the steaks with salt (and pepper if using). When the pan begins to smoke, add the seasoned pork (salted side down) allowing space in between each steak. Reduce heat to medium-high and set a timer for 6 minutes and do not move the steaks once they hit the pan. Cook steaks for about 4 minutes, or until nicely browned and you can see grill marks on the bottoms. At this point, the tops of the pork will become white around the edges with some darker pink in the thicker spots. Flip and continue cooking for another 2 minutes for a total of about 6 minutes or until the steaks are just cooked through. Turn off the heat, allowing thicker steaks to remain on the pan if needed to finish cooking through. Remove the steaks to a serving platter and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing and topping the salad, Enjoy!
Notes
- If you feel the pork steaks are getting browned too quickly, reduce the heat to medium-high after the first 2 minutes of cooking. I left the skillet on high heat throughout the duration of cooking, but depending on your burner size and pan being used, you may need to slightly reduce the heat to ensure a great color without burning the meat.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Marinate: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Meat + Chicken
- Method: Grilled or Pan-Seared
- Cuisine: American BBQ
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 Pork Shoulder Steaks
