Apple Brined Smoked Pork Steaks

Get the Pork Shoulder (1) cut about ¾” thick.

Bring the Apple Juice (64 fl oz) and Apple Cider Vinegar (1/4 cup) to a slow boil and add the Brown Sugar (1 cup), Salt (1/4 cup) and Barbecue Rub (1/2 cup). Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves. Remove it from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.

Place the meat into a plastic slider bag and pour the room temperature brine over it. Be sure to place the bag into a shallow pan or baking dish just in case it leaks. The pork steaks need at least 4 hours in the brine, so put them in the refrigerator or in a cooler on ice. After 4 hours remove the steaks from the brine and allow the excess liquid to drain off.

Next apply a good coating of Barbecue Rub (to taste) to the outside and let them sit on the counter for a few minutes while the smoker is coming up to temperature.

Once the smoker is up to 275 degrees F (140 degrees C), put the steaks on the grill. Every 30 minutes give them a flip and keep cooking. The total cook time should be about 1 ½ hours or until an internal temperature of 165-170 degrees F (73-76 degrees C) is reached.

The pork steaks have a lot of internal fat that needs to break down but don’t worry it will still be really juicy in the end. As soon as the hit the target temperature, pull the steaks off the grill and give them 5-10 minutes to rest.