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Stake Your Grilling Future On Pork

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By TONY "FATSO" SICILIANO Tribune correspondent

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 25, 2008

I am always in the mood for a good steak right off the grill. However, if you've looked at the butcher's case in your favorite supermarket, you see where the price of beef is headed.

With the increase in the price of corn and fuel - not to mention the economic impact from the Iowa floods - a good-quality steak has escalated in price and may be something you cook only on special occasions.

But I have recently fallen in love with a completely different kind of steak. Although it isn't beef, it is just as satisfying, and it makes a perfect grilled main course anytime. If you have had them before, then you know how great they are; but if not, please let me introduce you to the pork steak.

We all know about ham and pork ribs, pork loin and pulled pork, but grilled pork steak could just be the tastiest cut of them all. The pork steak comes from the shoulder - the same shoulder that is smoked for hours over low heat and eventually pulled and chopped to make those great barbecue sandwiches we love so much. The shoulder is sliced into about half-inch-thick slices to make steaks.

Even to an amateur griller, I might have just raised several red flags. First of all, the pork steak must be a tough piece of pork, right? The shoulder, when fully intact, has to be cooked for a long time to make it tender. The answer is: Don't worry.

Although you cook the pork shoulder for a long time, it takes less time to make the meat tender because the shoulder's connective tissue is cut into steaks instead of cooked whole.

The second red flag that might have gone up in your head is about the width of the steaks. I suggested about a half-inch. If you were grilling a pork chop or a beef steak, I would never tell you to go less than an inch in thickness, so why does the pork steak get the free pass?

Well, there is a lot of fat in the steak. As you cook it over high heat on your grill, the fat liquefies and drips over the flames. On many grills, this will cause flare-ups. Also, the thinner we cut this well-connected piece, the smaller the pieces of connective tissue will be.

The pork steak's greatest fame is in the Midwest, more specifically St. Louis, Mo. The pork steak there ranks next to ribs as a barbecue staple. Technically speaking, for all of you barbecuing snobs out there, the traditional pork steak that is served (and the recipe that follows) has nothing to do with the word "barbecue." It is a grilled meat. But if you are looking for something different for dinner tonight, change it up a bit and introduce yourself to your next favorite meal.

Tony "Fatso" Siciliano is the host of "On the Grill Radio" from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturdays on WFLA, 970 AM. For information, go to

ST. LOUIS STYLE PORK STEAKS

4 pork steaks, about 1/2-inch thick

Garlic salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 cup Dijon-style mustard

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Prepare medium-hot fire in grill. Season pork with garlic salt and pepper. Grill directly over fire, turning to cook and brown evenly, for a total of 20 minutes.

In small bowl, stir together mustard, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce.

During last 5 minutes of grilling, brush sauce on all surfaces of pork steaks.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: National Pork Board, www.TheOtherWhiteMeat.com

onthegrillradio.com.

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