These Pork Butt Steaks Might Just be Better than Ribeye

Learn how to turn an inexpensive pork butt into delicious, tender, and steaky pork butt steaks that come close to the experience of a beef ribeye steak at a fraction of the price.

Can pork butt steaks actually compete with beef ribeye? Ribeye is often considered the king of steaks with its marbled fat and rich flavor, but it comes with a hefty price tag.

What if I told you there’s a way to get that same mouthwatering experience for a fraction of the cost? That’s where pork butt steaks come in.

I’ll show you how to transform a humble pork butt into juicy, flavorful steaks that might just outshine a ribeye. I’ll walk you through the entire process—from selecting and slicing the meat to seasoning, smoking, and finishing it with a tangy glaze. And because I love breaking down the science behind great BBQ, I’ll explain why this method works so well. Let’s fire up the smoker and see if pork butt steaks can truly rival the almighty ribeye!

Step 1: Selecting and Trimming the Pork Butt

Choosing the Right Cut

First things first: you need a 10-pound boneless pork butt. I usually prefer boneless for easier slicing, but if you can only find bone-in, no worries—you’ll just need to remove the bone. The bone runs diagonally through the butt and can be cut out with a sharp knife by following the contours of the bone. Once you’re done, you’ll be left with a solid piece of meat that’s ready for slicing. If you have a meat cutter you can also just slice right through the bone. This is something I’ve always wnated to try to make “bone-in” pork butt steaks but even I don’t have a meat cutting device at home. One day!

Anatomy Lesson: The Money Muscle

If you’ve ever heard competition BBQ teams talk about the “money muscle,” they’re referring to the most tender and flavorful part of the pork butt. It’s a round, tube-shaped muscle marbled with lines of fat, making it perfect for steaks. If you want to make an extra tasty steak then be sure to remove the money muscle before you start slicing the other steaks! If done right, the money muscle is kind of like a small pork tenderloin in size and you can grill it up by itself along with the other pork steaks. This is an optional step though!

Slicing the Steaks

Here’s how I slice the steaks:

• Locate the bone (if present): If you’re working with a bone-in butt, slice diagonally along where the bone was removed from. There should be a giant cavity with a thinner flap of meat and then a thicker chunk of meat to one side. You want to separate the thinner flap where the bone was from the thicker side where you’ll be making your primo cuts. 

• Cut thick steaks: I aim for 1.5-inch thick steaks. Thicker cuts hold onto more moisture and cook more evenly without drying out.

• Size consistency: Pork butts can be oddly shaped, so you may need to cut larger steaks in half to create uniform portions. Don’t stress too much about perfection—it’s BBQ, not fine dining.

Step 2: Seasoning the Pork Butt Steaks

Dry Rub Layers

Now for the fun part: seasoning. I use a two-layer rub system for maximum flavor:

Salt base: I sprinkle the steaks lightly with salt first. This helps draw out moisture and creates a tacky surface for the rub to stick to. It also provides a base layer of salt flavor.

First rub layer: I use my Smoke Trails BBQ brisket rub for a peppery, steakhouse-style crust.

Second rub layer: I follow up with a more general-purpose BBQ rub for extra seasoning depth.

Let the Rub Soak In

After seasoning, I let the steaks sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. This gives the salt time to draw moisture to the surface and allows the seasoning to soak into the meat.

Step 3: Smoking the Steaks

Setting Up the Smoker

I’m firing up my trusty Oklahoma Joe’s Marshall Centerbox Smoker for this cook, but you can use any smoker that’s set up for direct heat cooking or even a charcoal grill.

• Charcoal setup: I light a pile of charcoal briquettes using a torch until they are mostly lit. Then I wait for 15 minutes for them to get fully light.

• Preheating the grill: I then spread the hot coals evenly, replace the grates, and let the grill preheat for 10-15 minutes. This allows the grates to get super hot so you get a good sear on the steaks. 

Searing the Steaks

• Place the steaks on the grill: I arrange the steaks evenly on the smoker grates and cook them for around 5-10 minutes until they develop a nice crust on the underside.

• Flipping: I then flip the steaks once during this phase for even cooking and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes until the internal temperature of the pork butt steaks reach around 140 degrees.

• Remove the steaks: As each steak hits 140 internal, remove it from the grill and place it on a dish or pan to rest for around 10 minutes until you move on to the smoking and glazing step. 

I thought pork butts were too tough to make good steaks?

So did I! I’m used to smoking pork butts all the way up to 203 degrees + until they are super tender and can be pulled apart by hand.”Butt” it turns out that the pork butt, from th upper part of the shoulder, is a relatively tender cut of meat compared to the lower part of the shoulder, called the “picnic shoulder”. I Tried different methods of cooking pork butt steaks, including taking them up to high temperatures so more of the intramuscular fat and collagen would render, but I found that taking them to 145 (like a pork chop) resulted in the best texture and flavor. 

  Step 4: Smoking & Glazing

Once the steaks hit 140-145°F, and they have rested down for around 10 minutes, it’s time to put them back in the smoker. Make sure you have an upper rack in your smoker/grill or, alternatively, you can convert your grill into an indirect heat setup. For example, by pushing the coals to one side and putting the steaks on the cold side. 

Next, add a chunk of wood to the coals to create some smoke and place the pork butt steaks on the upper rack or the cold side of the grill. Then brush or squirt them with some BBQ sauce diluted with apple cider vinegar (around 75% sauce and 25% vinegar). This “finishing glaze” will add some moisture and tang and it will help the smoke stick to the meat.

Continue cooking the pork steaks for another 10 minutes, then remove them and serve them.

Taste Test and Conclusion

The result? Absolute pork perfection. These steaks are smoky, juicy, and packed with flavor. While they don’t have the exact same texture as ribeye, all of the char and intramuscular fat marbling provides a VERY similar experience to eating a nice ribeye. Plus, at a fraction of the cost of beef steaks, they’re a no-brainer for feeding a crowd.

Expanded Techniques and Tips

Choosing the Right Wood

For the best flavor, I recommend using a seasoned hardwood that you can find in your local area. I believe in using whatever local hardwood is cheapest and most plentiful in your region. 

Serving Suggestions

Pork butt steaks are fantastic on their own, but they also shine with sides like:

• Grilled asparagus with garlic butter
• Smoked mac and cheese
• Creamy coleslaw with apple cider vinegar dressing

Sous Viding

To make these pork butt steaks even more tender, you could sous vide them as a first step for 4 hours at 131 degrees. Then remove them from the bag, season them and sear them up to 145 degrees.

Trust me, once you try pork butt steaks, they might just become your new go-to BBQ favorite. Let me know if you give this a shot—I’d love to hear how they stack up against your favorite beef steak. Until next time, happy smokin!