Smokehouse sauce-less BBQ pork steak/Gin Lee

Smokehouse sauce-less BBQ pork steak

Can a dry marinade rub offer more flavor than a wet barbeque sauce? Whether you believe that barbecue should be made with or without sauce is definitely a personal preference. I happen to be a fan of grilling, smoking, and barbecuing both sauce-less and with BBQ sauce. Today, I smoked pork steak sauce-less, packed with a delicious smokehouse flavor and it totally didn't need barbecue sauce to mask the taste.

Getting the grill ready/Gin Lee

So, if you think that you need an expensive smoker to smoke meat, think again. Yes, I own a smoker, although I didn't use it today. Instead, I wanted to make this recipe to prove that, even without using a smoker, you can still smoke meat on almost any type of grill that has a lid.

Smokehouse sauce-less BBQ pork steak/Gin Lee

Ingredients:

• 8-10 thick sliced pork steaks with bones in (I leave the bones in the pork steaks and leave the fat on each steak as well. This keeps the meat from drying out, and renders more flavor into it.)

Ingredients for the dry rub:

• ½ teaspoon of seasoning salt
• ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon of soul seasoning
• ½ teaspoon of cumin powder
• 2-3 tablespoons of dry smokehouse mesquite seasoning (amount depends on personal preference)
• ½ teaspoon of onion powder
• ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar (optional)

Instructions for the dry rub:

In a spice bowl, add the above seasonings together. Mix well.

Note:

Paprika, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder are already added to the dry smokehouse mesquite seasoning, but I prefer adding more to tweak the dry rub to my taste.

Instructions:

First, I applied the smokehouse seasoning rub on the pork steaks, then marinated them for about an hour while I prepared the wood chips by soaking them in a pan with water for about thirty-five minutes. (You can use apple wood, mesquite, hickory, pecan, or any other kind of wood chips that you prefer.)

Transferring the pork steaks on the grill/Gin Lee

Using a regular charcoal grill, I prepared the coals by spreading them out evenly after they were lit. I allowed the grill to reach a temperature of about 225 degrees F. Then I added in the wood chips. I placed foil over the grill grate and poked holes all in it with a fork before placing the pork steaks on the grill.

I wanted the meat to get the smokehouse flavor from the smoke. Poking the holes in the foil allowed the smoke from the wood chips to come through. (The foil helps to protect the meat from cooking too fast.)

I cooked the steaks on the grill for about twenty-five minutes, with the grill grate up high and covered.

I flipped the pork steak several times throughout the grilling process and continued to smoke it by placing the lid back down. I allowed the meat to reach a temperature of 185 degrees F (in the center). If you don't have a meat thermometer, use a knife to cut into the center of the pork steaks to check for doneness. The meat should be almost a greyish-white color.

During the last few minutes, I took the foil off the grate with my long grilling tongs and placed each pork steak directly on the grill grate. (Just for added flavor and to get a bit of a char on the meat.)

Transferring the smoked/grilled pork steak in a pan and covering it with foil as the steaks got done/Gin Lee

I kept a pan close beside the grill, and as each pork steak finished cooking, I took it off the grill and covered the pan with foil.

Note:

If you want to add barbecue sauce, do so within the last minutes before they are finished smoking. I didn't add a wet sauce to mine today because I was craving that smokehouse flavor.