Pork steaks are already packed with flavor, but when you get your hands on some extra-thick cuts, you can take them to another level. These Extra Thick Smoked Pork Steaks are seasoned with two layers of flavor, smoked until the bark sets, wrapped and braised until tender, then glazed and put back on the pit until they’re sticky and tacky.

The trick to this cook is simple: treat these pork steaks like ribs. We’re going to build bark first, wrap them to get tender, then finish them with a sweet and spicy BBQ glaze. By the time they come off the smoker, they’re tender enough to pull apart with your hands but still loaded with the bark and crust you want from good BBQ.

Extra Thick Smoked Pork Steaks | Heath Riles BBQ

For this cook, I’m working with some serious pork steaks that are about 1¾ inches thick. A piece of meat this big can handle plenty of seasoning, so we’re layering on Heath Riles BBQ Garlic Jalapeño Rub and Heath Riles BBQ Honey Chipotle Rub.

That combination gives us the classic BBQ flavor we’re looking for with some savory heat in the background. Garlic Jalapeño Rub brings savory garlic and jalapeño heat, making it a great fit for pork.

We’re cooking these on the Smokin Brothers Premier Vertical at 300°F with Royal Oak Hickory Blended Charcoal Pellets. The first stage is all about smoke, bark, and color before we wrap the pork steaks and start getting them tender.

Why This Recipe Works

The biggest difference between these pork steaks and a thinner cut is that we have enough meat to use a longer BBQ-style cooking process. Instead of grilling them quickly and serving them with a steak-like texture, we can smoke, wrap, and braise them until they become incredibly tender.

That's why we're treating them like ribs.

The first couple of hours on the smoker allow the seasoning to set and build a flavorful bark. After almost two hours, the pork steaks in the video had developed a beautiful color, the seasoning couldn't be wiped off, and the internal temperature was around 160°F. Those are the signs we're looking for before wrapping.

The wrap changes the cooking environment. Instead of continuing to dry-cook the outside, the pork steaks braise with a mixture of Heath Riles BBQ Competition BBQ Sauce and Cherry Apple Habanero Glaze. After another 1½ hours, they're tender enough to pull apart, but we still have one more step: glazing them and setting that sauce back on the smoker.

The Ingredients

Extra-Thick Pork Steaks. The pork steaks used in this cook are about 1¾ inches thick. That extra thickness is important because we're putting them through a longer smoke-and-braise process.
Heath Riles BBQ Garlic Jalapeño Rub . This provides the savory side of the seasoning combination with garlic and jalapeño heat.
Heath Riles BBQ Honey Chipotle Rub . Layer this with the Garlic Jalapeño Rub to build that sweet, smoky, slightly spicy BBQ flavor.
Heath Riles BBQ Competition BBQ Sauce . Competition Sauce forms the base of the mixture used during the wrap and again for the final glaze.
Heath Riles BBQ Cherry Apple Habanero Glaze . Mix this with the Competition BBQ Sauce to add another layer of sweet heat. During the cook, Heath starts with roughly half a bottle of Competition Sauce and adds about three tablespoons of glaze to the mixture.

Smoker Setup

Fire up the Smokin Brothers Premier Vertical and set it to 300°F. For the smoke, we're using Royal Oak Hickory Blended Charcoal Pellets.

The pork steaks in the video had been sitting out for about an hour before seasoning. Once they're seasoned, get them onto the smoker and close the door so they can start taking on smoke and building bark.

Plan on roughly two hours for the first stage, but don't cook strictly by the clock. You're looking for good color, set seasoning, and an internal temperature around 160°F before moving on to the wrap.

The Process

Season the Pork Steaks

Start by seasoning the pork steaks with a medium coat of Heath Riles BBQ Garlic Jalapeño Rub, followed by Honey Chipotle Rub. These are thick pieces of meat, so don't be afraid to give them enough seasoning to build a good bark. Make sure you get coverage across the surface before transferring them to the smoker.

Smoke and Build the Bark

Place the seasoned pork steaks on the Smokin Brothers Premier Vertical at 300°F and let them smoke for about two hours. In the video, they smoked for a little over two hours—roughly 2 hours and 10 minutes—before wrapping. You're looking for a deep BBQ color and a bark that's firmly set. The pork steaks were also running around 160°F internally at this stage, which you can check with a Thermapen ONE.

Make the Sauce and Glaze Mixture

While the pork steaks are ready to wrap, combine about half a bottle of Heath Riles BBQ Competition BBQ Sauce with approximately three tablespoons of Heath Riles BBQ Cherry Apple Habanero Glaze. This mixture is going into the wrap to help braise the pork, and we'll use more of it later to glaze the outside.

Wrap and Braise

Lay out Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil and double it up for each pork steak. Add some of the Competition Sauce and Cherry Apple Habanero Glaze mixture, then wrap each steak tightly. Heath estimates using about ¼ cup of the sauce mixture per pork steak in his recap. Return the wrapped pork steaks to the 300°F smoker and let them braise for about 1½ hours.

Cook Until Tender

After the first hour in the wrap, start checking the pork steaks for tenderness. At that point, the steaks in the video were done enough to cut with a steak knife, but Heath wanted them even more tender, so they went another 30 minutes. Don't rely solely on internal temperature here. The pork may be somewhere around 190–200°F, but tenderness is the real indicator. You want the meat soft enough that it can easily pull apart rather than having a firmer steak-like texture.

Rest, Glaze, and Set the Sauce

Remove the pork steaks from the wrap and let them rest for about 30 minutes. Then gently brush them with more of the Competition Sauce and Cherry Apple Habanero Glaze mixture using a Heath Riles BBQ Silicone Basting Brush. These steaks will be extremely tender at this point, so handle them carefully with Heat Gloves. Put the glazed pork steaks back onto the smoker for about 8–10 minutes, just long enough for that sauce to tack up and give the outside a beautiful candy-apple finish.

The Results

These Extra Thick Smoked Pork Steaks come off the smoker with everything you want from a good piece of BBQ: plenty of bark, a sticky glaze, sweet and savory flavor, and meat that’s incredibly tender.

Treating the pork steaks like ribs is what makes the difference. Instead of pulling them once they reach a traditional pork steak texture, we keep cooking until they’re tender enough to practically fall off the bone. Heath demonstrates just how tender they are by pulling a piece away with his hands.

The seasoning and sauce combination brings plenty of flavor, too. Garlic Jalapeño and Honey Chipotle Rubs build the bark, while Competition BBQ Sauce and Cherry Apple Habanero Glaze give the outside that sweet, sticky finish. Once the final glaze tacks up, the pork steaks develop the beautiful candy-apple color we’re looking for.

You can serve these whole like a steak, but they’re tender enough to pull apart and pile onto a sandwich. Either way, you’re getting bark, crust, and plenty of BBQ flavor in every bite.

Perfect Pairings

Classic Southern Potato Salad – You can’t go wrong with pork and potato salad. The cool, creamy potatoes provide a classic contrast to the sticky, sweet, and spicy flavors on these pork steaks.
Maple Honey BBQ Baked Beans – Put a scoop of baked beans alongside these pork steaks for a hearty BBQ plate. Their sweet flavor fits right in with the Competition Sauce and Cherry Apple Habanero Glaze on the pork.
Smoked Bacon Mac and Cheese – If you’re looking for something rich and cheesy, smoked mac and cheese is hard to beat. The creamy pasta and smoky bacon make it a great side for these tender pork steaks.
Easy Classic Coleslaw – Coleslaw adds a cool, crisp element to the plate that helps balance the rich pork and sticky BBQ glaze. It’s also a great option if you decide to pull the pork steak meat and turn it into sandwiches.
Honey Hot Jalapeño Cornbread – Keep that sweet-heat theme going with a slice of jalapeño cornbread. The honey and jalapeño flavors work especially well with the Honey Chipotle Rub and Cherry Apple Habanero Glaze used on the pork.

Storing Leftovers

If you have leftover pork steaks, let them cool and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Keep some extra Competition BBQ Sauce and Cherry Apple Habanero Glaze mixture on hand if possible so you can add a little moisture when reheating.

For the best results, reheat the pork slowly and covered so you don’t dry it out. Since these steaks have already been cooked until extremely tender, you only need to warm them through.

You can also pull the leftover meat from the bone and use it for sandwiches. Heath specifically points out that these pork steaks can be mashed or pulled up and piled onto a sandwich, making leftovers easy to turn into another meal.

Tips for the Best Smoked Pork Steaks

Start with thick pork steaks. The steaks in this recipe are about 1¾ inches thick. That gives you enough meat to handle the longer smoke, wrap, and braise without treating them like a quick-cooking pork chop.
Let the bark tell you when to wrap. Around two hours is a good guideline, but color and bark matter more than the clock. Heath looks for beautiful color and seasoning that won’t wipe off before wrapping. His pork steaks were around 160°F at that point.
Cook for tenderness. Don’t get too focused on hitting one exact internal temperature during the wrapped stage. Heath estimates the pork steaks were approaching 190–200°F, but he continued cooking because he wanted them more tender.
Handle them carefully. Once the pork steaks have braised for 1½ hours, they’re extremely tender. Move them gently when glazing so they stay intact.
Don’t skip the final glaze. Those last 8–10 minutes aren’t about cooking the pork further. They give the Competition Sauce and Cherry Apple Habanero Glaze time to tack up and create that sticky exterior.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve only ever cooked pork steaks hot and fast, this method is worth trying. These Extra Thick Smoked Pork Steaks take a little more time, but the process is straightforward: season them, smoke them, wrap them, get them tender, and finish them with a sticky glaze.

The combination of Heath Riles BBQ Garlic Jalapeño Rub and Honey Chipotle Rub builds a flavorful bark with some heat in the background. Then Competition BBQ Sauce and Cherry Apple Habanero Glaze take them over the top with that sticky, sweet-and-spicy finish.

The end result is a pork steak that gives you the bark and crust you love on pulled pork and ribs while staying tender enough to pull apart by hand.

Serve one whole with a plate full of sides or pull the meat and turn it into a BBQ sandwich. Either way, this is one easy pork steak recipe that delivers some serious BBQ flavor.