ISO help/tips cooking pork shoulder steaks

[dumbfounded]

I have these pork shoulder steaks. They are about 13 inches long and 1 inch thick. I don't own a grill. Can I cook in the oven? What other ingrediants in the aluminum foil, and for how long? what temperature? I bought these by mistake and don't want them to be tough.

 

[Alix]

You got a frying pan? Or a wok? And I'm not sure what you would put in a foil package. You could likely do a lot of veggies or potatoes etc.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Any brazing recipe would make them tender and tasty...In the oven, on the stove, crock pot, in foil etc...My first choice would be -- Cut into serving size pieces...season and brown...make a brown (paper bag) roux -- Add chopped onion, pepper, and celery to the roux for 10 minutes or so...Add chicken stock to make a gravy...season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne, thyme etc...add the pork steaks back into the gravy and slowly simmer until fork tender...Serve with rice or mashed potatoes....

Enjoy!

 

[dumbfounded]

novice cook

thanks Uncle Bob. It sounds delicious. I hate to ask this, but what is a brown (paper bag) roux?

 

[Uncle Bob]

thanks Uncle Bob. It sounds delicious. I hate to ask this, but what is a brown (paper bag) roux?

I'm sorry....A roux cooked to the color of a brown paper bag...or maybe peanut butter if you prefer!

 

[dumbfounded]

novice cook

Thanks Uncle Bob. I hate to take up more of your time, but I really am a novice cook. Could you please tell me what a roux is, and how to make it. Your recipe sounds delicious, and I really would like to try it.

 

[Uncle Bob]

In simplest of terms a roux is a mixture of flour and a fat that is slowly cooked over low heat. It is used to thicken soups, sauces, gravies etc. Light colors of roux...white, blonde etc are normally made with butter while the darker ones are made with oils, canola, peanut or bacon or beef drippings etc...The darker the roux the less it will thicken....So black Cajun roux has almost no ability to thicken, but has it's own unique flavor....

To start...a cast iron skillet is a big plus, but a heavy SS skillet will work too! Start with a 1 to 1 ratio of flour to oil...1 Cup flour to 1 Cup fat (oil)....As you gain experience you can decrease the amount of oil so that your roux is more about browned flour (flavor) than oil...I routinely use around 1 Cup flour to 1/2 Cup oil. --- Heat the oil to a medium temperature...stir in the flour. Stir constantly until the flour is browned to the desired color...Keep the heat very low to prevent burning...Don't get this stuff on you...In some circles it is called "Cajun Napalm"...It will burn you severely!!!

Enjoy!

 

[dumbfounded]

novice cook

Thank you. I think I've got it now. I'll try this tomorrow night, I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Uncle Bob]

You're Welcome....Let me know how you like it!

Enjoy!

 

[Uncle Bob]

I just wanted to add so there is no confusion...The 1 Cup to 1 Cup ratio is just an example...That's a lot of roux...You may need a lot less to cook the pork steaks you have...depending on how many people you plan to serve...etc. You may want to go with less...say 1/3 Cup to 1/3 Cup -- To much gravy is better than not enough however..

Fun.......

 

[Michael in FtW]

Yeah - assuming I'm on the same page as Uncle Bob ... the "pepper" you add with the onion and celery is a green bell pepper. In Cajun/Creole cooking this is called the trinity (not the holy trinity as some people want to calll it - it's just the trinity).

I agree with UB - better to have too much gravy than not enough - you really want to have enough to serve over your rice. I would definately go with rice rather than mashed potatoes. It is such a classic combo with smotherd pork steak made this way.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Same Page my friend...Green bell pepper it is...Rice is always my first choice too....

 

[dumbfounded]

novice cook

thanks again, Uncle Bob. I'll let you know how I do.

 

[Uncle Bob]

One more tip....Don't be surprised if toward the end of cooking you see a lot of fat (oil) on the surface...This is to be expected somewhat due to the oil (fat) in the roux and the fat rendering out of the pork steaks...Just skim it off with a spoon to remove as much as possible...Make sure you trim the pork steaks of any fat you see on the edges before you start...This will help a lot....

Have Fun and Enjoy!

 

[dumbfounded]

novice cook

Uncle Bob, the pork shoulder steaks were a big hit. It sure helped having a master chef in my corner. Thanks for the step by step instructions. All your help was definitly appreciated.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Congratulations!!! You did a great job!!! Bravo!!!