If you’re a native of or around Saint Louis, Missouri, you’re lucky enough to know what a barbecue pork steak is. The rest of the country is saying, “hey, what are you talking about?” Well, real quick, a grilled pork steak doesn’t really grill. Now, before the people of St. Louis go crazy, let me explain. Real barbecue is done with smokers, indirect heat, hickory or oak or other hardwood, takes a long time, hours, and makes great pork shoulder, ribs, brisket and chicken. A pork tenderloin can be cooked this way in a barbecue smoker, but it is not necessary. Most people here in St. Louis will use a direct heat Weber Kettle grill or a propane gas grill. So, BBQ Pork Tenderloins are actually, technically speaking, grilled pork with barbecue sauce applied.
How to cook a pork fillet: five easy steps.
1. Get the meat. In St. Louis, that’s easy. Go to your grocery store, or neighborhood butcher shop, go to the butcher shop, pick up the ones that are on sale, pay for them and take them home. If you don’t live in or around St. Louis, this might be a little more difficult. Most other areas of the country don’t have pre-cut, packaged pork steaks waiting to be picked up at the meat cooler. They will have a ton of pork chops, pork shoulder, pork roast, pork ribs, etc. You may be tempted to substitute pork chops. You could, if you want to grill pork chops, which are great by the way, but it’s not the same. You should ask the butcher to cut them to size. I may have to tell you how to do it. Tell him to take a Boston Butt (he’ll know what he’s talking about. If he doesn’t, get a different butcher), and cut it into half-inch to three-quarter-inch steaks. If he doesn’t do this for you, he gets a better butcher. He will need about a steak per person and an extra one or two for large ones.
2. Rub your meat. Steaks should be seasoned before cooking with a spice mix known as barbecue sauce. Many books and e-books will have recipes for spice rubs. If you don’t want to use a barbecue seasoning, use salt and pepper. Be generous. Rub it all over the steaks.
3. Grill the meat. Grill the meat over direct heat, be it charcoal, gas, wood, whatever you have available. Keep the flame low, a cool grill works best. Cover with lid and flip every ten minutes or so. Cook for about 35-40 minutes.
4. Put barbecue sauce on the meat. The last ten minutes or so, generously spread barbecue sauce over the pork steaks. Use the sauce you prefer. In Saint Louis, most people prefer a local favorite, Mauls. Many people also dilute the sauce a bit with beer. they use the local favorite, Budweiser, of course, for this step. Beer isn’t necessary, but some people use it to make their pork steaks taste better.
5. Serve the pork tenderloins. The pork fillets are served with whatever side dishes you wish to accompany. St. Louis favorites are yellow potato salad, coleslaw, corn on the cob, and baked beans. At least those are my favorites, and I’m from St. Louis, so that must be everyone’s favorite. Generally, one pork fillet per person, eaten with a knife and fork. However, they also make good sandwiches.
There you have it, pork tenderloins, what they are and how to cook them.
