Step 1

Dry brine your pork steaks by sprinkling them with 1/2 tsp of kosher salt per pound of meat and refrigerating them for at least 3 hours. (This step can be skipped, but it’s a good idea to do it if you can.)

Step 2

Preheat your smoker so that it’s running between 225 and 240°F (107 and 116°C). If you have a Smoke X2 and a Billows fan, this is a great time to break them out, as we did. We set our smoker temp on the Smoke X2 to 230°F (110°C), which was just right.

Step 3

Season the pork steaks with BBQ rub, allowing it to hydrate on the pork surface for a minute on the first side before turning them over to season the second side.

Step 4

Move the steaks to the smoker. Insert a probe from the Smoke X2 into the meat of one of the steaks and set the thing-temp alarm for that probe to 185°F (85°C). Make sure the air probe from the Smoke X2 isn’t touching any of the steaks.

Step 5

Smoke the steaks, turning if you like, until they reach the desired 185°F (85°C). (About 2–3 hours.)

Step 6

When the high-temp alarm sounds, verify using your Thermapen.

Step 7

Baste the top side of each steak with BBQ sauce, then cook for 10 minutes. Flip them, baste them on the second side, and cook for a final 10 minutes.

Step 8

Note that the temperature will fall during this phase, as the added sauce will evaporate, causing cooling in the meat.

Step 9

Remove the steaks from the smoker and serve them up.