Pork Steak — What You Cook When You Need the Ground Under Your Feet

The results came back. Chronic bronchitis. Not black lung — not the official diagnosis that carries Earl's death and a hundred thousand miners' deaths — but chronic bronchitis likely related to occupational dust exposure. The coal dust I breathed for twenty years didn't kill me but it didn't leave me alone. It stayed. It's the reason the cough won't quit and mornings are hard and winters are harder.

The doctor said it's manageable. Inhalers. Avoiding triggers — cold air, dust, smoke, which is ironic because I cook over fire and smoke is my medium. He said exercise helps, the walking is good, consider pulmonary rehabilitation. I sat in his office and thought about how absurd it is that a man needs to be taught to breathe, but then I thought about how absurd it is that a man would breathe coal dust for twenty years and expect his lungs to be fine.

Told only Connie, who was in the room. She wrote everything down in a notebook she brought for this purpose, because Connie prepares for medical appointments the way generals prepare for war. On the drive home she said it could be worse. I said I know. She said it's not black lung. I said I know. She said your daddy had black lung and this is not that. I said I know, Connie. She said then breathe. I said I'm trying. She said try harder.

Made soup beans when we got home. Not Monday — Thursday — but soup beans don't know about bronchitis. They just cook and soften and give their starch to the broth and become something warm and present. Present is what I need to be. Not my father. Not yet.

Sat on the porch with one bourbon. Breathed the cold air carefully, the way the doctor said. The air was cold and sharp and alive, and my lungs took it in and gave it back, and that exchange — inhale, exhale, proof of living — was everything. More than Earl had at the end. I will not waste it. I will not waste a single breath.

I made soup beans that Thursday — they were already on my mind before we even pulled out of the parking lot — but pork steak is the other dish I turn to when I need something that doesn’t ask anything of me. You season it, you sear it, you let the heat do what heat does. It’s the kind of cooking that requires just enough attention to keep your hands busy and just little enough thought to let the rest of you breathe. That’s what I needed after we got home: something to cook, something to eat, and proof that the evening could still be ordinary.

Pork Steak

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 50 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in pork blade steaks (about 3/4 inch thick, 6–8 oz each)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
• 3/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/2 cup water

Instructions

1. Season the steaks. Pat pork steaks dry with paper towels. Mix together salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika. Rub the seasoning evenly over both sides of each steak.
2. Sear over high heat. Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet or heavy oven-safe pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sear the pork steaks two at a time, about 3 minutes per side, until a dark crust forms. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining steaks.
3. Soften the onion. Reduce heat to medium. Add sliced onion to the same pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5–6 minutes until softened and beginning to brown. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
4. Build the braise. Preheat oven to 325°F. Return all pork steaks to the pan, nestling them into the onions. Whisk together the barbecue sauce and water, then pour over the steaks. The liquid should come about halfway up the sides of the meat.
5. Braise until tender. Cover the pan tightly with a lid or foil and transfer to the oven. Braise for 35–40 minutes, until the pork is fork-tender and the sauce has thickened slightly around the edges.
6. Rest and serve. Remove from the oven and let rest, covered, for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon the pan sauce and onions over the steaks. Serve with white beans, mashed potatoes, or cornbread.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 390 | Protein: 33g | Fat: 21g | Carbs: 14g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 610mg