The Rev. EJ's Pork Steak Po'Boy Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Author Notes

This sandwich is an homage of sorts to my late father-in-law, who if you were lucky enough to know, was one of the funniest and fun loving people around. He was not a reverend but all his friends called him" the rev" because once at a wedding he was mistaken for a man of the cloth. My in-laws lived in a lake house and liked to entertain, to put it mildly, and more often than not Boston butts with this rub were thrown on the grill for anyone who showed up. My understanding is that the rub for these came from somewhere in Danville, Indiana in the late 60's early 70's and I am guessing it was a Kiwanis fund raiser type event but can't say for sure. I used fresh spices and ground them but you by all means can use pre-ground. I think the rub smells like a good gin and tonic but once it gets grilled it becomes more Caribbean and takes on a jerk appeal. I decided to make a po'boy because the crusty bread just does the steak justice. I also decided to brine them to keep them juicy. If you were at the lake house and depending on if the grill operator was drinking and might have been grossly over served, these might be just cooked and slightly crispy or blackened and really crispy. The latitude of doneness is why I have brined them so they stay juicy. You could also sear these in a saute pan if a grill is not available. Serve with sweet potato or plantain chips and bread and butter pickles, preferably home made. It is important to keep the steaks cut thin, no more than a half inch, otherwise the brown sugar in the rub will burn before the steak finishes cooking. Icy cold Dixie beer is a really good pairing too. - thirschfeld —thirschfeld

Test Kitchen Notes

I was tickled to find that this is basically an all-American banh mi. It shares the ex-pat French bread (or local interpretation thereof); substitutes bread-and-butter pickles for carrots and daikon; and adds a down-home rub on the pork. I sliced the steaks into thin strips after grilling, as the prospect of biting into the whole steak was daunting. Verdict? Easy-peasy to cook, and absolutely delicious. The bite of the pickles offsets the sweet, fatty crust on the steaks. The creole mustard kicks up the heat while the romaine cools things back down. I would absolutely make again, and highly recommend. - BadgerBakery
—The Editors

What You'll Need

Ingredients

• For the rub:
• 1 cupdark brown sugar
  
• ¹/₄ cupkosher salt
  
• 4 tablespoonsfresh ground black pepper
  
• 2 tablespoonscelery seed
  
• 2 tablespoonsonion powder
  
• 2 tablespoonsmustard seeds
  
• 2 tablespoonsall-spice
  
• 2 tablespoonsdark chile powder
  
• 2 teaspoonscayenne
  

• For the sandwich:
• 4 to 8 Boneless Boston Butt Steaks cut no more than a 1/2 inch thick
  
• ¹/₂ cupkosher salt, if you use table salt use a 1/3 of a cup
  
• ¹/₄ cupdark brown sugar
  
• 32 ouncesice water, cubes still in it
  
• 32 ouncesreally hot tap water
  
• 2 loaves of crusty, airy French bread
  
• 1 head of roasted garlic, roasted till tender
  
• 1 tablespooncreole mustard of your choice
  
• ¹/₂ cupmayonnaise
  
• kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
  
• bread and butter pickles
  
• 4 cupsshredded romaine
  
• unsalted butter, softened