Forget Beef: The Delicious Pork Cut That Can Be Cheaper Than Ribeye

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We're always down for a steak, but as much as we love ribeye, not every household budget will stretch to it. Buying cheaper can be a lottery – the affordable bottom round cut can be one to avoid — but there is a tender, juicy cut that might not empty your pocketbook. However, it's not beef; it's coppa pork. Also known as pork collar, gabagool, or capocollo, this upper shoulder cut offers not one muscle, but three, which are marbled with fat, similar to ribeye.

Many of the marinades used to give steak more flavor can work on coppa pork, too, and the protein can be cooked much the same as its beef counterpart. A quick sear in a skillet or under a broiler gives it a delicious char, or you can cook it slower in the oven or smoker to allow the fat to render out. What makes this cut even more tempting is its cost compared to ribeye. 

Prices vary, but as of writing, a twin pack of Angus beef ribeye steaks from Walmart costs $19.97 per pound, while Sam's Club is a little cheaper at $18.98 per pound. In contrast, a pack of two coppa pork steaks from Kroger, equalling a pound of meat, was priced at $4.29 per pound, down from $5.99 at the time of writing. We couldn't find online prices for other major grocery chains, but Olivier's Butchery had two coppa pork steaks, weighing up to 1.1 pounds, for around $9.89, while a 14-ounce steak costs roughly $18.00 (reduced from $27 at the time of writing) at Territory Trading Co.

Could coppa pork ever replace ribeye in our hearts? It's entirely possible, in our opinion, as it ticks all the boxes for versatility, flavor, and price. While food fashions come and go — just consider the once high-class reputation of celery – we think coppa pork steaks remain an "if you know, you know," cut of meat among consumers, despite an ongoing push to get them on more people's plates.

That might change a coppa gets more attention, however. In April 2024, Walmart had coppa-style pork steaks on promotion in outlets across Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri, leading to an 8.73% uptick in sales (per Pork Business). Later, pork coppa was even showcased at the 2026 World Pork Expo. 

Many home cooks who see the word "coppa" would immediately think of the charcuterie cut of cappicola, and they'd be right. The cured meat comes from the same part of the animal. If you don't want to pick up a whole cut from Costco, coppa pork is a relatively fast one to try curing at home. If you can't find the steaks at your local supermarket, swing by your local butcher and ask for them to be carved out from a boneless Boston butt. Getting them sliced by the butcher may even save you a dollar or two.