Pork Steak Recipe

This is the best pork steak recipe in Instant Pot, faster than Pork Steaks in the Oven with light seasonings, no breading with a thick gravy on top. There are a ton of possibilities with this cut of meat.

What cut of meat is a pork steak? These are cuts of that come from the shoulder of the pig (specifically the upper portion of the shoulder, near the neck). This area is also where Boston butt or pork shoulder roast comes from. They are also called blade steaks or Boston butt steaks are. Let’s get into how to cook them perfectly.

If you are unfamiliar with this cut you are in for a treat! The texture to me is closet to Thin Pork Chops but larger and nicely marbled. With a bit of added fat you get super moist bites that are delicious with gravy or just lightly seasoned. I will share a few cooking methods with you below.

You can pound them out like tender Pork Cube Steak to make them even more tender. In this case I did not bread the outsides but that is possible if pan fried. In the recipe card I will share my most preferred way of cooking these, under high pressure in an Instant Pot so they melt-in-your-mouth!

Ingredient Notes

You want some Olive oil, vegetable or avocado oil is needed for the first step to sear the pork both sides. The reason we do this is to lock in the moisture for a more tender result.

2-3 pounds pork steak is a good amount to fit without overlapping a lot in your pot.

Dry Italian seasoning or herbs de provence are great seasonings to use beyond just salt and pepper. Use your favorite flavors to season the outsides.

Add some diced onions add texture and flavor, I use white or yellow but could be omitted if they aren’t your favorite.

Use minced garlic from fresh cloves or jarred adds a lot of flavor and highly recommended.

Beef broth is better than water especially if you are going to make gravy with the drippings at the end

How to Season

I mean the choices to season the pork as far as this goes on and on. You can start with salt and black pepper or jump to recipe and use what is listed in the recipe card below. We have just sprinkled on a bit of this and that at times. Others we have wanted a bolder choice so I use our dry rub for pork chops instead.

How to Thicken the Gravy

You will want to whisk together some cornstarch, + 2 tbsp cool water if you want to thicken the drippings into a thicker gravy. You can do this with meat removed and set to saute. Arrowroot is a gluten free substitute.

How Long to Cook Pork Steaks in Instant Pot

It takes 6 minutes under high pressure to cook but there are other factors to take into account for the total cook time. It will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure as well as it is necessary to naturally release the steam when done for 10 minutes so factor in about 30 minutes start to finish.

How Long to Cook Frozen Pork Steaks

If you are Cooking Frozen Pork I would refer to this post for accurate temperature and timing depending on how you want to cook them. It isn’t ideal to start from rock hard however if done right you can still get a great texture to them.

At what temperature are pork steaks tender?

Pork steaks should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 145°F or 63°C followed by a 3-minute rest, according to USDA guidelines. This results in juicy, slightly pink pork. With that said some prefer them more “well done” and we don’t judge. 😉 To achieve the perfect texture for your family refer to this guide;

Ideal Internal Temperature

145°F (63°C) will get them to a nice and tender, juicy, with slight pink in the center. This is what you will get with the directions below. In order to achieve that the natural release of 10 minutes is important to get it perfect so don’t skip that step.

• 160°F (71°C) more firm, less juicy, fully opaque
• 180°F+ (82°C): Fall-apart tender if braised or slow-cooked (ideal for BBQ-style pork steaks). If you’re slow-cooking or braising, going to 190–200°F (88–93°C) will break down the collagen and give you that shreddable, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Below we will share cooking in the Instant Pot, which we love. Why?? Because cooking meat with high pressure and a natural release in the end to lock in those juices is the best. NO heating up the whole house and I always get the moistest bites of these or pork shoulder steak this way.

Should you marinate? That is another step you could do for a few hours before, or overnight even. You have to be careful about how much salt is in it if you use the sauce below. It is often a great idea though, especially for cuts like these, chops, tenderloin, or shoulder to help tenderize it even more.

How to save leftovers

Often times I don’t guess right and there are only a few of us at home so we have pieces left over. You always want to allow food to cool to room temperature before packaging up into a freezer bag (without air) or in an airtight container. Keep as much sauce with them as possible to keep moist. In the fridge it will stay for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.

Reheat with the gravy in a pan and a lid over medium heat for a few minutes, the best way. In the microwave it will dry out a bit but in a bowl with a damp paper towel over the top will help with that.

With that said I have a lot of Leftover Pork Recipes to choose from too. It is super versatile if you don’t have a lot of sauce left on them but either way I use it all because I hate wasting food. Our go to is dicing and throwing into fried rice or chili for added meat.

Air Fryer Method

If you prefer to cook Pork Steak in Air Fryer I have steps for that too. With this method you won’t really get drippings so gravy would need to be made separately. However if you like a crispy outside I would suggest this method lightly seasoned.

Pork Steak in a Smoker

Smoked Pork Steaks are fantastic too, but take quite a while. For this one, once again you won’t get the sauce all together. These are best with a dry rub and I do agree the wood chips or pellets give them a wonderful flavor.

Slow Cooker Directions

If you wanted to try it this way you could follow our Crockpot Steak instructions. I will admit, this is not as good texture-wise as our directions below however you can cook potatoes with them at the same time which is nice. AND you can thicken the liquid at the bottom in this case.

Pan Fried

If you wanted to cook these in a cast iron skillet that would work too. You would just add the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat to sear your pieces to begin and then either add your sauce to simmer with the meat or leave just lightly seasoned until 145F.