Air Fryer Pork Steak

Seasoned with a dry rub and brushed with BBQ sauce, our air fryer pork steak recipe makes a simple yet delicious 30 minute dinner. It's a Whole Lotta Yum!

These air fryer pork steaks are so good!

We're taking bone-in pork shoulder roast steaks and coating them in a sweet and savory simple rub before air frying them to perfection. Baste on your favorite BBQ sauce to get that fresh off-the-grill flavor without taking all day to slow cook.

Our tender, juicy pork steaks are made without breading, which makes them healthier, lighter, gluten-free, and low carb too.

What is a pork steak?

If this is your first time cooking pork steaks (also known as pork shoulder blade steaks), you're in for a mouth watering treat! This cut of meat comes from pork shoulder roast or pork butt which is most commonly used to make pulled pork.

But instead of being sold as an entire roast, it instead gets sliced into "steaks." Pork steaks are a fattier cut than pork tenderloin or pork chops but they are super tasty.

We love serving air fryer pork steak with the classic BBQ sides like air fryer whole baby potatoes, air fryer corn the cob, and of course, a light and simple coleslaw.

What you'll need

Get the entire ingredient list and instructions down in the recipe card, this is just an overview and extra tips.

You'll just need 3 simple ingredients for this recipe: pork steaks, a BBQ dry rub, and your favorite BBQ sauce.

• bone-in pork steaks - also known as pork shoulder blade steak. You could also use this same process for boneless pork steaks or even pork chops.
• pork rub (we almost always make our own homemade rub mix, but your favorite store bought brand is great too)
• BBQ sauce - Sweet Baby Rays is a classic, we also love G Hughes sugar free varieties.

Equipment

An Air Fryer- We used  Cosori XL basket style air fryer but any brand will work, including air fryer ovens.

How to cook pork steaks in an air fryer

An overview of the recipe includes sprinkling on the dry rub, air frying the pork steaks until they're almost done, then brushing on BBQ sauce. Finish cooking the steaks in the air fryer until they're cooked to perfection.

Step 1: If you're using our homemade dry rub for pork recipe , combine all of the rub ingredients into a small bowl. Skip this step if you're using a store-bought rub.

Step 2: Preheat the air fryer to 360 F for 5 minutes. Prep the pork steaks by cutting off any large pieces of fat. Blot them dry with paper towels.

Step 3: Sprinkle the rub on both sides of the steak and add it to the air fryer. Only one pork steak could fit in the air fryer, it was 5" wide at the widest part and about 1" thick. You might be able to cook 2 at once if you have smaller steaks or a larger air fryer (a Cosori 5.8 QT was used for recipe testing).

Step 4: Air fry at 360 F for 9-10 minutes (our steak was at 141 F at this point).

Step 5: Brush both sides with BBQ sauce and air fry for 1-2 more minutes until internal temp reaches 145 F when checked in the thickest part of the meat with a digital meat thermometer, or the pork is done to your liking.

Let the pork rest for 3 minutes before serving. We love serving these with the classic BBQ side dishes like coleslaw, baked beans, corn, or roasted potatoes.

Add more BBQ sauce on the side for people who like their pork extra saucy! Enjoy!

According to the USDA, pork steak is considered done once it reaches an internal temperature of 145 F. This will give you juicy tender pork cooked to medium rare temperature.

If you prefer medium, you can cook them to 150 F, 155 F for medium well, and 160 F for well done pork steak.

Recipe notes

• Remove the pork from the fridge 20-30 minutes before cooking to start bringing it to room temperature. This helps the pork to cook evenly. If you skip this step, the pork steak could take longer to cook.
• The size of our pork steak was 1" thick and 5" wide at the widest point, plus had the bone-in. If your grocery store sells them boneless or cuts them in half, you can still use this cooking method, the pork will just take less time to cook.
• For best results, check your pork for doneness using a digital meat thermometer.
• Allow your pork to rest for 3 minutes prior to serving.

Recipe variations

• Instead of cooking them in barbecue sauce, you can skip that and just make them with our sweet and savory dry rub.
• Make a citrus marinade like we did with turkey tenders and season the meat with a garlic herb mix.
• Use your favorite Asian BBQ sauce like we did with our Asian BBQ beef ribs or a Korean BBQ sauce instead of the classic American style.
• Make a honey mustard glaze or a maple Bourbon sauce.

How do you cook them without drying them out?

The best way to cook the pork without drying it out is to use a digital meat thermometer and only air fry them until they reach an internal temperature of 145 F.

While marinating pork steak isn’t required, another way to keep meat from drying out is to marinate it before cooking like we did in our pork steak marinade recipe.

Serving ideas

We suggest the classic barbecue sides!

• Air fryer whole baby potatoes
• Air fryer corn on the cob
• Healthy coleslaw
• Creamy baked mac and cheese

More pork steak recipes

• Mushroom pork shoulder steak in cream sauce
• Baked pork steaks
• How to cook pork steaks
• Pork steak sides

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