The Best Temperature For Cooking Juicy Pork Steaks In The Oven Every Time

A pork steak might not be cooked as commonly as pork chop or pork tenderloin, but it's certainly worth your while. It typically made with pork shoulder, and it's thick-cut and shaped similarly to beef steak. You want pork steaks to reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit — the same internal temperature as pork chops — before eating. You can bake pork steaks in the oven, and for the best results, set it to a temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

The actual cook time will vary depending on the thickness of the steaks and whether you cover them with aluminum foil or give them direct access to heat. For thinner, uncovered steaks, they might only need around 25 minutes at this temperature. But thicker steaks in a dish covered with aluminum foil could take closer to an hour. Ultimately, the cooking technique you use is up to you, and you might have to grab a meat thermometer to get an accurate temperature measurement and ensure you're neither under- nor over-cooking the meat.

One common method for pork steaks is covering them with aluminum foil as they cook. This protects the steaks from the oven's dry, direct heat and helps them retain their moisture. Another option is to cook the steaks in a marinade, although keep in mind that you won't get any sort of crispy exterior if you use the aluminum foil or marinade methods.

If you want a crispy exterior on the pork steaks while maintaining that tender, juicy inside, then the best method is to reverse sear the pork steaks. Cook them in the oven first, then when they're close to being done, sear them in a pan to finish the cooking process while also adding texture by crisping the outside.

Reverse searing is a common move for pork chops and for cooking pork tenderloin, and the method will work the same for pork steaks. It requires a lower oven temperature: 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook the pork steaks in the oven until their internal temperature reaches around 110 degrees Fahrenheit, then let them finish in a pan. (The pork will continue heating internally in the pan and should still reach 145 degrees Fahrenheit internally before you eat it.) The best part is that pork steaks are fattier than pork chops, so they're less likely than pork chops to dry out when using this method.