How to Air Fry Pork Shoulder Steaks

It’s surprisingly quick to Air Fry Pork Shoulder Steaks and they make for a delicious and meaty addition to a meal. Don’t overlook this great value cut that’s moist, delicious and seriously versatile.

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I feel like pork shoulder steaks are quite often looked down on in favour of their close cousins pork chops, loin steaks and pork medallions. I think part of this is because people assume that they need low and slow cooking but they really don’t.

Shoulder steaks are seriously flavourful, usually contain the perfect amount of marbled fat and can be cooked nice and quickly. Like any of the pork cuts that I regularly air fry, they’re super versatile and can be flavoured, marinated or glazed however you please. And they are usually one of the most economical options too.

Although I’ve been cooking shoulder steaks for years, its only more recently that I’ve started air frying them. I find that by air frying, they get a really nice and even cook around the outside whilst staying lovely and tender in the middle. Unless I’m outside and hitting the BBQ or slicing to use in something like a stir fry, this is pretty much the only way I cook them now.

How to Serve

All cuts of pork are super versatile and shoulder steaks are no different. I use them pretty interchangeably with chops and loin steaks.

For the images on this page I served with veggie fries from the freezer, a portion of my salt & chilli edamame beans, a rocket and watercress salad, fresh vine tomatoes and bbq sauce.

Here are some other ideas how to serve:

• Glaze with store-bought or homemade satay sauce and serve sliced in steamed bao buns with heaps of thinly sliced spring onion/scallion.
• Keep things light and summery with green coriander rice, beautifully smooth hummus and griddled courgettes/zucchini.
• Serve as a mini weeknight roast dinner with vichy carrots, roasted sweet potatoes and yorkshire puddings. Don’t forget the gravy!

Ingredients to Air Fry Pork Shoulder Steaks

Pork Shoulder Steaks

Pork shoulder is a pretty common roasting joint in the UK and easily available. But unlike with belly pork or loin steaks, I wouldn’t really suggest buying a larger piece and cutting it down yourself. This is just because of how they’re cut and sometimes tied – nice even steaks are sticky to cut.

But shoulder steaks are readily available in any supermarket or butcher so there is no difficulty in obtaining them.

Even though pork shoulder roasts are called “pork butts” in the US, I have found that the steaks do seem to be available and simple called pork shoulder so that keeps things nice and simple for a change.

The steaks I’ve used were bought from the standard range at Aldi and I believe them to be a pretty average size for what you will find in most UK supermarkets. They were around 170g/6oz each and 3cm/1″ thick.

For thinner steaks you will need to reduce the cooking time. For thicker steaks you will need to increase the cooking time.

Oil

You can use any standard cooking oil which works with the flavours of your seasonings. I used vegetable oil which is my go-to neutral flavoured oil.

The trick with any cooking, but especially air frying is to oil the meat and not the air fryer. This prevents any being wasted and creating unnecessary smoke. It also makes cleaning your air fryer basket easier.

Please don’t be tempted to skimp on the oil. Even though shoulder steaks usually have some fat marbling, cooking with oil ensures that the seasoning distributes evenly and sticks to the pork. It also kick starts the browning process and gives you better flavour and colour.

Seasoning

As with all my simple air fried meat recipes, I’m leaving the choice of seasoning up to you. You can flavour them very simply with just sea salt and a neutral oil or go heavy with a seasoning mix. You can add sauces or add the pork to other already flavoured food after cooking.

The only rule is that you must include salt. I used a 50/50 mix of garlic salt and paprika for these images.

Allergen Information

This how to air fry pork shoulder steaks recipe is free from egg, dairy, gluten and nuts.

Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.

How Long to Air Fry Pork Shoulder Steaks

I find that the perfect amount of time to air fry these steaks is 15 minutes. This is based on steaks that are roughly 170g/6oz each and 3cm/1″ thick.

As I’ve mentioned above, for thinner steaks you will need to reduce the cooking time. For thicker steaks you will need to increase the cooking time.

How to Air Fry Pork Shoulder Steaks From Frozen

Despite much head scratching to try and make it make sense, the fact that these steaks cook in the same time from frozen as they do from raw makes no sense to me, but they do.

Cooking straight from frozen is super convenient. I usually give them a quick rinse under warm water to remove any surface ice crystals before thoroughly patting them dry.

You can then add the oil and seasoning to the frozen steaks and carry on as normal.

You can also add the oil and seasonings before freezing – that way you can just throw them into the air fryer and get on with the rest of the meal.

Leftovers – Storage & Reheating

Cooked air fryer pork shoulder steaks can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. They can also be well wrapped and frozen.

To reheat in the air fryer, I use the rule of cooking for around 1/3 of the cooking time at the same temperature. So the steaks will reheat in around 5 minutes at 200c/390f. Check that they are piping hot all the way through and cook for longer if needed.

You can also reheat in the microwave or in a pan on the stove.

The Air Fried Feast Community

Come on over to Facebook and join my community discussing all things air fryer. Get involved in sharing your experiences and trials, help out others and find out what wonderful things everyone is cooking in their air fryers!

What Exactly is an Air Fryer?

Very simply, an air fryer is a small convection (fan) oven. The benefit is that the hot air is circulated all around the food being cooked which speeds up the cooking time and cooks the food more evenly.

What are the Benefits of Using an Air Fryer?

Size, time and energy usage. Air fryers are ideal for cooking smaller quantities. Heating up a space that the food just fits into requires less energy and means that the heat source is much closer to the food. Combining these two things can speed up the cooking time.

Rotary types are not usually good for recipes where the food is breaded, glazed, likely to break up or in a tray/container. They do however make the best chips and roasted veg.

My 2 in 1 version like the one I’ve linked also has a rotating tray for things that could be broken up by a paddle, but the height clearance with the lid isn’t deep enough to use it to cook some items like sausage rolls. I’ve now actually retired by Actifry in favour of having my two basket type fryers.

Mini Oven Air Fryers

These usually have a glass door, shelves and overall are really quite large. You can cook quite a decent quantity of food in them so are best if regularly cooking for multiple people. They often come with extra features like a rotisserie spit or kebab skewers.

Multicookers with Air Fryer Functions

Some like Ninja 11 in 1 and some of the earlier versions with a few less functions, have an air fryer option. They mostly operate the same as a basket fryer but the basket drops in the top rather than sliding in like a drawer.

Some electric pressure cookers like Instant Pots can also air fry when used with a specific lid.

Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?

As much as I do love air frying, the honest answer to this is no. And the more detailed answer is that it will always depend on what you’re cooking, how much of it you’re cooking and what type and size of air fryer you have.

Once you need to cook in more than 2 batches, it often makes more sense to use an oven. If you already have the oven on to cook other items, it may make more sense to throw one more item in rather than using an additional appliance.

I don’t think either method is often necessarily better than the other. The important point to note is that there is absolutely no difference in the finished product.

Do Air Fryers Need to Be Pre-Heated?

The answer to this is rather annoying – it depends. It depends entirely on your model and type of air fryer. The best advice I can offer is to check your manual and follow their guidance. My Cosori models have a preheat function. I press a button and it heats at 205c/400f for 4 minutes.

It’s also worth noting that regardless of whether you are supposed to pre-heat or not, if you are cooking in batches, it is quite likely that anything after the first batch will cook a little quicker because of the retained heat. It is best to check on them before the cooking time is completed.

What is the best temperature to Air Fry at?

It will always depend on what you are cooking and from what state. All of my air fryer recipes don’t use temperatures above 200c/390f because many of the most common fryers in the UK don’t go above this. Mine goes to 230c/450f and I use this temperature a lot but it is no help for me to share recipes which many people can’t use.

What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…

Not all air fryers have different settings like this. When they do it usually relates to the fan speed. The default setting to use will always be “air fry” so unless something else is specifically stated in the recipe, always use the air fry option.

There are other air fryers that have an additional heating element which cooks from underneath rather than just the top. Just as with the other settings, unless you are using a recipe which states to use a second heating element, stick with just using the top down air fry option.

Of course if and when you become more confident with air frying, using recipes and the settings of your air fryer, you can start adapting them to suit.

Can Food Be Cooked From Frozen In An Air Fryer?

Absolutely! To cook from frozen you usually will need to reduce the cooking temperature and increase the time to make sure your food is cooked right through to the middle.

It is best to check my individual recipes for cooking from frozen advice as some items are a little different. And there are occasionally exceptions to the rule.

Can I Reheat Food In An Air Fryer?

Yes. As a general rule I reheat food for roughly 1/3 of the original cooking time at the same temperature. Or at 10 degrees lower for half the time for larger items.

Are Air Fryer Liners a Good Idea?

Unless otherwise stated, I do not use liners when air frying. Basket and rotary type air fryers are designed to be used without liners. Mini oven types will generally require some kind of tray like with a regular large oven although most come with crisper racks to use.

There are many air fryer liners available including quite thick silicone ones. These will affect the cooking times and possibly temperatures of your cooking/baking. I also don’t like how cooking juices are prevented from dripping through the basket rack. This can stop food from crisping all the way around.

When I do want to collect the juices, I mostly use some foil, or occasionally a foil tray which can be washed and reused.

If you do prefer to use them, once you have got a feel for how they affect your cooking and baking, you may need to make adjustments to the recipe accordingly.

Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?

Still Have Questions?

Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.