Air Fryer Pork Steak
Most pork is overcooked because of an old rule about 71 °C. That was revised back in 2011: whole cuts of pork are safe at 63 °C with a three-minute rest, and at that temperature the meat stays faintly pink and juicy. Seven degrees is the difference between a steak and a shoe sole. Mince is a different matter — there 71 °C still applies.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Rest
- 5 min
- Total
- 27 min
- Servings
- 2
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 420 kcal
Ingredients
Makes: 2 steaks, 2 servings
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Let the meat warm up
Take the steaks out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking. Cold meat burns on the outside before the middle reaches temperature.
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Step 2: Dry and rub
Pat the steaks dry, brush with oil and rub the spices and salt over both sides. A dry surface is the condition for any crust at all.
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Step 3: Score the fat edge
Cut 3–4 nicks along the fat edge. Without them the fat contracts in the heat and bows the steak, so it sits unevenly on the rack.
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Step 4: Heat to 200 °C
Preheat the air fryer for 3 minutes. A steak on a cold rack starts releasing juice and stews instead of browning.
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Step 5: Cook 12 minutes
Lay the steaks in without touching and cook 6 minutes. Turn and cook another 5–6, depending on thickness.
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Step 6: Check from minute ten
From minute ten, test with a thermometer in the thickest part, away from any bone. Take them out at 63 °C — the inside will be pale pink, which is correct.
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Step 7: Rest 3 minutes
Move to a plate, cover with foil and leave 3 minutes. That rest is part of the safety margin, not only of the juiciness.
Tips & variations
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Tip
A pink centre in a whole cut of pork is normal, not underdone. Grey and dry means you went past 70 °C.
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Variation
Brine the steaks for an hour in 2 tablespoons of salt per litre of water. Brined meat forgives a few extra minutes.
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Tip
Thin steaks of 1.5 cm take 8 minutes; thick 3.5 cm ones up to 18. Time always follows thickness, never weight.
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Storage
Three days in the fridge. Reheat 3 minutes at 160 °C — any hotter and the steak reaches that same 71 °C and dries out.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 2 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 420 kcal | 840 kcal |
| Protein | 38 g | 76 g |
| Fat | 29 g | 58 g |
| Carbohydrates | 1 g | 2 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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