Braised Pork Shoulder Steaks (Polish Style)

These braised pork steaks are slowly cooked in the oven until tender, juicy and delicious. Made with simple ingredients this Polish-inspired pork shoulder steak recipe is easy, inexpensive and, in my view, one of the best ways of serving pork.

Growing up, braised pork steaks were a staple for many Polish families, including my own. Pork shoulder was inexpensive, relatively easy to come by (most of the time) and versatile. You could add it to stews, such as traditional bigos, make pork goulash or roast whole. You could also turn it into steaks, which were usually braised in the oven yielding tender, juicy, delicious meat, as I have done in this recipe.  

My Polish-inspired braised pork shoulder steaks are seared then slowly oven-cooked along with a handful of herbs, lots of onion and a bit of stock, which produces a delicious sauce as the meat cooks. Unlike pork chops (made with pork loin, a leaner cut of meat), which can become tough if cooked even a little too long, pork shoulder benefits from slow cooking so is ideal for braising.

Braising pork steaks slowly in the oven is easy and guarantees great results every time! Scroll down to the bottom of the post for my serving recommendations.

Braised pork steaks ingredients and substitutions

• Pork shoulder steaks: Pork chops are not a suitable alternative.
• Onion and garlic: ideal with pork dishes.
• Dried herbs: I used herbes de Provence, but you can use a combination of thyme and marjoram, instead.
• Bay leaf and allspice: delicious with pork and popular in many traditional Polish dishes.
• Paprika: adds flavour and colour (use either sweet or hot).
• Stock: helps to create a sauce and keep the pork shoulder steaks moist. You can use any.
• Flour: thickens the sauce.
• Soy sauce: adds depth of flavour and colour.
• Mustard: enhances the flavour of the sauce.
• Honey: I like to add a hint of sweetness to this dish, but this ingredient can be optional.
• Oil: either vegetable or olive oil.
• Salt and pepper: I used sea salt and multi-coloured peppercorns for added flavour.

Equipment you’ll need

I am using a large, shallow casserole dish that’s suitable for both the oven as well as the stovetop. If you don’t have a dish like that there is another option.

Sear the pork steaks first, then transfer to your casserole dish (they can overlap each other if the dish is small) along with the juices, tucking the onions and garlic in-between and around the meat. Add the stock, cover with aluminum foil then braise as per Instructions.

Step-by-step recipe instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F/170 C/150 fan/gas mark 3.

2. Season steaks: Season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper, paprika and dried herbs.

3. Brown meat: Heat the oil, add the bay leaf, allspice berries and the steaks and cook over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side or until the meat is nicely browned.

4. Braise: Add the onions and about half of the stock then cover, place in the centre of the oven and cook for 1 hour. Remove from the oven.

5. Thicken sauce: In a bowl combine the flour with the soy sauce, mustard and honey (if using) and whisk in a small amount of the remaining cold stock until smooth. Add the rest of the stock then pour this mixture over the steaks and sauce making sure it’s distributed evenly. Cover and return to the oven for another 30-40 minutes, or until the meat is tender.

TIP: If you want to brown the meat a little more you can cook the dish, uncovered, for a further 10 minutes, at 425F/220C/gas mark 7, but don't allow the meat to become dry.

6. Serve: Remove from the oven, adjust the seasoning if needed and enjoy!

Serving suggestions

These easy braised pork steaks with onion can be garnished with fresh parsley and served with boiled or mashed potatoes, potato dumplings, braised red cabbage, carrots, broccoli, green beans, peas as well as other simple vegetable sides, such as carrot or rutabaga mash. Also delicious with various types of ‘kasza’ groats (including buckwheat and barley).

My mum often served this dish with shredded beets, beet salad or simply with dill pickles. I like it also with sweet and tangy beet chutney.

Optional ingredients you can use

I like these oven-braised pork steaks as they are, but you can modify the recipe to suit your taste. For example, you can add the following optional ingredients:

• Garlic granules: sprinkle on the steaks (about ⅓ teaspoon) for a more intense garlic flavour.
• Mushrooms: brown 6-7 chopped mushrooms (as I have done in my mushroom sauce) and add into the dish along with the flour mixture.

Why is my braised pork chewy

• You didn't cook it long enough. Place back in the oven and cook until the steaks are tender.
• There was not enough moisture in the pan and the pork became a little dry (your oven temperature may have been too high).
• This can happen if you use pork chops (pork loin) instead of pork shoulder steaks. Because pork chops contain less fat than pork shoulder they are more suited to quick pan-frying rather than slow cooking.

How to adjust the consistency of the sauce

I only used 1 tablespoon of flour so the sauce is not very thick, but you can add a little more (½ tablespoon should be enough) for a thicker gravy. If, on the other hand, you do not want to thicken the sauce at all simply omit the flour altogether (in Step 4 add the entire stock along with the mustard, soy sauce and honey).

What can I make ahead

• Prepare the pork: Season the steaks, cover and refrigerate overnight. Assemble the recipe the following day.
• Precook the dish: Follow Steps 1-4, then remove partly braised pork shoulder steaks from the oven and set aside to cool completely. Finish cooking the following day (Step 5) - you can do this either in a preheated oven or on the stovetop.
• The entire dish: You can cook the entire dish and refrigerate it overnight (once it's cooled completely) to serve the following day. Reheat in the oven (at 350F/gas mark 4), covered, for about 20 minutes or until piping hot.

Top tips

• Pat the meat dry before seasoning.
• Pork chops are not a suitable alternative to pork shoulder steaks and should not be used in this recipe.
• Leftover braised pork steaks can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
• The gravy will thicken as it cools, but you can add a small amount of water to loosen the consistency (when reheating the dish).
• Freeze for up to 3 months.

Related recipes to try next

• Turkey Steaks in Dill Sauce
• Polish Kotlety (Mielone) Recipe
• Turkey Meatballs in Gravy (Polish Klopsiki)

See also these other easy meals as well as more Polish recipes!

Recipe

Keep in touch!

If you make this braised pork steak recipe I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks:)

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