Purpose

Marinades usually contain an acid such as vinegar, soy sauce or citrus juice to break down the meat fibers and tenderize the meat. However, if marinated too long, these marinades can make pork tough or dry. An acid marinade also often contains numerous ingredients. Enter the milk marinade. By simply combining milk, salt and a few herbs, you have an instant marinade for pork.

Method

To marinate boneless sirloin pork steaks in milk, combine just enough milk to cover the meat. Add a little salt and your choice of herbs such as thyme or rosemary. Marinate the meat in the refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight. Before baking or grilling, drain the marinade and discard it. Pat the meat dry with a paper towel. Let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. When pork is dry and slightly warm, it browns better, creating a golden crust. However, don't leave pork out for longer than an hour as a warm environment encourages bacterial growth. Promptly refrigerate any leftovers.

Cooking

Boneless sirloin pork steaks or chops come from the area around the hip of the pig. Like all pork steaks and chops, sirloin steaks cook quickly. To prevent them from drying out, cook them only until the flesh is pinkish white and a meat thermometer inserted into the middle of the steak registers 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on your cooking method and the steaks' thickness, this can take 12 to 25 minutes. Let the pork steak rest for three to five minutes before serving. Sirloin pork chops often contain part of the hip bone. While boneless cuts are easy to work with, bone-in types offer more flavor.

Alternatives

If you like the melt-in-your-mouth flavor a milk marinade creates but long for a bit more flavor, try marinating pork steaks in coconut milk, which gives the meat a sweet, exotic flavor. Alternatively, use buttermilk for a tangy zip. Pork steaks marinated in milk can be grilled or baked as is, or breaded in a coating of bread crumbs, crushed crackers or even finely chopped pecans or macadamia nuts.