We never ate pork chops when I was a youngster. Pork steak was cheaper. When you find a meat you can afford, your next task is to find a way to fix it that the family will eat. We loved pork steak fixed Mother's way.

If you have been following my writings, you have noticed that I refer back to the Great Depression and the hard times we suffered during those years before World War ll. The economy never recovered until our country geared up for its war preparation. I was a teenager during those rationing days. I will write about that another time. Today, it's still about how to "make do."

Pork steak is the sliced pork shoulder. There is fat and bone, not the tender loin meat you find in a chop. The trick is to fix pork steak so you would want to eat it fat and all, everything except the bone, of course. Mother did just that. She didn't have a cookbook in those days. She figured it out herself. There are a number of comfort foods in our family. This is one of them.

MOTHER'S BAKED PORK STEAK
6 pork steaks
1 sleeve saltine crackers
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup margarine

Preheat oven to 375 F. In oven, melt margarine on baking sheet with a rim. Meanwhile make the breading. Crush the saltines with a rolling pin in a gallon plastic bag. In medium bowl, place cracker crumbs, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Place beaten eggs in second bowl. Dip each piece of pork steak first in beaten egg and then in the seasoned cracker crumbs. Coat evenly on both sides. Lay each piece on prepared baking sheet on the bed of melted margarine. Bake until lightly browned on bottom side, about 25 minutes. More melted margarine may be needed to moisten the cracker coating when you turn the pork steaks. Turn and bake until browned on the other side. The top will continue browning so it colors up nicely. Baking time varies according to the thickness and size of the steaks. Judge cooking time by the color of the breading. Golden brown it is.
Pork steak prepared this way will make even the fat crisp and tasty. I have tried this method of preparation with pork chops. It doesn't work as well. You need the combination of lean and fat to make it savory. How many calories are in it? Don't ask, just enjoy.