This Midwest-style Pork Tenderloin Sandwich is a mouth watering beast! Breaded and fried in crushed oyster crackers, this sandwich is salty, crunchy on the outside and extra juicy on the inside. Sandwich perfection!
One of my favorite foods to eat while growing up in the midwest was a Pork Tenderloin Sandwich. I’m not sure why this sandwich isn’t as widely talked about as something like deep dish pizza or Italian beef sandwiches. It totally should be because it’s delicious and always hits the spot. It’s similar to a wiener schnitzel, expect it’s made with a pounded out pork loin instead of veal and sandwiched between two hamburger buns.
Although the recipe is called pork tenderloin sandwich, we our pork loin in our recipe. Normally the two aren’t interchangeable in recipes, but since we’re pounding the meat out until it’s ultra thin (and tenderized) using either cut here is totally fine!
Extra Crispy Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
We specifically use the loin because you can find nice sized, individually cut, boneless loin chops at the market making things just a tad bit easier on the prep end. We also prefer the slightly meatier texture paired with the oyster cracker breading with the loin.
Definitely feel free to use tenderloin though if that’s your preference. Each piece of tenderloin should be about 6 ounces in weight.
Hands down crushed oyster crackers are the best and most delicious breading option for these sandwiches. The flavor is so good and the crunch is unbelievable!
Crispy Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches Recipe
Alternatively can used crushed saltine crackers for equally delicious results. If you can’t find either cracker options you can use panko breadcrumbs which will still be very tasty, but the flavor and texture will be different.
These Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches are best eaten freshly fried (as they won’t be quite as crunchy as when they were freshly fried, but they will still be quite good), but they can certainly be made ahead of time and frozen for convenience!
If you’re unable to eat them fresh you can place the fried cutlets into an airtight container, between layers of parchment paper for up to 2 days.
Air Fryer Breaded Pork Tenderloin Recipe
To reheat, preheat an oven to 375˚F. Place cutlets onto a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 10 minutes. Flip each cutlet over and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes or until cutlets are heated through and crisp back up a bit.
I recommend freezing them before they are fried for best results. Once the uncooked cutlets have been fully coated, place them onto a parchment lined baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart. Freeze until each cutlet is fully frozen. Transfer them to a resealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Flattening the pork Place each piece of pork between two large sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Using a meat mallet, pound each piece of pork loin until about 1/4″ thick.
Hoosier Pork Tenderloin Sandwich Recipe
Oyster Cracker Substitute You can used crushed saltine crackers in place of the oyster crackers. You can also use panko breadcrumbs in a pinch.
Make Ahead and Freezing Make Ahead: Place fried cutlets in an airtight container, between layers of parchment paper for up to 2 days. To reheat, preheat an oven to 375˚F. Place cutlets onto a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 10 minutes. Flip each cutlet over and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes or until cutlets are heated through and crisp back up a bit. They won’t be as crunchy as when they were freshly fried, but they will still be quite good.
Freeze Ahead: Place coated and uncooked cutlets onto a parchment lined baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart. Place baking sheet in freezer until cutlets are fully frozen. Transfer them to a resealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to use, fry them as stated in the directions, but for 2 to 3 minutes longer on each side.
Crispy Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
Calories: 1265 kcal Carbohydrates: 64 g Protein: 52 g Fat: 88 g Saturated Fat: 35 g Cholesterol: 277 mg Sodium: 1092 mg Potassium: 838 mg Fiber: 3 g Sugar: 5 g Vitamin A: 272 IU Vitamin C: 1 mg Calcium: 129 mg Iron: 6 mg
Jenny Park is half of Spoon Fork Bacon. She is also a food stylist and recipe developer. One of her favorite foods is donuts. #sfbJENNYA breaded pork tenderloin sandwich was always my mom’s favorite when she would occasionally take my sister and me to a cafe for lunch. This was in west-central Illinois and I’ve been reading that the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich was either an Indiana thing or an Iowa thing.
I’m not sure where Illinois fits in all this, but it seemed to me that all the little cafes would serve some sort of breaded pork tenderloin sandwich.
Fried Pork Tenderloin Sandwich Recipe
These breaded pieces of pork were usually twice the size of the bun they were served with, so you had a breaded pork tenderloin appetizer to bite off before you got to the real deal.
The sandwiches were way too big for a 5 year old to order, so mom would occasionally give me a bite of the appetizer part and I’d get to savor the crunchy goodness, if only for one bite.
And as I recall, these boneless pork loin chops were breaded with saltine crackers. Not bread crumbs or panko breadcrumbs but ordinary Nabisco saltine crackers.
Oven Baked Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
Here’s some history about the breaded tenderloin sandwich as told by two websites, one explaining Indiana pork tenderloin sandwich and the other Iowa breaded tenderloin sandwich.
All I know is my recollection of the taste from so many years ago. It was a simple, no-frills pork tenderloin. Pounded flat with a meat mallet, floured, drenched in egg wash then generously coated with saltine cracker crumbs containing onion powder and garlic powder, and deep-fried until golden brown.
The other is the actual tenderloin or pork filet which is a long thin cut from the central spine area of the pig. These are normally packaged in plastic and will require you to give them a wipe with paper towels to dry them.
The Original Breaded Pork Tenderloin
The tenderloin is small, only 3 to 3 1/2 inches in diameter. You cut off the silver skin if there is any, then cut off fillets that are 1 inch wide, then butterfly the fillets by cutting down the middle with a very sharp knife to about 3/4 to 1/2 inches of the other side, then laying them flat.
Then one by one, cover the butterflied pork with plastic wrap and use a meat tenderizer mallet or a flat-bottomed 8-inch skillet as I did, to pound the pork flat to about 1/4″ to 3/8 inches thick.
Just don’t go so far as to start putting holes in the tenderloin. It took me 8 to 12 hits to get them to where they were flat enough.
Breaded Pork Tenderloin Chops
When I make these now, I use a tenderizing mallet and it does a better job and is easy to control the thickness you are getting. You should end up with a 5″ to 7″ diameter pork patty.
Being this flat, it will only take about a minute and a half to fry each side in 350° vegetable oil. The pork will be perfectly done and still nice and juicy on the inside.
I used my infrared thermometer to keep tabs on the oil temperature. When frying these, I actually had to turn off the gas at one point because it got too hot. Try to keep the oil temperature at 350° to 375°F.
Herb Breaded Pork Tenderloin
Just keep an eye on the temperature the best you can. As you can see, even with these somewhat smaller tenderloins. I just fried one at a time but the cooking went really fast.
You can use a baking sheet with a drying rack to place the finished tenderloins in the oven with the toasted buns. These are best when served nice and warm.
Now to put this sandwich together. First I lightly buttered the bun halves and toasted them in the cast iron frying pan before I did anything else.
Fried Pork Tenderloin Biscuit
I put them on a plate and in the oven on super low to keep warm. Then traditionally you need lettuce, hamburger pickle slices, and a slice of red onion.
If you need any other condiment with this, maybe a small amount of mayo on the bun would be acceptable. But just so no one else could see it!
That’s what my mom’s breaded pork tenderloin sandwich recipe would look like. And Mary Jo said, “Where has this been all my life?… You can keep making this on a regular basis.” I think I will.
Indiana Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich Recipe
Reheating the breaded pork tenderloins is easy. First, keep leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator. Make sure that the pork cutlets are at room temperature before refrigerating. Otherwise, they will have moisture condensing on them.
0 Komentar