A 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.
Breaded pork tenderloin sandwich
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 pork tenderloin sandwich. 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 tenderloins were breaded with saltine crackers. Not bread crumbs or panko crumbs but ordinary Nabisco saltine crackers.
Here’s some history about the pork sandwich as told by two websites, one explaining Indiana and the other Iowa. Sort of a dueling banjos thing over who makes the tastiest breaded pork tenderloin sandwich.
Making a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich
Honestly, I can’t recall making a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich in the past. Maybe I have. All I know is my recollection of the taste from so many years ago. It was a simple, no frills pork tenderloin, pounded flat, floured, drenched in egg wash then generously coated with saltine cracker crumbs and deep fried until golden brown.
The tenderloin I bought was a small one, 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 inches 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 like I did, to pound the pork flat to about 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 seemed flat enough. Being this flat, it only took about a minute and a half to fry each side in 350° oil and the pork was perfectly done and still nice and juicy on the inside.
Breaded tenderloin
When you cook these, use a heavy skillet, preferably a cast iron one to hold the heat. I used my laser 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. Just keep an eye on the temperature the best you can. As you can see, even with these somewhat smaller tenderloins, I just did one at a time but the cooking went really fast.
Breaded pork tenderloin recipe
How to eat this pork sandwich
Now to put this sandwich all together. First I lightly buttered the bun halves and toasted them in the cast iron skillet before I did anything else. 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. The final touch is a good amount of plain old yellow mustard. Never, ever use ketchup! That would be just wrong. You can use ketchup if you want to call your sandwich something else…like maybe, spoiled pork tenderloin sandwich. 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 how my mom liked it and I’m sticking with it. And Mary Jo said, “where has this been all my life?…you can keep making this on a regular basis.” I think I will.
Classic Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
Ingredients
- 12 oz . pork tenderloin , sliced into 4, 1" fillets then butterflied and pounded to 3/8 to 5/16 " thickness
- 4 bakery hamburger buns , insides lightly buttered and toasted on the stove top in a heavy skillet, kept warm in a low oven.
- 1 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp whole milk
- 1 sleeve of saltine crackers (40 crackers)
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 2 tsp salt
- vegetable oil , enough to fill a large skillet 3/4 inch deep, about 2 cups
- lettuce leaves
- sliced red onion
- hamburger pickle slices
- yellow mustard
Instructions
- Toast the buns and keep warm
- Cut, butterfly, and pound the pork thin and place on a plate
- Beat eggs and milk together and place in a large, shallow bowl or pie plate.
- Put saltines in a food processor and pulse until you have a coarse to medium chop then add onion powder and salt and give one or two more pulses to combine.
- Put saltines in a shallow bowl or pie plate.
- Put flour in a shallow bowl and set up a dredging line with flour first, eggs second and saltines last.
- Heat vegetable oil to 350°-375°.
- Take one of the pork fillets and coat with flour, then place in the egg wash, let the excess drip off then place in the seasoned cracker crumbs and coat well by patting the crumbs on.
- Place in the 350° oil for 1 1/2 to 2 mins. until the crumbs are browned.
- Use tongs to turn to the other side and fry that side until browned 1 1/2 to 2 mins.
- Remove from the oil and place on a cooling rack over a paper towel lined baking sheet.
- Continue with the remaining pork.
- Serve right away on the hamburger bun with lettuce, pickles, onion and mustard.
Notes
- This recipe will also work with store bought tenderized pork loin cutlets. Just make sure they are 1/4" to 3/8" thick and trim any fat from the edges.
- Canola oil or corn oil is the best for frying.
- An instant read thermometer is good to use to make sure the oil doesn't get too cool or too hot.
Nutrition
Here’s a couple more pork tenderloin recipes to try.
Healthy pork tenderloin steaks with spicy salsa
Oh wow! I fondly remember pork tenderloin sandwiches from my childhood. My mom was from Marseilles, Illinois. Whenever we visited my Grandma, we’d go out for pork tenderloin sandwiches and root beers from the A&W. This was back in the 70’s. I always heard the sandwich originated in Ottowa Illinois. Anyway, thanks for this. I can’t wait to make it.
Hi Joanna. When I was a kid, we would launch our runabout in Marseilles on the Illinois River and run down to Starved Rock State Park. My aunt, uncle and cousins lived in Princeton. Great memories and I hope that my pork tenderloin sandwich renews some of yours. Nice story and thanks for the comment.
I use the cubed pork (like cubed steak). A lot less work and very tasty. I’m from Indiana so these have been a staple all my life.
Hey Pam…cubed pork is a good, easy way to make the breaded pork tenderloin. Same great taste without the pounding. Thanks for the comment.
Oooo these look so tasty & surprisingly simple. Can’t wait to test them out myself. I have a feeling they won’t look quite as good though haha!
C x
http://www.2brunettes.co.uk
Hey Corran…they are very tasty and they will look good…just put them on colorful plates!
The beautiful picture of this sandwich makes it tempting to try immediately!
I promise not to use ketchup!
I’m making them again tomorrow Al. Back by popular demand!
Aaaannnnnd, we have another WINNER!! I’ve always loved pork tenderloin sandwiches, but I never had one like this before. When I bit into it, I got a wonderful light crunch which I have never had in any other pork tenderloin sandwich I’ve eaten in the past. And the flavor was great, too. Joe’s going to have to make this on a regular basis for me. You know what they say, “happy wife, happy life”.