This is a series of photo tutorials on making the deep fried breaded pork tenderloin sandwich with recipes following below. Experimentation is the rule, not the exception. Scroll down the page for the written tutorial and recipe.
Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich Tutorials
HOW TO MAKE A DEEP FRIED BREADED PORK TENDERLOIN SANDWICH
The deep fried breaded pork tenderloin sandwich probably owes its roots to weiner schnitzel, the German recipe for deep fried and breaded veal cutlets. It is believed the first pork tenderloin sandwich was created by Nick Frienstein in 1904 selling them out of a street cart. In 1908 he opened Nick's Kitchen, a cafe in Huntington, Indiana. He originally called them veal sandwiches. Whether they were veal at that time is unknown to us today but they definitely evolved as the deep fried breaded pork tenderloin sandwich we know.
The photo tutorials are my attempts to make this delicious sandwich in different ways. I believe I have achieved very good results equal to anything I have tasted in the many restaurants I have visited. The following is my recommended recipe along with optional ingredients and preparatory methods.
Ingredients to make 4 pork tenderloin sandwiches:
1 pork tenderloin (about 20-24 oz.)
4 sandwich buns or kaiser rolls
1 gallon canola oil if deep fat frying
1 quart buttermilk for the marinade
2 whole eggs for the marinade (optional)
1/4 cup of white flour for the marinade
Pinch of salt and black or white pepper for the marinade
1 tablespoon dry mustard for the marinade
1 or 2 cloves of freshly chopped garlic for the marinade
Pinch of Emeril’s Original Essence seasoning or Cayenne for punch for the marinade
1 package of Japanese bread crumbs for the breading
1/4 cup yellow corn meal for the breading (optional)
Sliced tomato, sliced onion, lettuce, mustard, mayo, and pickle condiments to suit
The most important ingredient since pork tenderloin sandwiches are sometimes (but incorrectly) called pounded or hammered pig butts is Leinenkugel’s Big Butt beer to get you through the agonizing overnight marinade period. :ok, that’s a joke:
Buy a pork tenderloin, not pork loins or pork chops. Pork loins could be an acceptable substitute but not pork chops. The pork tenderloin is the leanest and tenderest part of the pork. To make four sandwiches you need a pork tenderloin of about 1-1/2 pounds. Typically they are about as thick as a person's wrist and about 10-12 inches long.
Remove the white skin and trim the fat. Cut the tenderloin in four pieces of about 4 to 6 ounces each. You can easily pound the pieces flat with the smooth side of a meat tenderizer mallet to a depth of about 1/4 to 3/8 inches. The standard piece comes out at about 5 inches by 6-8 inches. They should and will be bigger than standard sandwich bun. If you butterfly cut the pieces you can pound out a traditional “hanger over” the bun tenderloin of about 4-5 inches wide by 10 inches long.
Prepare a marinade with two eggs, a quart of buttermilk, about 1/4 cup flour, a pinch of salt and pepper, fresh finely chopped garlic, and a tablespoon of dry mustard. For added punch some Emeril's Original Essence seasoning can be used. I like to throw a dash of it in. I have also tried beer, milk and eggnog for marinades. They work but read on.
Here is the secret. Use the buttermilk and marinate the tenderloins OVERNIGHT! This is the secret I learned from Nick's Kitchen. Emeril does it as well when he deep fries. I am not an expert but it works. It transforms the tenderloin into a super tasty and tender piece by denaturing or unwinding the protein strings. If you don’t have the time some recipes say flour the tenderloin then dip in the batter just before breading and that works OK, but take the extra overnight step. That is what makes it superb and separates it from the average or even good tenderloin. Pop a Leinie’s Big Butt and relax.
For the breading you can use commercial bread crumbs, yellow corn meal, saltine crackers or Panko Japanese bread crumbs. Crushed or food processed saltines give you a light and fluffy breading. I found Panko Japanese bread crumbs to be slightly better than the rest. The Indianapolis 500 Brickyard Crossing restaurant uses the Panko Japanese bread crumbs. I sometimes like to blend in a little bit of the yellow corn meal with the primary selected crumbs.
Take the tenderloin out of the marinade and let the excess drip off. Place the tenderloin on top of a bed of breading, then fluff breading on top and then press the tenderloin into the breading. Turn over and repeat to make sure you have complete coverage. Let the breaded tenderloins set for a while. I try to bread a couple hours ahead of frying and store them in the refrigerator.
Pre-heat a deep fat fryer to 360 degrees F. using canola oil or peanut oil. Canola and peanut oil are two of the healthier oils and have no trans-fats. You need oil suitable for the high heat and most other oils have lower flash and smoking points as well as trans-fats. It takes almost a gallon for my fryer. You can pan fry by pouring in about a 1/4 inch of oil but I prefer the deep fryer for better control. Fry the tenderloin for approximately 3 minutes or slightly more or until golden brown. If fried right it should not be greasy or soggy. Pan or skillet frying may require turning the meat over about half way through.
You are now ready to prepare the sandwich. I prefer the bigger sandwich buns over standard hamburger buns but check out my Mini Tenderloin variation. Condiments can be sliced tomato, onion, lettuce, mustard or mayo. I like a sandwich pickle slice mostly for a punctuation decoration. All my attempts in the tutorial were good but the third holiday attempt was better and the fourth with the buttermilk marinade was the absolute best. And then I topped myself again with the 2006 Holiday Tenderloin. You will rarely find this sandwich in a restaurant beyond Indiana, Illinois and Iowa, and the periphery states that geographically touch my four.
Enjoy!
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