The pork tenderloin sandwich is a classic in America's heartland. A juicy, pan-fried tenderloin needs only simple ingredients but brings big flavor!
There was a young lady checking me out at the grocery store the other day, right in front of my wife! I expected to see the ingredients for this Midwestern Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich being hurled from the cart in reply but my wife wasn’t nearly as annoyed as I expected her to be. She kept insisting it’s the girl’s job to check out customers since she is a cashier, but I’m not so sure.
Either way, by the time we got home the only buns I was interested in were the ones that would soon be holding a butterflied and breaded pork tenderloin!
What is a Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
If you are from the Midwest, the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich is quite familiar to you already. A pork tenderloin cutlet is butterflied and coated in a cornmeal breading before being pan-fried to golden brown perfection. Often the meat on this sandwich hangs excessively off the bun on either side.
Pork tenderloin sandwiches are intensely popular in Iowa and Indiana (like the Loose Meat Sandwich), but you will still see it frequently by me in Wisconsin as well. If you live elsewhere in the United States and haven’t had this Midwestern classic, you need to head to the grocery store now!
How to Make a Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
You will want to use the flat side of a meat mallet (affiliate link) to flatten the tenderloin. I find flailing a hammer in the kitchen to be a great stress reliever! The final product should take the shape of a large flattened oval. Don’t worry if the patty is considerably larger than the bun it will rest on, it is meant to be!
I have been cooking this particular recipe for years. There are other recipes that utilize a more involved breading method, such as an egg wash, but I find it to be largely unnecessary to overcomplicate this delectable dish. The crisp, thin coat on my Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich brings a great texture and flavor to the sandwich without being overly bready and dense.
How Long Does it Take to Fry Pork Tenderloin
It should take you only 5 minutes to pan-fry your pork tenderloin. The cooking time, however, will vary depending on thick your tenderloin is. When it is hammered flat, aim for ⅓" - ½" thick ideally.
Best Bun for Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
It isn't necessary to get overly fussy with the bun used on your pork tenderloin sandwich. Like Midwesterners in general, this dish is not overly complicated, so neither is the bun. A simple, inexpensive sack of pre-packaged white hamburger buns is great. You can even go with a cornmeal dusted Kaiser buns as well if you prefer.
If your food snobbery requires you to fancy this sandwich up and can't stand the thought of being seen in public with a basic package of hamburger buns, then I recommend going with brioche buns for a more gourmet version of this sandwich.
What Toppings on a Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
A breaded pork tenderloin sandwich is topped fairly similarly to a homemade burger, with the exception of ketchup. Mustard is the standard condiment of choice, with mayo being an acceptable addition. Lettuce, onions, pickles, and tomatoes are most commonly found adorning this classic sandwich.
Midwestern Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 lb Pork Tenderloin
- ½ cup Milk
- ½ cup Flour
- ¼ cup Cornmeal (or unseasoned breadcrumbs)
- ~1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- Cooking Oil (such as canola)
Serving
- 4 Hamburger Buns
- 1 Red Onion (cut into rings)
- 12 slices Dill Pickles
- 4 leaves Lettuce
- Mustard
- Mayo (Optional)
Instructions
- After trimming any fat off from edges, cut pork into 4 equal pieces and butterfly each slice so only a thin piece of meat connects them. Put each butterflied slice between pieces of plastic wrap and use a meat hammer to pound the slice until is flattened but not torn (~⅓” thick).
- Mix together flour, cornmeal, salt and black pepper.
- Heat ½ inch of oil in a deep, wide skillet to 365 degrees F.
- Dip each slice of pork in milk, then in flour mixture. Fry tenderloin, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes total.
- Drain on paper towels or wire rack.
Serving
- Serve on buns with desired condiments (mustard, mayonnaise, dill pickles, sliced onion, lettuce).
Notes
Nutritional Information
This recipe was originally published on FoxValleyFoodie.com April 1, 2016.
If you enjoyed my Midwestern Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich recipe then you should probably like me on Facebook and follow me on Pinterest too. That’s what I would do at least, because if you don’t get to know me but you still use my recipe it is kind of like taking candy from a stranger, and your mom taught you not to do that. Don’t disobey your mom, subscribe to Fox Valley Foodie today.
SJ
Central Indiana here. I've grown up eating breaded tenderloins. Toppings for me are lettuce & tomato. Catsup if they are not available. Thanks for a different recipe, I will try!
regina L. McDaniel
SO GREAT MAKES MY MOUTH WATER JUST THINKING OF HAVING ONE. IN FACT TOMORROW I WILL MAKE SOME FOR LUNCH
DJ
I’ve ate plenty of pork tenderloin growing up in Iowa, but I must disagree on toppings...Cheese and ketchup for me with dill pickles...
Rick G
Fellow Iowan here. Don't know many that like cheese and/or ketchup on pork tenderloin sandwiches. The usual toppings are onions, pickles, and mustard with an option to add tomatoes and lettuce. Personally, mustard only is just fine.
regina L. McDaniel
GROWING UP IN ILLINOIS FOR 30 YEARS OF MY LIFE, I LIVE FOR PORK TENDERLOIN SANDWICHES! ILLINOIS AND INDIANA SURE ARE TIED IN MY BOOK FOR QUALITY. I POUND OUT CHOPS IF ITS ALL I HAVE, DIP IN EGG AND MILK, ROLL IN CRACKER CRUMBS, FRY IN OIL! WHAT A GREAT COMFORT. I ADD CHEESE, ONION, MUSTARD, SLAP IT ON ANY OLE BUN, AND ENJOY!!!!
JAX
MUSTARD ONLY HERE TOO MAYO ON THE FOR DIPPING MAYBE
Dustin
Popular here in Kansas as well. Ours are usually breaded with about 50/50 flour anf bread crumb mix. In reference to the above comment, german schnitzel is typically a different cut; it's uncured ham sliced with the grain, and breaded with seasoned bread crumbs, but loin can be substituted
Diane
Nothing beats a good pork tenderloin sandwich. My parents use to joke that our family started because of the pork tenderloin sandwich so I learn to make them many years ago for my parents. When my parents were dating before they became a husband and a wife, a mom and a daddy they use to frequent a drive in restaurant in Nevada, Missouri that made pork tenderloin sandwiches topped with coleslaw. My daddy has since passed on, we are still making them, enjoying them, and remembering daddy. My parents were the only one who liked coleslaw on top, lettuce and tomato works for me. Yours is the only recipe I have seen using corn meal, most recipes including mine use saltine crackers, flour. Maybe it's a regional thing.
Fox Valley Foodie
Great story, thanks for sharing! Yes, I suspect it is a regional thing. It was important to me to recreate this recipe with cornmeal because that is the primary way I have always enjoyed them.
Brandon Cota
Okay, I'm your new biggest fan. After your maple mustard pork tenderloin recipe, I'm a true believer. Doesn'Detroit count as midwest? I've never heard of a breaded pork loin sandwich. I've sure made leftover pork loin into sandwiches. Looking forward to making this! Thanks also for your hilarious narrative. I also find myself chocked out a few times whenever I'm at the store.
Martha Prefontaine
Just found this. Have been wanting to make it, but didn’t want to mess with egg and various crumbs. Thanks for simplifying it for me. Trying tonigh.
Debra Jones
This is one of the best sandwiches in the world. You cannot buy this sandwich everywhere.
Darla
This was so easy, quick and absolutly wonderful.
Betty
I made these for supper tonight. So good!
John Bailey
I am curious about one thing.
Why do you call this a pork tenderloin sandwich when the recipe calls for pork loin or chops. I am sure you know that the PORK TENDERLOIN is a different cut altogether.
If you do not want this as part of your blog, could you e mail your response.
I am doing a commentary on regional food and this might be something that would fit.
Thanks
John
Fox Valley Foodie
Thanks for catching that for me. That was an oversight on my part when I transferred it in from my recipe file. It has been corrected!
Earl Ekstrom
It's called a Pork Tenderloin because that's what it's called. I found hundreds and hundreds of Google pages under the search tem "Pork Tenderloin" and they reference YOUR type of tenderloin sandwich.
regina L. McDaniel
CALLED A PORK TENDERLOIN CAUSE ITS TENDER AS BUTTER, AND MADE WITH PORK?
David Hokey
It’s called a pork tenderloin sandwich. I grew up in Indiana and it’s comfort food to me. Maybe they are called that because you make them from a piece of pork loin that has been tenderized? The only other place I have found them that has been anything close is Germany and Austria, there termed as a “schnitzel semmel” (schnitzel sandwich)...I ate them every day while I was there since I don’t live in Indiana anymore. Either way they are delicious. And if the size of the meat isn’t at least double the bun size then I couldn’t call it a pork tenderloin sandwich. Just sayin’.
Just
Not sure where you are from. I grew up on these. A pork tenderloin is a fried battered good piece of pork. You must not grew up around these.
Deb
Pork tenderloins are boneless chops. Chops are cut from a boneless or bone in pork loin.Boneless chops are pounded or run through a tenderizer to make pork tenderloin sandwiches.