Hoosier Pork-Tenderloin Sandwich

Submitted by Crafty Lady 13

"This pork sandwich comes breaded, fried and way oversized. Buttermilk is the secret ingredient in the Indiana pork-tenderloin sandwich. Up to a half pound of meat is pounded thin, marinated in buttermilk, breaded with cracker crumbs, fried and served, despite its size on a regular hamburger bun. At some restaurants, the pork is a foot in diameter! Try this recipe from the Food Network Kitchens. Note: Time does not include marinating time."

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 16
• Yields: 4 sandwiches

ingredients

• 2 lbs center-cut boneless pork loin
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 sleeves saltines (about 80 crackers)
• 2 cups instant flour (such as Wondra)
• peanut oil, for frying
• 4 soft hamburger buns, split
• 1⁄3 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1⁄2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 half-sour dill pickles, thinly sliced

directions

1. Cut the pork crosswise into 4 equal pieces. Put each piece flat on a cutting board and slice horizontally almost in half (stop about 1 inch from the other side). Open like a book. Sprinkle each with water, place between 2 pieces of heavy-duty plastic wrap and pound to 1/4 inch thick with a mallet or heavy skillet.
2. Whisk the eggs, buttermilk, garlic, 1 teaspoon each salt and black pepper, and the cayenne in a shallow bowl. Add the pork, cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
3. Pulse the crackers into coarse crumbs in a food processor, then transfer to a shallow dish. Put the flour in another dish. Remove each piece of pork from the marinade, letting the excess drip off. Dredge both sides in the flour, dip in the buttermilk marinade again, then coat with the cracker crumbs.
4. Heat 1/4 to 1/2 inch peanut oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 360°F Fry the pork in batches until golden and cooked through about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
5. Spread both halves of each bun with mayonnaise and mustard. Layer the lettuce, tomatoes and onion on the bottom halves. Add a piece of pork and a few pickle slices. Cover with bun tops.

Reviews

[donnie27]

I didn't care for the double dipping of the tenderloin. i've never had a problem with cracker crumbs not sticking , so the egg dip made the breading soggy and a lot of it flaked off. The sandwich was okay, but seemed to have that "eggy" taste.

 

[weekend cooker]

WOW !! Other than leaving out the red onion made as written. Made for some thick sandwiches (burgers). Made for a nice burger. Wanted to grill them, but was afraid the peanut oil would go to bottom of the grill. Glad I did not.

 

[Baby Kato]

Another winner from Crafty Lady, your recipes never disappoint. This tasty sandwich was excellent. So much flavor, yummy, thinking about it is making me crave it again. I marinated the meat overnight. Made exactly as written, wouldn't change a thing. That said, I did substitute romaine lettuce for the iceberg lettuce and sweet white onions for the red ones, (it was what I had on hand) they worked great in this recipe. So good, really worth the extra effort. I really enjoyed the mayonnaise and yellow mustard combo. The dill pickles are a must for the overall flavor profile. Thanks for sharing another winner that has gone into my Favorites Cookbook for 2013. Kudos

 

[tiffanylynn444]

These were great! I decided to make these kind of last minute so I only ended up marinating them for about 30 minutes and they still turned out tender. I used the instant flour and saltines as the recipe suggested and the breading was perfect. This was my first time having a tenderloin sandwich and I LOVED it. Even my mother in law who is from Iowa and has eaten her fair share of tenderloin sandwiches gave her stamp of approval. I will absolutely be making these again!

 

[Mark_mckinley]

We have used this recipe several times and love it. Marinating seems to make a world of difference.