Pork fritter sandwich

[rickell]

this might be a silly question but i know i can get help here.

in many bar and grills they will serve a sandwhich that is called
a pork tenderloin sandwhich. Is this really a tenderloin?
the piece of pork on most of the sandwhiches are about the size of the
plate. seems to me it would be very hard to flatten a pork tenderloin
the size of a plate. for some reason i am thinking it is really not the tenderloin and maybe a tenderized pork steak?

after i figure out what cut of meat to use how do i get the beading to
stick and stay on the meat when i fry it?

my husband has been craving one these sandwhiches and i would like
to make him one

 

[ChefJune]

Oh my goodness, we used to get these in Peoria. Cannot remember the name of the place, tho.

I think you could probably flatten a chunk of tenderloin to look like that, tho I doubt that is what is used. The pork steak is more likely.

You'd prepare it just as you would fried chicken, I'd think, and then the breading would stick just fine. Let us know how it turns out! Oh, those were SO delicious!

 

[rickell]

oh with the horseradish and onions and can't forget the fries

 

[Gretchen]

It might be tenderloin--more likely a loin chop, tenderized, dipped in egg wash, then flour, back in egg, flour and then deep fried.

 

[Davydd]

Hello all

A web search landed me here. I forgot Andy had started this forum. Looks much like Airstreamforums.com. I hope it is as popular.

I guess I should set some of the misconceptions straight. The deep-fried breaded pork tenderloin sandwich in most places is cut from the pork tenderloin, tenderized by pounding out flat, marinaded, breaded and deep-fried. They are ubiquitous in all of Indiana, Iowa and outstate Illinois. They can be found with less frequency in the bordering states of those three and beyond they are scarce. Phoenix, with a snowbird and retiree population from the Midwest, especially Iowa, seems to belie that generality with several restaurants that serve them.

I could go on and on, but you can visit...

http://www.porktenderloinsandwich.com

...and learn all you care to learn. There is a photo gallery of over 40 restaurants visited plus several of my own. There are links to my Pork Tenderloin Sandwich Blog and my photo tutorial/recipe page, plus more.

Pictures? Here is a belated one by a few days...

 

[StirBlue]

They are definitely in every restaurant in Central Illinois. You can buy a whole pork tenderloin and have it sliced any way that you want it. If sliced thick, it is comparable to butterfly chops. Cooked whole is a whole different method.

 

[Candocook]

They are definitely in every restaurant in Central Illinois. You can buy a whole pork tenderloin and have it sliced any way that you want it. If sliced thick, it is comparable to butterfly chops. Cooked whole is a whole different method.

Just a small "correction". I think you are referring to the pork loin which would be the larger side of a pork T-bone "steak", the smaller side being the tenderloin. The tenderloin is about an inch and a half in diameter and very tender. The loin is maybe 4" in diameter, usually very lean and prone to being tough if overcooked. I do think this is the thin cut that is run through a "cuber" (like cubed steak for country fried steak), battered and deep fried for these sandwiches.

 

[StirBlue]

This is a 10-20 lb porkloin that is advertised frequently. We are also offered a whole ribeye which can weigh 10-20 lbs. They will slice it free of charge when you purchase it.
The smaller porkloins (10 lbs) can be stuffed, tied, and roasted (2 1/2 hrs).
You can have it sliced and divide it into meal portions. I am very dependent on these two items in particular to stretch my food budget and feed my family.

 

[candelbc]

What do you normally marinade the tenderloin in?

 

[Constance]

My husband makes these, and they are better than anything I've ever eaten in a restaurant. He slices boneless pork tenderloin into 1/4" slices, and pounds the slices out with a meat mallet on a cutting board.
He seasons the cutlets with S&P, and then they go into seasoned flour, then into a beaten egg/milk mixture, back into the flour, and finally into the hot grease.
We do them in the electric skillet, in enough pre-heated peanut oil to cover (about 1-1/2") at 375 degrees. Once they are browned on the first side, he turns them and partially covers the skillet. When they are almost done, he removes the lid for a final crisp-up, then drains them on a rack over paper towels. DO NOT turn over and over, as that makes them greasy.

You can do the same thing with pork steaks...that's what the pork cutlets in the grocery store are made from...but they will have a lot more fat. They're cut from the butt (shoulder), and IMO aren't nearly as good as the loin for this purpose.

 

[Andy M.]

This is a 10-20 lb porkloin that is advertised frequently. We are also offered a whole ribeye which can weigh 10-20 lbs. They will slice it free of charge when you purchase it.
The smaller porkloins (10 lbs) can be stuffed, tied, and roasted (2 1/2 hrs).
You can have it sliced and divide it into meal portions. I am very dependent on these two items in particular to stretch my food budget and feed my family.

You're describing the loin, which is equivalent to the standing rib roast (prime rib) or boneless ribeye in beef.

The tenderloin is usually no more than a pound and a quarter and is equivalent to the tenderloin in beef. A pork tenderloin is less than 2" in diameter at the thick end and tapers off to less than an inch at the other end.

 

[kadesma]

Connie,
We do them Milanese style which is the same except the flour has finely chopped parsley in it and after cooking we plave meat on a soft french roll and sprinkle on more chopped parsley with finely chopped garlic on top of the meat..give it a light squeese of lemon and let who ever grabs it put on any condiment such as lemon-mayo or just butter for the roll then there is lettuce, onion, avocado, tomato, or just the meat as they so choose.
never seem to have any leftovers though
kadesma

 

[Davydd]

Andy M describes the pork tenderloin correctly. This is my photo gallery pictorial showing both pork tenderloins and pork loin cutlets with complete recipe variations learned from the best...

My Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich Recipe Tutorial
BPT_Tutorial

I'm in the process of making my second annual holiday pork tenderloin sandwiches. The picture I posted was the first. I have them marinating in buttermilk overnight as we discuss. Tomorrow I will bread them with Japanese Panko bread crumbs and deep fry them. I found tenderloins nearly 3 inches in diameter. I'm still looking for a tenderloin capable of making a tenderloin sandwich the size I ate at the St. Olaf Tap in St. Olaf, Iowa.

Here is a movie I found that gives a couple of prep ideas for pork tenderloins that are not sandwiches but will show what a pork tenderloin looks like...

http://www.porkpeople.com/retail2/videoclips/video_tenderloin.mov

I should mention the discussion started as a pork fritter sandwich question. The fritter is what you think it is. It is a fabricated slab of meat from pork and is not a tenderloin. Low priced restaurants might have them, deep fry them and pass them off as tenderloins. I am not running across that very much. Also, some restaurants use pork loin cutlets. There is not a lot of difference but they will be a slightly tougher, less tender meat and a boneless pork chop a tad tougher, grainier yet.

 

[candelbc]

That picture looks AMAZING.. I am definitely going to be treating myself to one of these bad boys soon!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Barb L.]

That picture looks AMAZING.. I am definitely going to be treating myself to one of these bad boys soon!

Thanks for sharing!

I'm with you on this one !! Yum

 

[suziquzie]

This is not a very recent thread but wow that looks good! Davydd I am in MN also can you get those around here (cities) anywhere or do I have to make my own?

 

[Davydd]

suziquzie,

There are surprisingly quite a few places in the Twin Cities that serve a pork tenderloin sandwich. Pictures are in my gallery at porktenderloinsandwich.com and I have reviewed quite a few of them in this blog.

Minnesota Restaurants

With your name you might want to try the Suzie Q Cafe in Mason City, Iowa. That's a day trip from the Twin Cities but a guaranteed great sandwich.

 

[Angie]

suziquzie,

There are surprisingly quite a few places in the Twin Cities that serve a pork tenderloin sandwich. Pictures are in my gallery at porktenderloinsandwich.com and I have reviewed quite a few of them in this blog.

Minnesota Restaurants

With your name you might want to try the Suzie Q Cafe in Mason City, Iowa. That's a day trip from the Twin Cities but a guaranteed great sandwich.

Jonesy's around these parts (Cedar Rapids) claims to have the best tenderloins around. Although...one recently was shut down after an inspection!

 

[Dave Hutchins]

I live in Des Moines Ia. and just about every cafe/restaurant serves a pork tenderloin
and they are made from pork Loin not the tenderloin dipped in seasoned flour and egg wash then into cracker meal and then pounded into the meal so they stick and dried for severl hours to help retain the breading then deep fried at 350*F till nice and brown
I am 67 yrs old and can remember taking my girl frien out for tenderloins back in the 50s
there still woderful

 

[suziquzie]

Now how can they be all over the place just 200 miles away and unheard of here? Amazing how food can be so different in so many places.
I went to ST Louis a couple of years ago, we've been going there since I was a baby, my Dad's family is there. We only now discovered fried ravioli and Gooey Butter Cake. Had they been there all along or were they invented in the 10 years since I'd been there last?!