Joe's Hoosier Tenderloin Sandwich

Name: Joe's Hoosier Tenderloin Sandwich
Total time: 1800 s
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 thick-cut, boneless pork tenderloin chops; 1 garlic powder, to taste; 1 salt & pepper, to taste; 3 tbsp cornmeal; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 cup buttermilk; 2 cup Panko breadcrumbs; 1 peanut oil (for frying); 4 large burger buns

Maggie Conlon @WarsawNan

Orlando, FL

The crispy breaded pork tenderloin sandwich is an Indiana specialty from way back. When we were kids, back in the 1950s and 60s, and we'd go to Bedford to visit our grandparents, one of our first outings was always to the diner on the town square for the Hoosier Pork Tenderloin sandwich Dad grew up on.

Maggie Conlon @WarsawNan

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Ingredients

30 mins

4 servings

4thick-cut, boneless pork tenderloin chops
1garlic powder, to taste
1salt & pepper, to taste
3 tbspcornmeal
1/4 cupall-purpose flour
1 1/2 cupbuttermilk
2 cupPanko breadcrumbs
1peanut oil (for frying)
4large burger buns

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Steps

30 mins

1

Butterfly the pork chops by slicing through the thickness from one side to about 1/2 inch before slicing it completely in two. Open the chop out flat.
2

Place the chop between two sheets of plastic wrap. With a meat mallet, starting at the center of the chop and working out toward the edges, beat the chop thin, until it's about 1/4" thick.
3

Liberally season both sides of each chop with garlic powder, salt and pepper.
4

Mix the cornmeal and flour together. Dredge both sides of each chop with this mixture, patting/rubbing it in with your fingers. Set aside.
5

In a cast iron skillet, heat peanut oil to 360°. (You can do this in a deep fryer, but I prefer the traditional cast iron skillet method.)
6

Pour the buttermilk into a large, shallow dish (such as a cake pan). Pour the panko breadcrumbs onto a large dinner plate and spread them out flat.
7

Dip each pork chop into the buttermilk, covering completely; let excess drain off, then dredge them with the panko breadcrumbs. I like to use the back of a soup spoon to press the crumbs onto the meat so it sticks well.
8

Let the breaded chops sit for 15 minutes. This step's important! If you fry immediately after breading, your breading won't stick to the meat.
9

Fry each tenderloin until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes on each side. They're so big, you can only fry one at a time. Line a cookie sheet with paper towels, place a cake-cooling rack on top of the paper towels, and transfer your finished tenderloins to the cooling rack; keep finished tenderloins in a warm oven while you cook the rest.
10

Serve on a toasted bun. The traditional toppings for a Hoosier Pork Tenderloin are mayonnaise, lettuce, and dill pickle chips (LOTS of pickles!). But feel free to add thinly sliced onion, tomato, or your own favorites.

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Cooksnaps

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Maggie Conlon @WarsawNan

on January 10, 2015 21:38

Orlando, FL

My 5 siblings and I were raised in the 1950s and 60s midwest by a major foodie dad who was a great cook. We all learned to cook at a young age. I love to cook for my 2 daughters, 7 grandkids, 8 great-grandkids, and extended family. My 4 year old great-grandson makes my day when he says "Nan sure is a good cooker!". :-). I'm trying to get all my favorite recipes saved here so my family and friends all have easy access to them even after I'm gone. My Cookpad collection is their inheritance, so I try to add my comments and memories to each recipe; that way they'll remember me with a smile when they use the recipes years from now. Recently I've called on my grandkids (all adults and avid cooks) to send me their own favorite recipes, with their prep photos, so we can collect everyone's favorites together in one place.