Breaded Pork Tenderloin

Breaded is the loin. The breaded pork tenderloin is one of my favorite sandwiches. The crispy, golden, delicious breading enclosing the moist, tender, delicious pork is a match made in heaven. Put it on a bun with all the fixins and you've got yourself one heck of a tasty sandwich.

As I was looking for a recipe on the internet, I found that the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich (tenderloin) is a Midwestern specialty; and it is especially popular in Indiana. In fact, a search for the sandwich yields no results on foodnetwork.com. So, unbeknownst to me at the time, the tenderloin really is an Indiana tradition. I'm so glad to be a Hoosier!

There were so many tenderloin recipes on other sites like cooks.com and allrecipes.com, it was a little overwhelming. I ended up reading through many recipes and came up with my own variation on how to make it. In my opinion, simple is better, so I just kept it basic, and the results did not disappoint.

When making the sandwich, I start by cutting a pork tenderloin (not pork loin) into four pieces and pounding each piece very thin. Then, I dip the meat in a milk and egg mixture, then in flour, and then in panko breadcrumbs. Preferring pan frying instead of deep frying, I season the breaded meat with salt and pepper, and place it in a cast iron skillet with about ¼ inch of hot oil. Fry on each side until golden brown and delicious, place on a bun with your favorite toppings and consume. It's a nice little taste of Indiana.