Pork Tenderloin sandwich

For someone who grew up in the Midwest, this is a favorite. In fact, last Christmas I had a horrible airline adventure that included being diverted to St. Louis and had to stay overnight, and the saving grace was that the hotel restaurant served breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches.

These aren't difficult to make, but kind of messy in terms of the prep work, so it isn't something I make often. And I wouldn't make fewer than six, just because it wouldn't be worth going through all the steps just to make one! But now I will have yummy sandwiches for several days. The rest of the pork tenderloin will be prepared in different ways.

At my store, pork tenderloin usually comes in a package of 2 pieces totaling a little under 3 pounds. This one was 2-3/4 lbs. This took about half of one of the pieces, so each sandwich actually has just about 2 ounces of meat. You could make them bigger -- I've had some that were nearly the size of a dinner plate -- but that seems excessive!

I used slices one inch thick. Pound them as thin as you can. They will be very tender and also will cook quickly.

Salt and pepper the slices.

Set up a three-pan breading station.
Pan 1: Flour, with salt and pepper added
Pan 2: Egg mixture. I used two eggs, a dash of soy sauce and a tablespoon of Dijon mustard. You could easily add Worcestershire sauce. I would avoid barbecue sauce or anything else with sugar in it, as that would burn.
Pan 3: Cracker crumbs. I used three handfuls each of Gorgonzola cheese crackers and wheat thin crackers. Put 'em in a gallon size heavy duty zipper plastic bag, squeeze the air out before closing, and go at 'em with a rolling pin. You want some really fine crumbs, but you also want some still in the 1/8- to 1/4-inch range.

Heat up that cast iron skillet with some oil that has a high smoke point. I used canola oil; peanut oil would be another good choice. Dad used to use Crisco shortening, melted, and we all survived.
Be sure to get the oil nice and hot so the tenderloins won't get too greasy (my one complaint about the ones in St. Louis!). You don't need a lot of oil, but maybe 1/8 inch across the entire bottom of the pan. There needs to be enough not only to keep the breading from sticking but also to help transfer heat to the inside.

Dip the pork in flour, shaking off the excess, then egg, then cracker crumbs, giving another shake. You want them thoroughly coated but only with what will stay stuck on.

I fried two at a time, turning when they were brown on one side, and it only took a couple of minutes on each side. Because the pork has been pounded so thin, it will be cooked in that short time.

I was able to get all six cooked without having to clean the pan, but that would be about the limit, as some of the breading does fall off anyway and starts to burn. So if I were doing more, I would stop and wipe/rinse out the pan (careful! hot!) and start with fresh oil.

I like mine with barbecue sauce on one slice of bread, mayo and pickles on the other, but that's a truly personal thing.

You don't even have to make a sandwich. I guess then it would be pork scallopini.