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Fried Pork Sandwiches

Source of Recipe

From "One-Hour Comfort" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"The star of this sandwich—known in its home territory of the Midwest as the Iowa skinny—is a pork cutlet that's pounded thin, breaded, and fried to a deep golden crispiness. The crunchy cutlets are then served simply on soft hamburger buns with lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. That's it, and wow it's satisfying. The textural interplay of crispy crust, juicy meat, cool veggies, and creamy mayo keeps you coming back for bite after bite. The cutlet is typically prepared from either boneless pork chops or tenderloin; the latter yields more tender cutlets with a milder flavor. For the breading, coat the cutlets with flour, dip them in a tangy, rich mixture of egg and mayonnaise, and roll them in a crunchy blend of saltines and fresh bread crumbs. With cutlets so thin, they fry to the ideal golden hue in less than 5 minutes. Pickles are another great topping."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon salt
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon pepper
â—¦ 3 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into quarters
â—¦ 16 square or 18 round saltines
â—¦ ½ cup all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 large eggs
â—¦ ¼ cup mayonnaise, plus extra for serving
â—¦ 1 cup vegetable oil, divided
â—¦ 4 hamburger buns
â—¦ 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
â—¦ 1 tomato, cored and sliced thin


Recipe

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Cut tenderloin in half. Cut each half in half again, cutting tapered tail piece slightly thicker thicker than middle medallions. Cover pork pieces, cut side up, with plastic wrap and pound to ¼-inch thickness with meat pounder. Pat cutlets dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Pulse bread and saltines in food processor to fine crumbs, about 12 pulses; transfer to shallow dish. Spread flour in second shallow dish. Whisk eggs and mayonnaise together in third shallow dish.

Working with one cutlet at a time, dredge cutlets in flour, dip in egg mixture, then coat with crumbs, pressing gently to adhere. Transfer cutlets to prepared wire rack and let dry for 5 minutes or refrigerate for up to one hour.

Heat ½ cup oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Working with two cutlets at a time, fry cutlets until deep golden brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate and keep warm in oven. Discard oil, wipe out skillet, and repeat with remaining ½ cup oil and remaining two cutlets. Serve on hamburger buns with lettuce, tomato, and extra mayonnaise.

Serves 4