Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

In the lower Midwest, when you say tenderloin, you mean a bunned sandwich for which a slice of pork is pounded thin, breaded, and fried to a crisp. Through much of Iowa, Illinois and Indiana, tenderloins (sometimes called breaded pork tenderloins or simply BPTs), stir opinion and argument no less fervid than that inspired by green chile cheeseburgers in New Mexico and crab cakes around the Chesapeake Bay. Girth is a big issue, some cutlets pounded out so wide that the sandwich literally is impossible to hold. But thinner isn’t always better. A super-thin tenderloin runs the risk of frying dry. Excellence is built upon a fine balance: there should be a vast amount of crisp, crunchy crust, but the ribbon of pork within needs to be thick enough to remain juicy. Too thick, however, and a tenderloin loses its elegance. Traditionally, tenderloins are garnished with mustard and pickle chips with the option of lettuce and tomato.

Restaurants With This Dish

Orlean Market

MARSHALL, VA

Crisp-fried tenderloin, topped with tomato, onion, and lettuce, extends far beyond the burger bun that holds it

Nick’s Kitchen

HUNTINGTON, IN

Branson Cafe

BRANSON, MO

Machine Shed

URBANDALE, IA

Cronks Cafe

DENISON, IA

Liberty Gathering Place

WEST LIBERTY, OH

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