Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

5 from 57 votes

This Midwest-style Pork Tenderloin Sandwich is a mouth watering beast! Breaded and fried in crushed oyster crackers, this sandwich is salty, crunchy on the outside and extra juicy on the inside. Sandwich perfection!

Prep Time20

Cook Time16

Total Time36

Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Amercian

Servings:

Calories: 1265kcal

Author: Teri & Jenny

Ingredients

pork

4 (6 ounce each) center-cut boneless pork loin pounded until 1/4” thin
1 cup all purpose flour
3 large eggs, well beaten
2 cups crushed oyster crackers
salt and pepper to taste

frying

3 cups frying oil

assembly

4 burger buns lightly toasted
1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup pickle chips
⅛ small red onion, thinly sliced optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

pork

Generously season the pounded pork tenderloin pieces with salt and pepper on both sides.
Dredge each pork piece in flour and shake off any excess.
Dip each flour covered pork into the beaten eggs, until fully covered, allowing any excess egg to drip off.
Finish by dredging each piece into the crushed cracker crumbs until fully coated, shaking off any excess.
Season each coated pork piece with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Fill a large skillet with about 2 inches of oil (about 3 cups) and preheat oil to about 350˚F.
Carefully place the breaded pork into the skillet. Fry cutlet on each side for 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown.
Repeat frying remaining pork cutlets.
Transfer to cooling rack and season cutlets with salt and pepper.

Assembly

Spread a generous amount of mayo onto each top and bottom bun. Top the bottom halves of each bun with a pork cutlet and top with pickle chips and thinly sliced red onions, if using. Gently press the tops of each bun onto each sandwich and serve.

Video

Notes

Flattening the pork

Place each piece of pork between two large sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Using a meat mallet, pound each piece of pork loin until about 1/4" thick.

Oyster Cracker Substitute

You can used crushed saltine crackers in place of the oyster crackers. You can also use panko breadcrumbs in a pinch.

Make Ahead and Freezing

Make Ahead: Place fried cutlets in an airtight container, between layers of parchment paper for up to 2 days. To reheat, preheat an oven to 375˚F. Place cutlets onto a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 10 minutes. Flip each cutlet over and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes or until cutlets are heated through and crisp back up a bit. They won't be as crunchy as when they were freshly fried, but they will still be quite good.

Freeze Ahead: Place coated and uncooked cutlets onto a parchment lined baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart. Place baking sheet in freezer until cutlets are fully frozen. Transfer them to a resealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to use, fry them as stated in the directions, but for 2 to 3 minutes longer on each side.

Using Pork Loin vs Pork Tenderloin

Although the recipe is called pork tenderloin sandwich, we our pork loin in our recipe. Normally the two aren't interchangeable in recipes, but since we're pounding the meat out until it's ultra thin (and tenderized) using either cut here is totally fine!

We specifically use the loin because you can find nice sized, individually cut, boneless loin chops at the market making things just a tad bit easier on the prep end. We also prefer the slightly meatier texture paired with the oyster cracker breading with the loin.

Definitely feel free to use tenderloin though if that's your preference. Each piece of tenderloin should be about 6 ounces in weight.

Nutrition