A HUGE family favorite here are Pork Tenderloins. I love them..the kids loved them. Hubby especially loved them.
Last weekend I was on the computer writing blog posts when Karl called me. He said, “Hey I’m in Cedar Falls at the HyVee Grocery. They have pork loins on sale for $1.58 a pound. Do you want one?” YES!! YES, I do. So Karl brought it home. $14.90 for this. YES!!
Anytime they are under $2 a pound I buy one. We love pork loins and the many things that I make with it.
This night on the menu were Tenderloins. Oh my, I make a good tenderloin. Come along and I’ll show you how I do it.
First off cut the meat about this wide. My family gorges themselves when I make this so I end up making a lot.
From here I do a butterfly cut. I cut the slice in half but not all the way through. There’s a small amount of fat on it and I cut to the fat but not through the fat. Just like that, it looks doubled in size.
Next it’s time to tenderize it. I have the mallet to do that. I always put the meat inside the bag while I hammer it out. First I do one side and then the other. This tenderizes the meat and makes the cut much larger. This is how restaurants get the tenderloins so big that they hang way over the bun.
I happen to have a little helper to help me get all of the tenderloins tenderized…see??
Carver was here. I gave him the little wooden hammer we have here and he thought he was KING!! It was so cute.
In fact, he helped a lot. He mixed up the breading. Here’s what I use.
1.5 parts cornmeal
1 part flour
then spices….
When I made these I was on the low iodine diet…so I didn’t add salt. I figured the family could sprinkle salt if needed. I used Mrs. Dash and pepper.
Typically it’s something simple like LOTS of Lawry’s and Pepper…a little garlic and onion salt. I really is whatever you like.
Mix that up.
Then I made the liquid for the batter. I can’t have egg yolks or milk so I did egg white and water for me. For the rest I did 3 eggs beaten with milk.
Once you get to this point put the pan you’re frying in on the stove. Put 1/2″ of vegetable oil in the bottom. Heat it up. When I say heat it up…I mean on high until the oil is HOT. These need a high heat to fry nicely.
While that’s heating, I start dredging the first tenderloin. First in the in the dry mix…then the wet and then the dry again.
Pop them in the pan. The grease should sizzle up at you a bit. This is a time I always wear an apron. They cook on each side for a few minutes. I flip when they look like this….
When I first started making them I had to cut into them to know they were done enough…now I just know. I do cover the pan with a lid.
We love them with homemade honey mustard sauce. I mix equal parts honey and mustard together and that’s what they like. Carver likes ketchup and me, being on the diet I couldn’t have mustard so I was honey only. In a restaurant Kramer ordered his with pickle and onion. It’s a whatever you like kind of thing.
I eat mine with no bun….YUM!!!
I make these enough and our family is so big, that I have two pans on the stove frying at the same time. Oh my…seriously, this is good homestyle eating.
I made baked potatoes in the Instant Pot and had some stir fry veggies with this and it was a great supper.
Craig who had been out farming all day was there for supper and no joke, he ate 4 of these HUGE ones. We like these so much that I’m thinking out making these for Thanksgiving this year with a baked potato bar….I’m game to try something different. It is a lot with all the kids here as this a pretty labor intense meal but there should be lots of hands to help. We’ll see.
I do have a little more loin in the refrigerator so I’m off. I think we’ll have them another night. I’m sure Karl won’t object.
They look delish and I love the idea of hammering them thinner for frying, great idea. Carver is so cute helping out.
Looks wonderful!
I know, I love to get inexpensive pork too.
I will make these for my farmers this fall. Thanks for the great idea.
You were making schnitzle (sp?). Whole tenderloins cook really fast in the oven without all that labor.
Ooh! Thanks, Jo for this wonderful recipe! I lived in the North when I was young and had wonderful tenderloins. I’ve often wondered how they made them. Thanks to you, now I can make them here in the South. Can’t wait to make them. Keep your chin up through your health trials. We’re all pulling for you.
I’m a lazy cook so I just dump my tenderloins in the crockpot on low. They’re still delicious because they’re a great cut of meat but yours do look special.
Oh, Jo. Thank you so much for the tenderloin recipe. I grew up in Indiana and have lived in FL for many years now. Pork Tenderloin sandwiches were my absolute favorite thing in the world when I lived in the Midwest, but they don’t have them here. What is that about. Lately when I go home to visit, I haven’t been able to find anywhere to get them anymore. I’ve never been able to find a recipe that lived up to my memory. This looks like it might just do the trick. I’m going to the grocery today.
I went to high school in Indianapolis in the 50’s and there was a drive in on the south side called Al Green’s. They made the best pork tenderloin sandwiches that hung off the sides of the buns. I told my kids about them and how good they were. Ah, memories, memories!
I’d never heard of these until I moved to Indiana. If there was an official State sandwich, it would be pork tenderloin. I would like it better without the bun, as you have it here. Thanks for the instructions.
You are definitely a connisseur of good food.
That is how I do it too, except I have never added the cornmeal. Will try that next time.
Thanks for sharing your recipe for the pork tenderloin…looks absolutely yummy! Love that you bread it in corn meal. I’ll be trying out your recipe soon, and I suspect the family will love it. Thanks!
I have long had a love-hate relationship with pork loin. No matter how hard I tried, I would over cook it. But a few months ago I saw a recipe on pinterest that looked really interesting. You lay out bacon (everything is better with bacon) and cover it with thin slices of apple and then onion. Next put the pork loin on it and roll it up; then tie with the twine that you put down under the bacon. The instructions are easy to follow and make this seemingly difficult task quite easy. It is the best!
Breaded pork tenderloin has always been a favorite of our family too! My recipe is just like yours, but I haven’t tried adding cornmeal … that sounds yummy. A few years ago, I decided to try baking them instead of frying, and it worked out great. You can get all the breading done ahead of time, put them all in pans ( even cookie sheets with sides will do fine), then keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to bake them. I put a little oil in the bottom of the pans before I put the breaded meat in, and also flip them over to get some on both sides (have to get that golden, fried look and taste!). I probably do mine at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or so, but of course, you can use trial and error at different temps to see what works for you. This would be a great way to do them for Thanksgiving for a crowd. My husband likes his with gravy, and we both have to have cranberry sauce (weird, I know)! Good luck in getting your health back!
Your recipe looks delicious! It reminds me of the wonderful schnitzel we had when we lived in Germany. Being half-Japanese I make the Japanese version which is called tonkatsu. The pork cutlets are smaller and I make it with thin cuts of pork loin so it cooks faster. We use panko bread crumbs in the Japanese version.
Your pork tenderloins look soooo good. We live in the South now and as others have mentioned, not available here. When we visit Iowa, our friends know that we are going to want pork tenderloins! Such a treat!
Thanks for the recipe Jo! I just happen to have a pork loin in the freezer. I grew up in Iowa so a tenderloin sandwich is a must when I go home to visit (I’m in Texas). Now I think I can make them for myself, can’t wait to try.
PS last time I want home my Dad and brother raved about a tenderloin place so we went needless to say I was shocked and disappointed when my sandwich came and the tenderloin was SQUARE! Now that’s just not right lol.
Jeri
I learned to make fried pork tenderloin from a client when I was doing in home health care. Oh was it ever good. Been doing that way ever since. Not often but for a special meal oh yes.
Sounds delicious! I’ve never tried it before but seeing it sure makes me hungry!
Love and prayers
Please add the Pork Tenderloins to your Recipes tab for our quick reference.
Pingback: Pantry/Grocery Challenge | Jo's Country Junction
That recipe looks delicious. Can’t wait to try it for my boys. Thanks Jo!