Yum! That is one of SOs favorites! I pound them thin,and dip them in flour seasoned with seasoning salt, then egg, then saltine cracker crumbs also seasoned with seasoning salt. Toast the bun by frying it in buttah. He likes just mayo and tomato on his.

I have been cooking the breaded pork in the air fryer recently, and it delicious!!!

Went to school in Indiana, ate many, they are wonderful.

I forgot to list the mayo -- that's how we like ours. Others may use mustard, but it's not our way! And it's one of those things that you don't want to get too "gourmet" on -- no herby aioli for example -- just plain Duke's from the jar!

Thanks, Martha! I was ever so curious. That's what the chicken version was like--a thin leaf of iceberg (rather than a stack) and plain mayo. It was good but very different. Now I've learned that it's a whole thing where you are, with devotees, and supposed to be pork tenderloin. I get it about the simplicity. More about savoring what's there than adding unnecessary pops. Probably even better as pork. Cool. I love learning. Thanks for sharing.

There is a contest by a newspaper here in Iowa for the best pork tenderloin sandwich....Goldie's wins often! A dinner plate size hunk of pork loin, pounded thin well seasoned, fried, and served on a toasted bun with lettuce, onion, pickle, tomato and mustard and/of ketchup to add if you wish.
It's an Iowa thing!
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g38305-d2452060-Reviews-Goldie_s-Prairie_City_Iowa.html

a long long time ago, the pork loin sandwiches were known as 'skinnies' ... pounded really thin like a dinner plate. Soaked overnight in buttermilk, salt and peppered, then lightly breaded and fried.

Must be regional. Although I grew up eating pork roast and chops, etc. I've never heard of this dish. Looks good. Don't think fried foods were ever as popular in the PNW as some other regions?

I'm from the Missouri/Kansas border and they're definitely a thing here -- and a place with a good tenderloin is a good place! So often now they're frozen -- already breaded and then fried in house. NOT a good thing! Yes, I heard that Iowa was known for their pork tenderloins as well.

Chicken cutlet is as common as any other sandwich here, but off hand I’ve not seen pork cutlet. Looks good to me. The kids might even like it. Will be trying!

yes, we are the 'oink' of the pork belt up here ...

Peoria's Hunts Drive-In was known for its pork tenderloin sandwiches. We loved them. They were huge, and when I was a kid, I would be full just from eating the meat sticking out from the bun before I ever got to the main part of the sandwich. A buttermilk soak was part of their recipe. It was light, moist, tender, savory. Don't remember much dressing it though.

Looks really good, Martha! Love pork tenderloin for various things. I still remember the day Sam's Club had mistakenly priced all their pork tenderloin 2-packs for $1.39/pound. I loaded up my cart just before a meat department guy came out to (frantically!) gather up all the rest.

One of hubby's favorites. I make them a couple of times a year.

Come to Iowa and travel the Tenderloin Trail.
https://www.traveliowa.com/getinspireddetails/iowa-s-tenderloin-trail/258/

Martha: Did you use a pork tenderloin or a pork loin? I ask because I would think you would get more than 4 pieces out of a pork tenderloin. Or did you cut a pork tenderloin the opposite direction that pork medallions are cut?

lizbeth, I was curious myself and looked at several recipes using pork tenderloin. Every recipe indicated 4 servings, and the amount of tenderloin ranged from a half pound (very skimpy for 4 people!) to 2 pounds. Three of the recipes said to cut the tenderloin into 4 very thick slices to pound out. I know the tenderloins I buy are pretty small...about a pound or so each. I can see not getting more than 4 slices in order to pound them out to match the size in Martha's photo.

I suppose you could just butterfly the tenderloin first, then cut crosswise into 4 pieces. Maybe a little less pounding that way.

I'm sure Martha will be back to clarify.

Sorry -- busy day here starting at 6 a.m. and just got back on the computer. Yes,basically, they are 4 medallions and it was a "normal" size pork tenderloin that I had in the freezer. Yes it is a fairly thick piece of meat before you start pounding -- a couple of inches (as I remember). And yes, they are TENDERLOIN not loin. Although I do remember seeing on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives one of those DDD's that used some other cut of pork but pounded it out. And yes, that little 2 inch by 2 or 3 inch piece of meat does become a big flat piece of meat! I was amazed at that myself as I did it!

Thanks, Martha! Can you believe that one recipe I mentioned used just 1/2 pound of tenderloin for 4 people?

Thanks, Martha! That makes sense if you are starting out with a piece that thick. I will have to try that sometime.

Chloebud, do you think it might be a typo? 1/8 lb. is a slider, not portion bigger than the bun. Maybe it was supposed to say 1-2 lb., not 1/2 lb.? I could imagine that it meant 1/4 - 1/2 lb. per portion, and likely meant to conform with variable sizes of prepacked meat, where if you get 1.53 lbs., that would be fine.

plllog, I'll have to find the recipe again. A typo's the only thing that makes sense.

I was also wondering about the cut and pounding it that broadly and thinly. Found this ATK recipe for pork schnitzel along with video. Same, one pork tenderloin cut into four and pounded. Free page, video at link.

https://www.cooksillustrated.com/videos/313-breaded-pork-cutlets-pork-schnitzel

plllog, this is the recipe with the half pound of pork. Clearly a typo. Maybe 1 1/2 pounds? There aren't many reviews, and none questioned the amount. One of them mentions "easy to scale upward." LOL...guess so!

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/crispy-pork-tenderloin-sandwiches/ 

The link didn't work for me, but 1-2 or 1.5 (1 1/2) cut in quarters makes sense for standard meat portioning. Which is why it pays to know about food and cooking rather than blindly following recipes. My favorite bread book is notious for errata. There's a page of 'em you can print and tick in the book, it's so bad... Luckily, most of the weights are right.

In Iowa a tender loin sandwich is made from the pork loin, a half or 3/4 inch slice pounded out. Trust me after that pounding it's tender enough.
I think it would pretty well be impossible for a piece of tenderloin to be pounded out to 1/4 inch and still not fall apart.
Everyone seasons differently and everyone breads differently, but here's one recipe.
https://lifeofaginger.com/pork-tenderloin-sandwich/

I like to add some seasoned flour as I pound ( salt pepper, onion powder, paprika) and then egg and dip again into crushed saltines.....then fry.
Just pound that seasoned flour into the pork....and always the loin not the tenderloin.

"Which is why it pays to know about food and cooking rather than blindly following recipes."

Right...and it pays well!

Not sure why that link didn't work, but this is recipe. ..FWIW.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
• 1/2 pound pork tenderloin
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 4 hamburger buns or kaiser rolls, split
• Optional toppings: lettuce leaves, tomato and pickle slices, and mayonnaise

Directions

• In a shallow bowl, mix flour, salt and pepper. Place egg in another shallow bowl. Combine bread crumbs and place in a third shallow bowl.
• Cut tenderloin crosswise into four slices; pound each with a meat mallet to 1/4-in. thickness. Dip in flour mixture to coat both sides; shake off excess. Dip in egg, then in crumb mixture, patting to help adhere.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook pork 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from pan; drain on paper towels. Serve in buns, with toppings as desired.

Chloe -- that's similar to what I di -- perhaps the same recipe.

linda -- I will admit that it is pretty "flimsy" when it goes from the bread crumbs into the pan but it does firm up nicely when cooked.

linda -- perhaps that's why they're bigger . . . they're made from the loin so they start with a bigger piece of meat and pounded out it's bigger than the tenderloin can make.

I always use a tenderloin. Cut in 4 pieces. Butterfly those four pieces, and pound out thin. Marinate in buttermilk with some hot sauce added. Shake in seasoned flour and crushed saltines. Fry.

"Butterfly those four pieces, and pound out thin."

Angela, I was thinking you could do that. Easy when the slices are so thick.

I finally got around to making these. I was curious about the tenderloins pounding out without shredding, but they flattened out with no problem. No butterflying or anything needed.

One leaf of lettuce ;)

That looks really good, FOAS, nice and crispy. I'll have mine with mustard, please.

Annie

Gotta make a trip to goldies soon!!!

Looks delicious. We don't put things like that in sandwiches in Europe.....don't know why! Must try it. I love pork.

I tell you between being a tenderloin to start and then pounding it out like that, it was a really tender cutlet. I’ll definitely be treating pork like this again.

Everyone liked it but my daughter who spent the meal picking off the “crust.” But she’s just like that; cuts off the exterior of any meat except steak. Closest I get her to enjoying chicken breast is by gently poaching it. But I digress. Thanks, Martha!

y'all's a bunch o' late bloomers when it comes to pork tenderloins ... prob the number one fave of my wife and kids ... and now grandkids. So good when, after pounding the oink out of them, you soak them overnight in buttermilk and pepper ... pork loins make excellent pulled pork too.

Glad you liked it FOAS!

I use a jaccard on the pork loin chops first and then soak them in buttermilk for 3-4 hours before pounding the daylights out of them. I use the same method and recipe on chicken fried chicken or chicken a la mer. I like lettuce, pickle chips, and homemade horseradish on mine.

I think I may make some this weekend before my garden lettuce succumbs to a low of 22 on Halloween. I bought a whole pork loin on sale a few weeks ago and sliced it into 1" chops and vacuum sealed them.

Ooh, delicious looking, Martha and FOAS.

I’ve never had one. Our family did make sandwiches from leftover loin roast.

I pound out and bread tenderloin regularly, sometimes we have is as is with lemon wedges schnitzel styke, sometimes with a Hunters sauce ( himself' s favourite ) sometimes Parmigiana style.....but a sandwich sounds , and looks terrific!! Thanks .

They are very good, I like mine with fresh tomato and lettuce and mayo. Very popular in this area and several places make some really good ones. They are bigger than your bun and you can get two meals out of one! Sometimes I too make my own. I just use boneless pork loin.

Sue in Central Indiana

I love veal schnitzel sandwiches done the same way but no pounding needed since the scallopini are thin enough.

My husband grew up in Iowa where pork tenderloin sandwiches are ubiquitous. I learned to love them too. And, every once in a while, I get motivated to make a homemade version. They do make great eating.