We had such a great time cooking a Californian meal last week, that we thought we’d continue our tour of the states and make it our mid-week meal plan. Tonight Mr. N is taking us to Indiana. While we’ve never really called Indiana home, most of my dad’s family hails from the Hoosier state. So on tonight’s menu – The Hoosier Pork Tenderloin Sandwich. (So much for not deep-frying again anytime soon!)

We began the meal with a little hammering. It seems we don’t own a meat mallet, so we used the next best thing – a hammer wrapped with plastic wrap. While mom and dad were a little embarrassed to post the pictures of our “meat mallet”, Mr. N and Miss A sure thought it was fun to use Dad’s hammer on food! First we butterflied the pork loin chops, then we beat them until they were about a quarter-inch thick. Meanwhile we were heating the olive oil in a skillet. Once the oil was ready we dipped the pork into milk and then into the breading mixture of flour, corn meal, salt and pepper. 

The pork chops are fried individually in the oil. If the oil is heated to the right temperature it takes about 7 minutes. When the first side is a nice golden brown, flip and brown the other side.

After each pork chop is fried, place it on a plate with a paper towel to drain. Then put it on a baking sheet in the oven to keep it warm while the others fry.

The pork tenderloin is served on a hamburger bun with onions and tomatoes. Dad and I used BBQ sauce on ours and the kids opted for ketchup.

Tonight’s meal was a hit all around. Who knew Indiana had such tasty treats! The Hoosier Pork Tenderloin Sandwich got a solid 3 spoons from mom and dad (It’s not terribly healthy so we didn’t give it the full 4, but it’s really good!), and 3 spoons from Miss A and Mr. N as well. Miss A liked hers best on a sandwich and Mr. N preferred his without the hamburger bun. So the Hoosier state turned in a win – although I don’t think you’ll see anyone wearing red and white anytime soon. It’s orange crush all the way.

Print this recipe: Hoosier Pork Tenderloin Sandwich