It was my Birthday the other day and Vickie and I were knocking around ideas for a feast. I got to thinking about my youth and a favorite meal back when I was a kid in Central Illinois, the Hog Capital of the World. Iowans claim that title too and I’m okay with that. In any case, I used to love to poke around the local eateries; in search of that finest of Midwestern delicacies – a magical, Hand-hammered, deep fried, Pork Tenderloin Sandwich. That was before the government subsidized, corporate conglomerates and their cookie cutter dining establishments put all the Mom & Pop shops out of business. So there were plenty of hole in the wall; cafes, diners, and dives to go treasure hunting in.
I loved the way they’d pound the pork loin into a giant, thin disc, that dwarfed the bun. I’d nibble off the crunchy, warm goodness first before taking a big bite, that included the dill pickles and the soft enveloping bun. Vickie and I decided to see if we could recreate all the fun of that magical sandwich, without the oil. We have a Ninja Air-Fryer and we love that thing. It makes fast work of many foods we enjoy. We’ve had it for awhile but hadn’t tried using it with breading; this would be the first go.
The plan was that I’d be in charge of the buns and pounding the pork, while Vickie created some world class Cole Slaw and some pickled purple onions to decorate the magical sandwiches with. Special sandwiches require special buns, so I started nurturing the dough the day before. Sourdough of course, with milk and eggs added to achieve that silky soft smoothness that I remember from my youth, even though those sandwiches were probably made with Wonder-Bread buns from the local Piggly-Wiggly.
Ironically, I hammered the pork with a meat hammer that I made back in High School Shop Class, nearly 50 years ago. Right around the same period that I was seduced by the the Siren’s Song of this Magical Midwestern Sandwich. We hit it out of the park too. The crisp Cole Slaw, the pickled onions and the Chardonnay all paired magically with the warm crunchy goodness of the pork discs, surrounded by soft, custom, oversize buns.
The love affair is back in full flower. I think this Midwestern Classic has made it’s way into the 3MPH Sandwich Hall of Fame.
Our technique for the Air-Fryer was to dredge the meat disc in flour, dunk it in the egg and then lay it gently in a bed of Panko Bread Crumbs and shake more over the top. The flour and egg made a nice glue for the bread crumbs and everything held together nicely. Vickie gently laid two at a time into the pre-warmed Ninja and it only took a few minutes and we had golden brown tenderloins.
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” – Luciano Pavarotti