Whether you call it a fried pork tenderloin sandwich or a BPT (breaded pork tenderloin sandwich), this iconic Midwestern crispy pork sandwich can be summed up in one word – delicious! Breaded in Saltine crackers and pan fried in a large skillet or on the griddle, this may be your new favorite way to eat pork tenderloin!

I have to be honest, when I first saw this sandwich, I thought to myself “that’s ridiculous”. The fried pork hangs off the edge of the bun so much that the bun just seems irrelevant. An entire loaf of French bread would be more appropriate for the fried pork tenderloin than a measly hamburger bun.

But since this sandwich is a Midwest regional favorite, and that’s how it’s traditionally prepared, I had to follow suit. After all, whenever I recreate iconic recipes I do my best to make them as authentic as possible to honor the cultures and people that created these dishes. Just like I did for these authentic Philly Cheesesteaks.

But appearance aside, this breaded pork tenderloin sandwich is hands-down one of the best sandwiches that we’ve made recently! Pork tenderloin is a favorite in our house because of its affordability, flavor, and tenderness. And with simple sandwich toppings like mayonnaise, mustard, and dill pickle, this sandwich is the perfect blend of crispy textures and classic flavors.

My wife and I devoured this Indiana fried pork sandwich, and we’re confident that you’ll love it too!

What is a Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich?

Made popular in Midwestern states like Indiana and Iowa, the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich (BPT), sometimes called a Fried Pork Tenderloin Sandwich or the Hoosier Sandwich, consists of a very large, flattened piece of pork tenderloin that is breaded and fried. It shares some similarities with pork schnitzel.

But the most distinguishing characteristic of this iconic sandwich is the overall look. This giant piece of fried pork is served on a regular sized hamburger bun, but the crispy on the outside, tender on the inside meat hangs well beyond the edges of the bun. Let’s just say that if you were served this sandwich at a restaurant, you’d probably laugh out loud when it was delivered to your table.

Toppings for a BPT Sandwich

If you’re making the classic fried pork tenderloin sandwich like they do in the Midwest, then there are only two topping options:

lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise
yellow mustard and dill pickle

True Midwesterners will tell you that the toppings can not be mixed. You either select option A with all three (lettuce, tomato, and mayo) or option B with only pickle and mustard. But I’m a fan of mayonnaise on my fried sandwiches and I also love pickles, so I made my own combination of toppings (gasp!) – including mayo, yellow mustard, dill pickle, and slices of raw onion.

This combo was absolutely perfect, but feel free to experiment with your own fried pork sandwich toppings… just be sure to stay away from cheese!

How to Get the Pork Tenderloin Thin

If you’re familiar with pork tenderloin then you know that it’s round and long in shape, typically 2-3″ in diameter. But you don’t need to pound the heck out of it to get the piece of meat flat and thin.

Instead, I recommend butterflying the tenderloin open to make it about 1/4 to 1/3″ thick first. My preferred technique isn’t technically butterflied, but it’s more of a “roll and cut”. Think of a cake roll.

*Tip – I cut my pork tenderloin into thirds first to make the pieces more manageable and to make the serving size more reasonable – three people per tenderloin. However, for a more authentic, larger breaded pork tenderloin you may want to only cut the pork into two pieces to start, or even leave it whole depending on the size of your tenderloin.

Here’s how I cut my pork tenderloin:

collage showing steps to cut a pork tenderloin thin

Place your knife about 1/4 to 1/3″ from one side of the pork tenderloin (long ways) and cut down until your knife is about 1/4 to 1/3″ from the cutting board. Do not cut all the way down to the cutting board.
Open up the flap that you just cut, and turn your knife so that it is on the same plane as the cutting board. Continue to cut across the bottom side of the tenderloin, unrolling as you go.
Keep the knife on the same plane and unroll the meat to maintain an even thickness, gently cutting and unrolling.
Continue cutting with your knife parallel to the cutting board until the entire tenderloin has been unrolled into one flat piece.

*If you still have questions about the knife work, then you can watch me cut the pork tenderloin in my YouTube video… I’ll walk you through it step-by-step.

After the pork has been cut, season both sides with your favorite all-purpose seasoning (we used Shake That All-Purpose Seasoning). Then, place the pork between two pieces of oiled plastic wrap and pound them out to about 1/4″ thickness.

Making the Breading

A perfectly crispy fried pork tenderloin starts off with a basic 3 part dredge. Prepare three large bowls with the following ingredients:

Bowl 1 – Flour. You can use all-purpose or self-rising, whatever you have on hand.
Bowl 2 – Two beaten eggs and a splash of half and half. For a little extra flavor, you can also add in a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce, though this is not traditional in the Midwest.
Bowl 3 – Crushed Saltines and panko breadcrumbs, mixed together well. You can leave a few larger crumbs of crackers for a bit of extra texture – the crackers don’t have to be completely pulverized.

dredging station set up for fried pork tenderloin

*Many Midwestern restaurants use crushed Saltine crackers for the breading, or a combination of Saltines and breadcrumbs. We personally LOVE panko breadcrumbs for frying, so we used a 50/50 blend of panko and crushed Saltines for our sandwich.

Next, lightly coat each piece of pork in flour, shaking off any excess. This step ensures that the egg wash will stick. Then dip the floured pork in the egg wash, making sure it’s fully coated. Finally, press the pork into the panko and Saltine mixture. Make sure every nook and cranny is covered and shake off any excess.

*GRIDDLE OR SKILLET – This is an awesome griddle recipe, because the flattened piece of pork tenderloin is so large, and it shallow fries perfectly on the flat top grill. You can also cook multiple pieces of pork at once on the griddle. However, if you don’t have a griddle, then you can also prepare the pork inside in a large stovetop skillet. Just pan fry the breaded pork tenderloin in about 1/4″ of oil. The oil should be heated to about 350 degrees F.

Frying the Breaded Pork Tenderloin

Once the pieces of pork tenderloin are pounded out thin and breaded, it’s time to fry them.

Heat up a good amount of oil on your griddle. I prefer my griddle to slope a bit, allowing the oil to pool in one corner. This ensures I can make the most of my frying oil. Once the oil is hot enough (you can test by dropping in a piece of breadcrumb—if it sizzles, you’re good to go), lay the battered pork gently into the pool of oil.

frying a piece of breaded pork tenderloin

Shallow fry until the pork is golden brown and crispy on both sides. This should take about 3-5 minutes per side, depending on the temperature of your griddle.

*As the pork is frying, you’ll probably have to use your griddle scraper to direct excess oil towards the meat. Simply scrape the oil that has started to run away from the pork so that it is under the tenderloin again – this results in better shallow frying on the griddle.

When the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F and has a nice golden brown color, transfer it to a wire rack for the excess oil to drain. You can take this time to toast your hamburger buns, cut side down, on the warm griddle.

And then just assemble your sandwich! Once the pork is done, lay it on the bottom bun. Dress it up Hoosier style, with mustard, pickles, and onions, or opt for the lettuce, tomato, and mayo combo—or go rogue and do a bit of both. Crown your crispy pork with the top bun, and voila! You’ve got yourself an Indiana-style fried pork sandwich.