Pork Tenderloin Fried Sandwich Recipe

This is the sandwich that ruins you for all other sandwiches. We'd get these at the county fair growing up - pork pounded thin, breaded in crushed saltines, fried until crispy, hanging way over the edges of a cheap bun. It's the best thing you'll eat all week.

Harper Donahue

June 20, 2025

jump to recipe

For the pork:

4 boneless pork loin chops, about 3/4 inch thick
Sea salt and black pepper
1 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp onion powder
3 large eggs, beaten
1 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed fine
Canola oil for frying

For the sandwich:

4 burger buns
Your favorite toppings (yellow mustard, mayonnaise, dill pickles, sliced onion, tomato, lettuce)

Pound the Pork Thin

Put one pork chop in a gallon freezer bag or between plastic wrap.

Use the flat side of a meat mallet to pound it down to ~1/4 inch thick. You want it thin but not falling apart.

Hit both sides with the textured side of the mallet – this breaks down the fibers and gives the breading something to grab.

Season both sides with salt and pepper. Do all four chops.

Set Up Your Breading Station

You’ll need three shallow dishes.

First dish: Mix the flour, granulated garlic, and onion powder.

Second dish: Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Third dish: Crushed saltines – I put them in a bag and roll with a rolling pin until they’re like coarse breadcrumbs.

Bread Each Chop

Dredge a chop in the flour mixture, coating both sides. Shake off the excess – you want just a thin layer.

Dip in the beaten eggs, letting excess drip off.

Press into the crushed crackers on both sides. Really push down so it sticks.

Set on a plate and repeat with the rest.

The breading will look thick but that’s what you want – it gets super crispy when fried.

Fry Them Up

Pour ~1.5 inches of canola oil into a large skillet. Heat over medium-high to ~350F.

Test the oil by dropping in a pinch of breading – it should sizzle immediately and float.

Slide one breaded chop into the oil. Fry for ~3-4 minutes until golden brown on the bottom.

Flip and cook the other side for ~3-4 minutes. The internal temp should hit ~145F.

Move to a wire rack to drain. Fry the rest one at a time – crowding drops the oil temp and makes them greasy.

Build the Sandwiches

Put each fried chop on a bun. It should hang over the edges by at least an inch on each side – that’s the whole point.

Load it up with whatever you want. I go yellow mustard, pickles, and raw onion. Some people like mayo and tomato. The crispy coating can handle whatever you throw at it.

Eat it while it’s hot and crispy. This is messy eating at its finest.