Tantalizing Tenderloins

Plan a tasty road trip to savor the stories behind Iowa’s famous sandwich

By Darcy Dougherty Maulsby | Photos by Joseph L. Murphy

If Iowa had a state sandwich, it could be the breaded pork tenderloin. You can find these celebrated delicacies at the crossroads of big-city restaurants and small-town cafés. When ordering, you don’t even need to specify you want the pork sandwich. Ask for a tenderloin, and it’s understood.

“When people think of Iowa, we want them to think of pork,” says Kelsey Sutter, marketing and program director for the Iowa Pork Producers Association (Iowa Pork). “We receive so many requests through our social media channels from former Iowans who can’t find breaded pork tenderloins where they live and crave a taste of home.”

Nothing showcases this taste of Iowa more prominently than Iowa Pork’s Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin in Iowa Contest, which debuted in 2003. In 2019, Iowa Pork received 5,390 nominations for 470 different establishments during the spring nomination period.

Breaded pork tenderloins are an “I state” phenomenon, appearing on menus mainly in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana – truly a Midwest treasure that’s virtually unknown in the rest of the country. While Indiana claims to have invented the breaded pork tenderloin in 1904, Iowa has perfected it. Perhaps this was inevitable because Iowa is the No. 1 pork producing state in America, where cooks take high-quality pork seriously.

Orders of pork tenderloin sandwiches leave the kitchen window for patrons at Three C’s Diner in Corning.

SECRETS TO BREADED PERFECTION

Forget frozen pork patties dropped into a fryer. In crowning the state’s best breaded pork tenderloin, the contest specifically states: We’re talking about hand pounded, tenderized center-cut pork loin that’s blanketed in a custom bread crumb mixture or dipped in a savory batter and fried to golden perfection.

It all starts with the right pork cut.

“The breaded sandwich is not made from the tenderloin cut; it’s made from the loin,” Sutter points out. “While the dark, tender meat of the tenderloin cut works great for dishes like pork medallions, the loin works best for breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches.

“Don’t pound it too thin, and don’t overcook it,” Sutter says, highlighting the simple secrets to delicious tenderloins. “Also, if all you taste is breading when you bite into the sandwich, that’s not what we’re looking for in our contest. A great tenderloin should elevate the flavor of pork.”

Perhaps no one has invested more time in perfecting the breaded pork tenderloin than Chuck Cox, who has been cooking up his version of hog heaven since the 1980s. “Ours are 6-ounce tenderloins with less breading and more focus on the pork, so when you bite into the sandwich, it’s thick and juicy,” says Cox, who grew up eating great tenderloins at a Davenport drive-in and has worked in the food service business for 36 years.

For decades, Cox owned and operated TC’s Point After, a popular restaurant in DeWitt. He now runs Chuckies Tenderloins. Cox and his crew haul their trailers to the Jones County Fair in Monticello, the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines and to major sporting events across the country where they serve up their Iowa-style breaded pork tenderloins.

“I’ve been taking our trailer to Major League Baseball’s spring training events for 16 years,” says Cox, who also feeds the crowds at Iowa State University football games, National Hot Rod Association drag races in Dallas, the Arizona Balloon Classic in Phoenix and other high-profile events. “When I hand out samples, people take one bite and say, ‘Oh my gosh,’ and they’re hooked.” There are certain things a great breaded pork tenderloin is not, Cox emphasizes.

Tenderloin lovers can crisscross the state’s highways and byways to find the iconic sandwhich.

“We make ours differently than some restaurants. We use a center-cut, boneless pork loin, and use fresh – not frozen – pork. Fresh is always better, no matter what you’re eating, he says.

“The key is pounding it to a perfect size, never too thin, with just the right amount of breading. A sandwich that’s 12 or 14 inches in diameter is a fritter, not a tenderloin.”

In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has specific guidelines regarding the ratio of breading to meat to qualify a sandwich as a breaded tenderloin rather than a fritter, notes Cox, whose sandwiches have 23-25% breading.

Cox’s famous tenderloins remain a favorite at CC’s Supper Club, which his son, Todd, operates at the Springbrook Country Club in DeWitt.

Create Your Own Trail

Iowa Pork created an Iowa Tenderloin Trail to promote pork and tourism across Iowa, including the state’s rural areas. Based on the popularity of the destinations along the initial Tenderloin Trail, they plan to launch a new version this year.

Whether you choose a route along the Tenderloin Trail or venture out on your own, Iowa offers an endless selection of this favorite sandwich. These are a few stops you should include in your next tenderloin-inspired road trip!

CORNING | THREE C'S DINER

Missy and Steve Sanson, Three C’s Diner

Southwest Iowa earned bragging rights when Three C’s Diner in Corning won the 2018 Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin contest. “A great breaded tenderloin was one of the things we wanted to be known for,” says Steve Sanson, a Creston native who has owned the diner with his wife, Missy, since 2012.

After buying pork loins by the 10-pound package, the Sansons cut the meat by hand into 8-ounce portions.

“We were going through two cases of pork loin after we opened, we were going through 14 cases of pork a week right after we won the award,” Steve says.

Each pork slice is approximately 2½ - 3-inches thick before it goes through a meat tenderizer. Each tenderloin is then egg-dipped and handbreaded in a mixture of flour and secret spices before being fried and served.

Onsite maps of Iowa and the U.S. reveal just how far guests have traveled to enjoy a tenderloin at Three C’s Diner in Corning, which is also the birthplace of comedian Johnny Carson. “When former Iowans return home, the first thing they want is a breaded pork tenderloin,” Steve says.

BONDURANT | BRICK STREET MARKET & CAFE

Jeff Lawrence, Brick Street Market & Café

While Brick Street has only been open since 2014, the café quickly made a name for itself in the tenderloin world, earning secondplace honors in the 2014 Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin in Iowa contest. “

Our tenderloins are handcut, hand-tenderized, hand-breaded and made to order,” says Jeff Lawrence, café manager. It all begins with high-quality pork from the meat counter at Brick Street’s grocery store, which is connected to the café.

“When you bite into a tenderloin, you want it to taste meaty,” notes Lawrence, who adds that the sandwiches are served on a choice of wheat, white or onion buns that are baked fresh at Brick Street’s bakery.

Whole or half tenderloin sandwiches are available, along with breaded pork tenderloin strips (no bun) served with barbecue sauce, honey mustard or ranch dressing dipping sauces.

BALLTOWN | BREITBACH'S COUNTRY DINING

Tenderloins are a menu favorite at Breitbach’s, which opened in 1852 and has been owned by Mike Breitbach’s family since 1861. At the popular destination for locals and travelers passing by on the Great River Road, each tenderloin is handcut and pounded.

“We just had a couple from the Chicago area who heard about us drive out just to try our tenderloins,” says Breitbach, who is the fifth generation of his family to run the restaurant, which also serves as a location for the Iowa Caucuses. “They said it was the best tenderloin they’d ever eaten.”

Breitbach’s won the 2012 Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin in Iowa contest and is also an America’s Classics winner from the James Beard Foundation, a lifetime achievement award for the restaurant industry and an elite honor.

Classic Iowa Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup cornstarch

• 2 teaspoons seasoned salt

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 eggs

• 3 tablespoons milk

• 1 sleeve Chicken in a Biskit crackers, crushed

• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

• 4 boneless pork loin chops

• 1 quart peanut or vegetable oil

• 4 large sandwich or Kaiser rolls, split and buttered

• Dill pickles, ketchup, mustard, thinly sliced sweet onions

Combine flour, cornstarch, seasoned salt and pepper in a shallow baking dish. Remove and reserve 2 tablespoons of this mixture. In a second shallow baking dish, whisk eggs and milk together until well-blended. In a third dish, combine crushed crackers and panko, plus the reserved flour/ cornstarch mixture.

Butterfly each pork chop and pound between sheets of plastic wrap with a meat mallet to ¼-inch thick. To coat, first dredge each piece of pork on both sides in seasoned flour, shaking off any excess. Dip into the egg mixture to coat both sides, then dredge in the crumb mixture, pressing gently to coat both sides evenly. Transfer the pork to a clean plate and repeat the process with the remaining pork. Allow the pork to rest for 20 minutes to give the breading time to adhere to the meat.

In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet heat the oil to 350 degrees F. Fry the breaded pork until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. The pork is cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate.

In a skillet, toast the buns over medium-high heat. Serve the pork loin on buns with condiments of choice.

Nutrition per serving: 791 Calories, 26g Total Fat, 188mg Cholesterol, 1,788mg Sodium, 86g Carbohydrate, 3g Fiber, 51g Protein

Servings: 4

Source: Cristen Clark

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