3 Pork Tenderloin Rules Hoosiers Expect Every Diner to Follow
Say you order a pork tenderloin sandwich at a diner, and there’s a Hoosier at the next table.
They’ll have opinions about your sandwich upon seeing it.
Here are the pork tenderloin rules Hoosiers expect every diner to follow.
1. Bigger Than the Bun
Almost all of Indiana’s pork tenderloin sandwiches are bigger than the bun, according to a Visit Indiana release.
Done right, no bun can contain the pork tenderloin.
WNDU called a thin, crispy cutlet that’s ideally far too big for its bun the sandwich’s hallmark.
A few kitchens go further, serving a cutlet as big as the plate with a bun that’s merely decoration.
2. Pork Loin Cutlets
Indianapolis Monthly’s guide says most diners and taverns start with pork loin, not tenderloin, which tends to tear when flattened.
The Indiana Foodways Alliance’s recipe on Visit Indiana starts the same way, with center-cut pork loin.
That recipe has you butterfly each piece by cutting it nearly all the way through lengthwise, which should double its size.
3. Fried Crust
Visit Indiana describes the sandwich as a piece of pork that’s breaded and usually fried.
In a 2019 report, Indianapolis public media outlet WFYI said the sandwich is deep fried, not pan fried like schnitzel.
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Birthplace Claim
If you ask where the pork tenderloin sandwich began, many locals will point you to Nick's Kitchen in Huntington.
Legend has it that Nick Freienstein was the first to serve the pork tenderloin sandwich in Huntington, according to Visit Indiana.
Freienstein opened the restaurant in 1908, after finding success selling hamburgers from a food cart.
He first served wiener schnitzels, thin, tenderized cuts of veal that are breaded and fried.
Visit Indiana's main trail page calls the sandwich a German take on preparing pork.
The Huntington County Visitors Bureau bills Nick's Kitchen as the home of the original Indiana hand-breaded pork tenderloin.
It lists the restaurant at 506 North Jefferson Street.
Where the Sandwich's Dates Disagree
Huntington County Honors ties the pork tenderloin sandwich at Nick's Kitchen to a recipe dating to 1904.
It says Nick Freienstein struck out on his own that year, selling hamburgers from a pushcart around the square of the new Huntington County Courthouse.
Visit Indiana's central trail page also says Huntington's pork tenderloin sandwich has been around since 1904.
Inside Nick's Kitchen
Nick's Kitchen makes its pork tenderloin sandwich from pork it slices and runs through a cuber to tenderize the meat, the owner told WFYI in 2019.
The owner described the soak as a mixture of buttermilk, egg, and flour for more than a day.
Nick's Kitchen breads its pork tenderloin sandwich in cracker crumbs, which Indianapolis Monthly describes as coarsely crushed saltines.
The owner said customers eat it different ways: some fold it over, some eat the edges first, and some cut it in half.
Pork Thickness
Visit Indiana's blog says some kitchens pound the pork to a fine thickness and others leave it a little thicker.
The Indiana Foodways Alliance's recipe pounds the pork to between a quarter and a half inch and warns against pounding it too thin.
The result can be crispy and flat or thick and juicy.
Breading and Buttermilk
Some kitchens bread a pork tenderloin sandwich in breadcrumbs, and others use cracker crumbs, Visit Indiana's blog says.
Indianapolis Monthly's guide lists seasoned flour at Big Lug, cornmeal at Daredevil Hall and Edward's, seasoned panko at Twin Archer, and buttery Ritz crackers at Log.
Its entries describe a buttermilk soak at Daredevil Hall, a buttermilk bath at Lumpy's Cafe, and tangy buttermilk at The Willard.
The Indiana Foodways Alliance's recipe dips the pork in eggs and milk, then in flour mixed with crushed Ritz crackers.
It calls for four eggs, a cup of milk, two cups of all-purpose flour, and two sleeves of Ritz crackers.
Failed Sandwich Bill
A 2023 bill to make the pork tenderloin sandwich Indiana's official sandwich failed to pass that session, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reported.
The 2026 bill, Senate Bill 21, passed the state Senate 37-11 in January, but the House Committee on Governmental and Regulatory Reform never heard it.
The bill, which is one sentence long, states that the sandwich must be made from Indiana-raised pork.
The report called it hardly the most pressing issue facing lawmakers that year.
A 2022 Visit Indiana release had already called it the state's unofficial sandwich since 1908.
Tenderloin Lovers Trail
If you want to eat your way through the state's pork tenderloin sandwiches, you can follow the Tenderloin Lovers Trail.
It's one of the restaurant trails the Indiana Foodways Alliance has promoted since 2007.
Visit Indiana splits the trail into north, central, and south pages.
The trail has more than 70 restaurants and a free digital passport for checking in, according to a 2022 Visit Indiana release.
Twists on the Classic
Nick Freienstein added pickles when he switched his pork tenderloin sandwich from veal to pork.
A 2023 report from Northeast Indiana Public Radio's WBOI listed lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and mayonnaise for the sandwich at Nick's Kitchen.
Visit Indiana's central Tenderloin Lovers Trail page says you can switch the toppings and condiments to your liking.
Indianapolis Monthly's guide describes a Blind Owl Brewery version with Cajun spice, Nashville hot seasoning, or beer cheese.
Sugar Creek Brickhouse's entry adds a fried egg on top.
A meatless Seitanderloin from Upland Brewing Company is made with wheat gluten.
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