Wiener Schnitzel vom Schwein

I love Wiener Schnitzel. My appreciation of the dish probably originates while traveling in Germany and Austria many years ago; since "Wiener Schnitzel" is one of the only German phrases I know, I ate a fair amount of it. Wiener Schnitzel is most associated with Austria ("Wien" being the local name for Vienna), but it is popular all over Europe and worldwide. In Italy, they have the cotoletta alla milanese, which is cooked bone-in in butter. In Japan, the meat is breaded with panko and served with a sauce as tonkatsu. In Indiana, we have the breaded tenderloin sandwich. Schnitzel is traditionally made from veal, but pork is commonly used, especially outside of Austria, where the pork variation must legally be called Wiener Schnitzel vom Schwein. 

Ingredients

• Pork loin, sliced
• 1 Egg
• Flour
• Breadcrumbs
• Salt and pepper
• Wedge of lemon
• Vegetable oil

Instructions 

With a sharp knife, trim the fat off the sides of the pork. If you have really big, thick slices, consider butterflying the meat also. Cover with plastic wrap and pound thin, to about a quarter inch thick. If you don't have a good meat hammer, use a soup or bean can. I find the plastic wrap stops the hammer from sticking to the meat. It also prevents your soup from getting all meaty.

Prepare two plates, one with flour and one with breadcrumbs. Beat an egg in a bowl. We are now ready to prepare the cutlets. Generously salt and pepper each side of the pork. Then press each side into the flour to coat. Next, dip in the egg, making sure to coat well. Finally, press into the breadcrumbs and thoroughly cover both sides.

We will shallow fry the cutlets. Heat oil in a flat-bottomed pan. You don't need to use too much oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pan, but you don't need to submerge the cutlets. As with all breaded foods, you need to be careful about the oil temperature. You want it hot enough to get the breading nice and golden brown, but not too hot to burn. I find that the right temperature is somewhere between medium-high and high. Once the oil is hot, carefully lay the cutlets in the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Turn the cutlets over very carefully with a fork, as to not disturb the breading. This is important to get the right texture and beautiful golden brown color on your schnitzel.

When finished cooking, let the schnitzel rest on a paper towel to dry off a bit. The traditional Austrian way is to serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over the schnitzel before eating. I should also note that the pork may remain a bit pink when you cut into it; this is completely safe. For drinks, we again go to lager, this time as a tribute to the region of origin. You can't go wrong with German, Austrian, or Czech here.