If you’re looking for something different for dinner, or you want to put together an Oktoberfest feast, try this pork schnitzel recipe.
Schnitzel is a piece of meat that has been pounded thin. Then it’s dredged in flour, breaded, fried and served with fresh lemon. The pork is simply seasoned with salt; the lemon really wakes up the flavor of the dish.
Looking for more delicious German inspired meals? These beer brats will make a great addition to your Oktoberfest party and this warm potato salad makes an excellent side dish. Enjoy!
To make this pork schnitzel you will need
1 – 1½ pounds Pork Loin, boneless and pounded ¼ inch thick (8 pieces)
1 teaspoon Salt, divided
2 Eggs
½ cup All Purpose Flour
1½ – 2 cups Breadcrumbs
Canola Oil for frying
Lemons, quartered or halved for serving
Prep work
Preheat oven to warm, or its lowest setting.
Pound each pork piece to roughly ¼ inch thick. Use the flat side of the meat mallet, and I like to place a piece of plastic wrap over the meat.
This little trick keeps everything contained and you don’t risk splattering raw pork juices all over your kitchen. Once you have nice, thin pieces, season the pork on both sides using about ½ teaspoon of salt.
Breading the pork steaks
Set up a large sheet pan or two plates. Add the flour to one side and the breadcrumbs to the other. Sprinkle both the flour and the breadcrumbs with the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Beat the eggs in a medium bowl and season with a pinch of salt.
Lightly coat the pork in the flour and shake off any excess.
Then, dip the pork into the egg bowl, making sure the entire piece is moist, shake off any excess.
Next, place the pork in the breadcrumbs, ensure the entire piece is completely coated, shake off the excess. Set the breaded pork aside on a clean, dry pan and repeat with the rest of the pieces.
If stacking, place a piece of parchment paper between the breaded pork to prevent them from sticking to each other.
If you’re new to breading, check out these step-by-step dredging & breading instructions, with pictures.
Fry the pork schnitzel
Cover the bottom of a large, deep skillet with about a ¼ of an inch of oil. Heat the oil over medium-high. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, fry the pork steaks, two pieces at a time, for about 2 minutes per side until golden brown.
Use tongs to turn the pork so the breading does not flake off. Remove the pork from the skillet and place it on a baking sheet that’s lined with a cooling rack.
This will prevent the bottom of the schnitzel from getting soggy. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven to keep the pork schnitzel warm while you cook the remaining pieces.
Make sure the internal temperature of the pork, at its thickest part, is at least 145°F.
Cook’s notes
Between batches, remove the skillet from the heat.
After the first batch, it may be necessary to lower the heat just a little bit. Check the bottom of the pork schnitzel frequently, if it’s browning too quickly, lower the heat a little bit.
Don’t lower the heat too much, just a notch or two. You don’t want the oil to cool, just knock the temperature down enough so the outside doesn’t burn.
Serve the pork schnitzel with plenty of lemon wedges. The fresh lemon juice really brings out the flavor of this dish.
Pork Schnitzel
Ingredients
- 1 - 1½ pounds Pork Loin boneless and pounded ¼ inch thick (8 pieces)
- 1 teaspoon Salt divided
- 2 Eggs
- ½ cup All Purpose Flour
- 1½ - 2 cups Plain Breadcrumbs
- Canola Oil for frying
- Lemons quartered or halved for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to warm, or its lowest setting.
- Pound each pork piece to roughly ¼ inch thick. Once you have thin pieces, season the pork on both sides using about ½ tsp. of salt.
Breading the pork steaks
- Set up a large sheet pan or two plates. Add the flour to one side and the breadcrumbs to the other. Sprinkle both the flour and the breadcrumbs with the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Beat the eggs in a medium bowl, season with a pinch of salt.
- Lightly coat the pork in the flour and shake off any excess.
- Dip the pork into the egg bowl, making sure the entire piece is moist, shake off any excess.
- Place the pork in the breadcrumbs, ensure the entire piece is completely coated, shake off the excess. Set the breaded pork aside on a clean, dry pan and repeat with the rest of the pieces. If stacking, place a piece of parchment paper between the breaded pork to prevent them from sticking to each other.
Fry the pork schnitzel
- Cover the bottom of a large, deep skillet with about a ¼ of an inch of oil. Heat the oil over medium-high.
- When the oil is hot, but not smoking, fry the pork steaks, two pieces at a time, for about 2 minutes per side until golden brown (use tongs to turn the pork so the breading does not flake off).
- Remove the pork from the skillet and place it on a baking sheet that's lined with a cooling rack. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining pieces.
- Make sure the internal temperature of the pork, at its thickest part, is at least 145°F.
- Serve the pork schnitzel with plenty of lemon wedges.