Buttermilk fried pork

Slices of tender pork fillet marinated in buttermilk become even tenderer. Dip them in a cornmeal coating seasoned classically with garlic, mustard and herbs and fry in not a lot of oil.

Pork fillet - an easy cut

Pork tenderloin or fillet mignon (known in my house as ‘filet de piglet’, just btw), is supposed to be the easiest meat cut to cook. Brushed with a bit of hoisin, plum, soy sauce or honey, half an hour in the oven and it’s ready.

But I find it utterly boring I’m sorry to say. Roasted pork tenderloin has not much going for it in my books; even when herbed, stuffed or wrapped in pancetta, the latter ingredient is the best bit.

Boring and dry

It’s dry. Dry meat is not acceptable in my books and however much I long for someone to think of a replacement for the hateful word ‘moist’, that’s what meat should be.

Otherwise you feel like you’re chewing on straw. Pork loin and tenderloin, chicken and turkey breast, brisket if badly cooked – no taste, just mastication. All the gravy in the world will not sweeten the roast.

How to cook pork tenderloin?

I like the fillet (filet) best in stir fries, cut into strips, smothered in sweet and salty with a hit of heat. Someone might say it’s a waste of an expensive cut but I do not think so – choice cuts are best for stir fries where the meat is just flash fried.

So it's stir fires, or else this recipe here which is a take on the Southern stateside classic, buttermilk fried chicken.

How to cook buttermilk fried pork?

Marinating the meat in buttermilk with seasonings is the key - if you remember to prep it the night before, you'll be grateful to yourself.

The next day the pork slices will simply travel from the buttermilk bowl or bag to the seasoned flour, cornmeal or a mix. Dancing in the flour enough to get coated, they will then need only shallow frying in not a lot of oil; just enough to cover the bottom of the frying pan to a depth of about half an inch.

How to season buttermilk pork?

Seasoning is ad lib but I’ve opted for Southern-ish, little that I know of it. If you can get hold of Old Bay Seasoning, it will work very well - otherwise use the seasoning mix below.