If you were asked to plate the most Texas thing you could think of, I bet you would immediately think of Fajitas or Brisket. Those are great choices because of the abundance of great Tex/Mex and BBQ which is often considered the flavor of Texas. I on the other hand think Schnitzel. As far back as the 1830’s German settlers migrated into the hill country of Central Texas and almost instantly started to establish their influence on the local cuisine and culture. So, between the German Influence and the seemingly never-ending amount of wild/feral hogs Texas has I think there could be a strong argument that Schnitzel could possibly be the most Texas dish ever.
For this dish I am using the loins from a couple of hogs I took while hunting with Outdoor Solutions in Texas last November. I couldn’t help but reflect on the memories of the hunt as I was preparing and cooking my schnitzel. I was pleased with the results, crispy and packed with flavor, definitely this a new favorite.
We use RecTec pellet smokers/grills for all of our outdoor cooking and all of our wild game is processed using Made With Meat equipment.
Recipe by Lance Lewis
Ingredients:
- 2lb loin cut approximately 2 inches thick
- 1 ½ cup Unseasoned Breadcrumbs
- 1 ½ cup AP Flour
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1 cup Dill Pickle Juice
- 1 to 2 cups of a high temp cooking oil such as Avocado, Canola or Vegetable
- 1 Lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
- Place sliced loin on a steady surface sliced side up. Using a smooth meat mallet, rolling pin or even an empty saucepan; tenderize loin until it is approximately ¼ inch thick. Be careful not to tear the loin, use lighter strikes to achieve your desired thickness as opposed to hard heavy ones
- Take tenderized loin and place in zipper bag and add pickle juice. Remove the air and place in fridge for one hour.
- Establish a breading station. The order should be a plates or shallow pans with flour, lightly beaten eggs than Breadcrumbs seasoned with salt and pepper.
- In a large high sided skillet or pan heat oil, I had my stove set to Medium/Low for the cooking process.
- Remove Loin from pickle juice and dry with a paper towel.
- Breading should happen all in one step. Flour to Egg to Breadcrumb to Pan, Shake off excess at each station. For best results you do not want to have to wait for the pan after breading, go straight from breading to pan.
- In you hot oil cook on each side until golden brown, approximately 1 to 2 minutes per side.
- Allow to rest and serve.
- Drizzle with fresh squeezed lemon just before service and enjoy.
Wild Hog Schnitzel (With Pickle Juice Brine)
