Fried breaded pork tenderloin sandwich

Cut your pork tenderloin into a shape around the size of your bun. For me this was around 5 ounces. 

Butterfly each piece by cutting the tenderloin down the middle about two thirds of the way through. Don't cut all the way. This will allow you to "open" the meat like a book.

Place your butterflied meat on a cutting board and cover it with a piece of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or something heavy like a cast iron skillet, pound the plastic wrap covered meat until each piece is about a quarter of an inch thick. 

Set up a breading station with two bowls or plates. 

One bowl will contain your egg, buttermilk, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and cayenne pepper (if using). Mix to combine. 

The second bowl will contain your finely crushed crackers. 

Dunk and coat each piece of tenderloin in the egg mixture, flipping a few times to fully coat. 

Then bread each egg coated tenderloin and coat it in the bowl with the crackers. Make sure to press the cracker crumbs into the pork to fully coat each piece. 

Once each piece is fully coated, move to a plate or sheet pan to rest.

In a pot or pan over medium high heat, add 2 inches of peanut or other vegetable oil for frying. When the oil has reached 350 F degrees you are ready to fry. 

Add each tenderloin or work in batches if they don't all fit in the pan without overlapping. 

Cook each tenderloin on the first side for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. At this point you can check for doneness with a meat thermometer. 145 is considered to be done for pork, but some people will prefer it more done than that. I personally pull mine out around 140 because it will continue to rise in temperature for a few minutes after being removed from the oil. 

Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to let some of the excess oil drip off. 

Add each tenderloin to a bun and top with your favorite toppings.