Schnitzel
Wiener Schnitzel Art, Kotlet Schabowy, Smažený Řízek, Pork Cutlet — Whatever you call it, the method is the same. Meat, pounded thin, dredged through flour, egg wash, and breadcrumbs then fried to a golden crisp.
THAT PICTURE IN THE RESTAURANT
ALL THE DELICIOUS THINGS INSIDE
Pork Loin: The hero of it all
Flour: All purpose flour is just fine to use. This is what will hold the egg wash to the pork.
Eggs: The glue that holds the breadcrumbs.
Breadcrumbs: For the wonderful crispy coating. Also this is a great opportunity to use any bread that has gone hard. Grate on a box grater or use a food processor to make some fresh crumbs.
Lemon: This helps to remove some of the “Eggy” flavor. It also adds a little acid to the dish.
Oil: I use peanut oil because I find it fries the best, but some people can have some nasty reactions to it so always ask whoever you’re serving this to if they have any allergy. Any oil will do though.
Clarified Butter: The secret ingredient for richness.
And SALT!
The one thing in all meat recipes everyone forgets to do. Season and let it sit for a while, the results are night and day.
Speaking of saltiness, I once referred to this dish as schnitzel and a “passionate viewer” called me an idiot — in Polish — and told me it was “Kotlet Schabowy, not schnitzel!” I told Kasia about it. She said “he’s right, but he didn’t have to be so mean about it.”
TIME TO GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY, SCHNITZEL STYLE
1. Pound it thin — 1¼ inch thick, then down to ¼ inch. Textured side first to tenderize, flat side to even it out, then a light pass with the textured side again to create grooves that grip the dredge.
2. Salt and rest — Season generously and leave it alone for 15-20 minutes. Don’t skip this.
3. The dredge — Flour, egg wash, breadcrumbs. Three stations, in that order, every time.
4. Into the pan — 350°F, one at a time, away from you.
Use a thermometer, not guesswork. Were trying NOT to burn the house down!
5. The rack — Wire rack, not paper towel. Always.
Not only do these make a great meal for dinner, they also make amazing sandwiches!
You know what goes great with Schnitzel, a Rustic Potato Salad loaded with Fresh Dill, just like the one above! Imagine that!
Schnitzel
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Cut your pork loin into slices about 1¼ inch thick. Start by pounding both sides with the textured side of a meat mallet directly on the meat — no wrap — to tenderize and break down the muscle fibres. Then place between a long piece of plastic wrap that you can fold over and finish with the flat side, working from the centre outward, until about ¼ inch thick. Once you're there, remove the wrap and lightly go back over both sides with the textured side one more time — this creates small grooves in the surface that grip the flour and egg wash better, giving you a more even, adherent crust.
- Season the pork cutlets generously with salt. Let them rest for at least 15-20 minutes — this makes a real difference, don't skip it.
- Set up three stations: flour on one plate, breadcrumbs on another, and the egg wash in a bowl.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl, then add the lemon juice and whisk together — this cuts the eggy taste so it doesn't overpower the meat. Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove the chalaza (the white stringy bit attached to the yolk) for a smooth, even coating.
- Dredge each cutlet through the flour, shaking off the excess.
- Dip into the egg wash, letting any excess drip off.
- Lay each cutlet into the breadcrumbs and let them adhere naturally — don't press down.
- Heat the peanut oil and clarified butter together in a cast iron pan over medium-high heat — about ¼ inch deep, no more, since the oil expands as it heats. Use a thermometer to get the oil to 350°F — this is the most accurate way to know you're ready. You can drop a breadcrumb in to get a rough idea, but it's not reliable enough to trust for consistent results. Don't put anything in that pan until you hit 350°F.
- Always lay the cutlet into the oil away from you — this directs any splatter away from your body. Once it's in the pan, immediately pick it up with tongs and hold it just off the bottom — this prevents hot spots from developing on the meat. Gently and slowly move it up and down in the oil for 10 seconds so the bubbling fat circulates underneath the schnitzel. You're lifting it just slightly out of the oil and back in.
- Transfer to a wire rack to rest — not paper towel, it keeps the crust crisp. Serve with extra lemon wedges to squeeze over.
Notes
So as to not completely gross anyone out, i’ve decided to place this little story here. Viewer discretion is advised.
So the story I was told about this picture was this…
A long time ago — 2013 to be exact — Kasia and I went to a great restaurant in Kraków, Poland called Pod Wawelem Kompania Kuflowa, situated right at the foot of the Wawel Royal Castle. And in there, in the bathroom, was a sink. Not just any sink — a sink with a little illustrated sign above it depicting a person using it for purposes a sink is not typically used for.
So the story goes, as I was told: there was a time when wealthy Poles would eat and eat and eat, only to excuse themselves, use this sink — known as a “vomitorium” — and go straight back to the table to keep eating. A way of showing they could afford to. Status, vanity, excess — take your pick. Some people say this practice was actually Roman rather than Polish and that the history behind it is disputed.
I have no idea if any of it holds up, but if you can verify it or have a different explanation entirely, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
