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[Free Mr. Tony]

I had one of those IN sandwiches at Soldier Field yesterday.  Wasn't a fan.  Very salty version sold there.  I made good after the game with an Al's Italian Beef for the first time.

What sandwich at the game? Been to soldier field quite a few times. As with most stadium food anywhere, it's never as good as it looks like its going to be. I had Al's for the first time about a year ago. It was awesome.

[Free Mr. Tony]

I think most folks have heard of ham biscuits and probably associate them with the South.  Less well known is country ham.  There are many places that claim to have country ham -- Cracker Barrel is one.  But having tasted Cracker Barrel country ham I can tell you it is hardly even a pale imitation.  If you ever eat a true country ham, you won't forget it -- it is like taking a tsp of slat and putting it in your mouth!  You love it or hate it.  I have always said you had to be raised on the stuff.  My Dad was and loved it.

For an even less well know, iconic state dish -- Smithfield Ham.  No, not the stuff found in every grocery.  It use to be that the pigs had to be peanut fed.  But the definition has changed to the following: 

".Genuine Smithfield hams are hereby defined to be hams processed, treated, smoked, aged, cured by the long-cure, dry salt method of cure; and, aged for a minimum period of six months; such six-month period to commence when the green pork cut is first introduced to dry salt, all such salting, processing, treating, smoking, curing, and aging to be done within the corporate limits of the town of Smithfield, Virginia."

A true Smithfield is about $160 for a 13-16 lb ham, comes on the bone and, I am told, tastes something like prosciutto when thinly sliced.

This is a screenshot of what came up with genuine smithfield ham. I would be interested to try one. It does look to have the super firm look of prosciutto yet with a ham texture.


Do you think maybe cracker barrel just serves a watered down version of true country ham because it is a semi national chain and realizes the real deal wouldn't please the masses?

[pz]

When I was a kid living in the northeast, my parents always favored Smithfield pepper coated hams - we ate it like prosciutto, slicing it paper thin while we watched television. Those hams are difficult to find these days, but a few months ago I purchased a Johnston County dry cured ham - Costco had them in their online store for less than half the cost of Smithfield (I paid $69 for the whole bone-in ham). They say that the Johnston ham is like "an American prosciutto".

I'm about to slice it for vacuum sealing withing the next couple of weeks.

[Bar-B-Lew]

I had one of those IN sandwiches at Soldier Field yesterday.  Wasn't a fan.  Very salty version sold there.  I made good after the game with an Al's Italian Beef for the first time.

What sandwich at the game? Been to soldier field quite a few times. As with most stadium food anywhere, it's never as good as it looks like its going to be. I had Al's for the first time about a year ago. It was awesome.

The Indiana breaded pork loin sandwich.

[Fire708]

The Indiana breaded pork loin sandwich.

That hits two of my favorite foods and adds breading, had to look it up. Now I need one!

[Free Mr. Tony]

I had one of those IN sandwiches at Soldier Field yesterday.  Wasn't a fan.  Very salty version sold there.  I made good after the game with an Al's Italian Beef for the first time.

What sandwich at the game? Been to soldier field quite a few times. As with most stadium food anywhere, it's never as good as it looks like its going to be. I had Al's for the first time about a year ago. It was awesome.

The Indiana breaded pork loin sandwich.

The alleged creator of the sandwich is in Huntington, Indiana. It's about 30 minutes from me, but I haven't made the trip. There are some good versions and bad versions, but they are on alot of bar type menus around here. Oddly enough, the best one I've ever had is from an Italian restaurant. They run it as a feature every so often, and it is absolutely amazing.

[Free Mr. Tony]

The Indiana breaded pork loin sandwich.

That hits two of my favorite foods and adds breading, had to look it up. Now I need one!

That's exactly why I started this thread. Find something you've never heard of that you MUST have. Make sure if you do the tenderloin sandwich that it's pounded thin about twice the size of a hamburger bun, and use the correct toppings only. Mayo, yellow mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle.

[Bar-B-Lew]

I had one of those IN sandwiches at Soldier Field yesterday.  Wasn't a fan.  Very salty version sold there.  I made good after the game with an Al's Italian Beef for the first time.

What sandwich at the game? Been to soldier field quite a few times. As with most stadium food anywhere, it's never as good as it looks like its going to be. I had Al's for the first time about a year ago. It was awesome.

The Indiana breaded pork loin sandwich.

The alleged creator of the sandwich is in Huntington, Indiana. It's about 30 minutes from me, but I haven't made the trip. There are some good versions and bad versions, but they are on alot of bar type menus around here. Oddly enough, the best one I've ever had is from an Italian restaurant. They run it as a feature every so often, and it is absolutely amazing.

It was too thin for me as it was almost crunchy from the breading and tough meat.  And, the worst was that it was extremely salty.  Not sure if that is the norm or not, but I had challenges finishing it even with a beer in hand.

[Free Mr. Tony]

The bad versions have a poor breading to meat ratio. Tough meat is a mystery, as they are usually pounded out which tenderizes an already tender piece of meat. Salt is typically pretty standard. Nothing out of the ordinary. Guessing you just got a sub-par iteration.

[Bentley]

I have done these a couple of times when the siblings and spouses have come over and they have been well received.

[Queball]

I'm surprised they call it an Indiana creation. .... From Chicago, my mom made pounded breaded pork loins for us 70 years ago. ....... "and use the correct toppings only. Mayo, yellow mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle." .... Is there something on this sandwich that makes it unique? Sounds like standard sandwich "fixins" to me, no matter what the meat is. 

[Free Mr. Tony]

I'm surprised they call it an Indiana creation. .... From Chicago, my mom made pounded breaded pork loins for us 70 years ago. ....... "and use the correct toppings only. Mayo, yellow mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle." .... Is there something on this sandwich that makes it unique? Sounds like standard sandwich "fixins" to me, no matter what the meat is.

It was originally served at an Indiana restaurant. I'm sure it was served in households like yours well before it.  Based on how popular it gets, it spreads out to other areas. Nothing necessarily unique other than not finding it on restaurant menus outside of a particular area. Some things seem to eventually make their way nation wide, and others stay in their region. I guess you would have to ask your Maryland folks if they've heard of such a thing to get an idea of how unique it is.

I know what a lobster roll is, but Red Lobster is the only restaurant anywhere close to me that serves one. So I wouldn't say the sandwich itself is unique,  but it is somewhat unique to find it outside of its region.

[Kristin Meredith]

Bent makes a fine one, but I had never seen or heard of them in California or Nevada.  My SIL and brother lived in Eastern Washington state for a while as well as California (for the most part) and never heard of them. I have never seen them in this part of Va.  I think Bent learned of them either from PH or maybe FMT and that is why he tried them.  So I think they must be somewhat regional.

I thought the pickles had to be bread and butter pickles, not dill like is normal on most sandwiches and hamburgers.  I sure like the bread and butter on the pork (I skip the raw onions) -- the sweet just seems to go with the fried pork.

[Free Mr. Tony]

Most of the ones I've had are usually dill pickles, although I love bread and butter pickles. The raw onion can definitely overpower if you get a strong one.

[Bar-B-Lew]

Most of the ones I've had are usually dill pickles, although I love bread and butter pickles. The raw onion can definitely overpower if you get a strong one.

The one at Soldier Field had pickled onions and yellow american cheese and no pickles.