Best Recipe for Schnitzel – Jager or Wiener

This recipe is for a ‘no pound’ pork cutlet that is breaded and then pan fried. Serve it in one of two different styles either Jagerschnitzel / Jaegarschnitzel (Jägerschnitzel) or Wiener Schnitzel.

Jagerschnitzel is German and is typically a pork or veal cutlet, served with a creamy mushroom sauce.

Wiener Schnitzel is from Austria but is believed to have originated from Italy. It is also a cutlet, usually made from veal, but sometimes pork is used.

The breaded port cutlet is the base of this dish, the difference lies in the final presentation.

What do this words Wiener and Jagar mean?

Wiener refers to the style a dish originating in Vienna (Wien in German), Austria is called. You might see it on a menu in Germany or Austria as ‘Schnitzel nach Wiener Art.’

Jagar (Jagerschnitzel, or Jägerschnitzel) means ‘hunter’ and associates the word with mushrooms. Centuries ago, the meat used was venison or wild boar. I envision a hunter looking for his next kill and ending up foraging for mushrooms!

A German language menu will denote ‘Schweineschnitzel (made with Pork), or Kalbsschnitzel (made from veal.)

The recipe below tells how to prepare a breaded pork cutlet. The best part about it is that it is a ‘no pound’ recipe.

Ingredients

We’ll start with the breaded pork cutlet.

• Boneless pork loin. I used a 21 oz loin.
• Breadcrumbs. Italian herb or plain if buying ready made breadcrumbs are best. White, wheat or a mixture of both breads works, if crumbing some stale bread.
• Flour, any type.
• Eggs.
• Salt and pepper.

See recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Breaded Pork Cutlet.

Prepare the Pork.

First of all, prepare the pork. Remove all silver skin from the its surface. Silver skin is tough connective tissue which in turn will make the cutlet tough. Insert the tip of a pointed serrated knife at the far right side of a piece of silver skin. Begin cutting it with your knife. The piece of silver skin will becomes loose. Next hold onto this ‘flap’ you made and turn the direction of your knife to face left. With your knife, slice against the silver skin. That way you won’t gouge into the muscle of the meat. Continue cutting against the silver skin until it comes away. Repeat this for all the silver skin you see.

Prepare the Other Ingredients.

Slice the trimmed pork loin. I recommend slicing very cold or slightly frozen pork. The colder temperatures of the pork enable you to cut thin pieces. Doing this will eliminate the time consuming step of pounding the pork to tenderize it (it will be tender enough) and making it thinner in depth. Lay the pork pieces out on a board and salt and pepper each side. Doing this gives each piece of pork a double seasoning, with salt and pepper in the flour and directly on the meat.

Crack the eggs into a bowl. Add about 3 tbsps of water and whisk. The water will dilute the eggs and provide more viscosity.

Add salt and pepper to the flour and mix.

Set up Breading Station

Organize the flour, egg and breadcrumb in sequence, where the next step is the pork going into skillet. First, dip each piece of pork in seasoned flour, front and back side. Then, do the same with the egg and last the breadcrumbs.

Add about 2 fl ozs of oil to start with, into a large skillet (or enough to generously coat the bottom of the pan.) Choose an oil that can specifically handle high temperatures. I like using avocado oil.

Saute the Pork Cutlets

The skillet should be on a medium to high heat. Preheat the oil to around 350 degrees F. Add the raw pork pieces, but don’t crowd the frying pan. Give them enough space to cook and you enough space to turn them. Cook on each side for about 4 minutes until golden brown. If they are quick to brown, then reduce the heat.

Schnitzel has Finished Cooking

Take a piece of pork out of the pan and then insert a meat thermometer. According to the USDA, the temperature range between 150 – 160 degrees F is ideal. Before removing the Schnitzels from the skillet, consider dropping lumps of butter onto each piece and allow to melt. Finished pork Schnitzel will be golden brown and juices will run clear. Finally place them on absorbent paper to rest.

Continue to cook the pork cutlets in batches if you are making a larger quantity. Refill the skillet with oil.

Variations

This is where we diversify our Schnitzels. Initially, we’ll focus on Jagerschnitzel.

To make Jagerschnitzel, add this intensely flavored Mushroom Sauce to the cooked breaded pork.

Making Wiener Schnitzel is even easier. Similarly, it relies on an addition, this time, it’s fresh lemon slices and a sprig or two of parsley to make it Wiener style. Other variations of Wiener Schnitzel include garnishing with capers and anchovies.

Flexibility with Ingredients

Ingredient substitutions are as follows:

• Use chicken or turkey breast for pork. Consequently, you’ll get a similar result.

• Breadcrumbs, this is a great recipe to use up any bits of pieces of breads that you have in the freezer or bread bin. Be careful when using seeded breads or breads containing nuts. The seeds and nuts might burn before the meat has finished cooking,

• Replace flour with cornstarch.

• Additionally using cornstarch and gluten-free breadcrumbs will make this recipe gluten-free.
• If you don’t like mushrooms then feel free to add another type of sauce to your Schnitzel. It will no longer be Jagerschnitzel, but hopefully with the mushroom sauce substitute, it will be a dish you enjoy.

Storage

Store fully cooked pork cutlets in the refrigerator up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. Also, be sure to use a well sealed BPA free plastic container. Layer them to save space and by using wax or parchment paper between layers. Consequently, this preparation for storage works well for both refrigerating and freezing.

Equipment

Using a meat thermometer takes away all the guess work. In other words, you don’t have to cross your fingers and hope the pork is cooked to a safe temperature.

A digital thermometer is the best choice, easy to use with quick results.

Got Questions?

I’ve got answers – hopefully!

• Can this become a gluten-free dish? Yes! This can be achieved with GF breadcrumbs and cornstarch. As a result this will be a gluten-free entree enjoyed by all types of eaters.

• Is Schnitzel something I can make in advance? First, you can prepare (trim and slice) the pork on one day, (refrigerate immediately after preparation). Then bread it the following day, (refrigerate it immediately.) Store in an air tight container using wax or parchment paper between layers. On the third day cook and eat it.

• Can I prepare Schnitzel in advance, and freeze it raw? Yes, store it in a raw state in a freezer for up to 6 months.

• What is the best way to reheat leftover Schnitzel? Air fryer, 375 degrees F for 3-5 minutes. Failing that in a 350 degrees F oven for 10 – 15 minutes. Even though microwave reheating is the quickest, it is not optimal.

• Will the breading fall off as the cutlets are cooling after cooking? As a result of the flour dredging step, the breadcrumbs should not fall off the pork.

• Can I use Panko instead of breadcrumbs? Yes, but make sure you press them onto the raw pork firmly during the breading stage. Usually, Panko is not as fine as breadcrumbs and so it will fall off easily.

Further Uses for Schnitzel

Jagerschnitzel and Wiener Schnitzel are cover in this post. There are lots of other styles of Schnitzel such as:

Rahmschnitzel is served with a cream sauce.

Zigeunerschnitzel, (Gypsy) is served with a bell pepper sauce.

Frankfurter Schnitzel served with a cold sour cream and herb sauce.

Furthermore, use Schnitzel cutlets in Italian Pork Hoagies or in Pork Cutlet Parmigiana.

Just don’t tell the Germans!

Food safety

If you are using tongs at the breading stage (raw meat), then use separate tongs when lifting cooked pork out of the pan. Therefore the chances of contamination will decrease.

Use a digital meat thermometer to know exactly if the meat is safe to eat. Cook pork until it reaches an internal temperature of 150 – 160 degrees F.

For more information please refer to these guidelines: more guidelines at USDA.gov.