Herbed Pork Cutlets, Camp Skillet Version
Breaded pork cutlets done on a camp stove with dried herbs and a cooler-carried loin.
- calories
- 480
- weight
- 7 oz
- cal / oz
- 69
- protein
- 36 g
- serves
- 3, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 22 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Liquid fuel
- Canister stove
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Real dishes
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Thin-cut pork cutlets | 1 lb | pound them flat at home so they cook fast |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 | carried in the cooler, or 1 tbsp powdered egg plus 2 tbsp water |
| Dry bread crumbs | 1/3 cup | |
| Dried basil | 1 tbsp | |
| Dried oregano | 2 tsp | |
| Dried thyme | 1/2 tsp | |
| Grated hard parmesan | 1 tbsp | the shelf-stable shaker kind is fine here |
| Black pepper | 1/2 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/4 tsp | |
| Vegetable oil | 2 tbsp |
Method
- Beat the egg in a shallow bowl or a wide mug. If you brought powdered egg, whisk it with 2 tbsp water first and let it sit a minute.
- Shake the crumb mix in its bag to loosen it, then pour it onto a plate or the inside of a clean cutting board.
- Dip each cutlet in egg, let the excess run off, then press both sides into the crumbs. Press hard. Loose breading falls off in the pan.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium. Lay in as many cutlets as fit without touching.
- Cook 4 to 5 minutes a side, turning once. They are done when the center is barely pink and the crust is set.
- Add the rest of the oil between batches. A dry pan burns the crumbs instead of browning them.
This is a home kitchen recipe pulled toward a camp stove. The original leans on fresh basil, oregano, and thyme, which wilt to slime in a cooler by day two. Dried herbs in the crumb mix do the same job and weigh nothing. Fresh grated parmesan becomes the shelf-stable shaker kind, which browns just as well inside a crust.
The pork has to be thin. Pounding the cutlets at home means they cook through in under five minutes a side, so you are not standing over a dark stove guessing at doneness. Keep the oil coming between batches. Bread crumbs in a dry pan go from pale to black with nothing in between, and there is no second chance once the crust is gone.
Packing
Crumbs, parmesan, dried herbs, salt, and pepper go into one bag at home. The pork stays frozen in the cooler and thaws on day one. Oil rides in a leakproof bottle.
Variations
- Skip the egg entirely and brush the cutlets with oil before breading. The crust is thinner but it holds.
- Boil-in-bag rice or foil-wrapped potatoes on the same stove make it a full plate.
- Chicken cutlets work the same way and cook in about the same time.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/30-min-herbed-pork-cutlets