- Hey, anybody hungry?

- You know what's always tasty?

A pork tenderloin sandwich.

- And there are so many different kinds in central Illinois.

- That's why we went high and low to find the biggest ones!

- You gotta see this.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music ends) We're gonna get to those monster-size tenderloin sandwiches in just a minute, but maybe your favorite is on the list.

- It's always interesting to me that in different parts of the state, people have favorite sandwiches.

Like in Chicago, they really like the Italian beef.

In Springfield, it's the horseshoe.

- But here in Peoria, we really like those deep-fried pork tenderloins and the bigger, the better.

- You ever wonder why those big tenderloins, especially those really super big ones, are popular in Central Illinois?

Check this out.

Ah, the deep-fried pork tenderloin sandwich, or as it's simply known among its many fans, the tenderloin.

It's the quintessential central Illinois sandwich but it wasn't born here.

They originally was purportedly created in 1908 by Nick's kitchen in Huntington, Indiana near Fort Wayne.

But then as now, it's much like a German wiener schnitzel, though made not with veal, but pork.

So with pork as the main ingredient, It's not surprising that the sandwich is most popular in four of the top pork producing states: Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois.

But in the land of Lincoln, you won't find many tenderloins in Chicago or in northern Illinois or in southern Illinois.

It's a Central Illinois thing.

The basic recipe is simple.

The pork loin is pounded, dipped in flour and egg then coated usually with either breadcrumbs or crushed saltines before getting dunked into a deep fryer.

Decades ago in Peoria, Hunt's Drive-In had a loyal tenderloin following.

But there, like all area joints serving a tenderloin back then, it wasn't much bigger than any other sandwich.

But in the 1980s, some restaurants turned toward the Tenderloin as a publicity gimmick.

Enter Schooners, which opened in 1981 in Peoria Heights.

Owner Greg Gebhards wondered how to get people to come through the front door.

- You need a theme, you need something.

- [Phil] He thought, how about a big tenderloin?

One big enough to dwarf a lone hamburger bun.

And as soon as it hit the menu, words spread about tenderloins as big as hubcaps.

- You couldn't even get through that door.

- [Phil] You could say the Schooner's version is the granddaddy of modern tenderloins in the Peoria area.

The cutlet there has always been pounded thin.

Other places go thicker.

Either way, since the '80s, bars have touted wildly wide tenderloins.

- When they hit the bar scene, then, everybody wanted one.

- [Phil] Over the years, many pubs and eateries have tried to best one another with oversized tenderloins, in Central Illinois as well as surrounding states.

In fact, in Iowa and Indiana, gourmands followed Tenderloin trails leading from one tenderloin spot to the other.

And the Facebook page Pursuing Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches has 72,000 members who visit joints all over the country to photograph and rate tenderloins.

The site of these gargantuan sandwiches can leave them gobsmacked.

At Schooners, manager Brad Gebhards says that's what happened to a recent visitor from out of town.

- And he came out and he's like, "What is this?"

I was like, we were telling him, he was like, "This needed to be our commercial".

'cause I mean, this guy's surprise on his face was so genuine.

He was just like, "What is this thing?"

- [Phil] The only controversy might involve toppings.

In Central Illinois, the favorites tend toward mustard and dill pickle chips.

But some Schooners diners opt for tomato, mayo and American cheese.

Some even prefer a pizza-like monster called the Tenderloin Supreme.

- [Brad] There is no wrong way.

(upbeat music fades) - You know, he's right.

They're all tasty!

- Mm, yeah.

Doesn't matter.

This topping and that topping, whatever you put on it, it's gonna make the tenderloin taste pretty good.

- Amen.

But we still wondered, where's the biggest tenderloins?

So we asked the viewers of "You Gotta See This" along with readers of Peoria Magazine to name their favorite places with the biggest tenderloins.

And from those, we went to the top five to check 'em out.

- And we're not telling you which ones are the best because that's up to you.

We want you to decide.

But we did find the biggest.

(upbeat music continues) - And we got scientific.

At each stop, we pulled out our trusty scale (metal clanging) to make sure we got a precise weigh-in.

And you're gonna see some of that process in the upcoming videos.

- Well, and in the official weighing, we took off the bun and all the accoutrements and we took off the plate and we weighed just the tenderloin itself.

- And you know what?

I'm getting kind of hungry.

- Me too.

- Who's ready to jump in the car and get to our first stop?

- Let's head to Fulton County and Cuba.

The Tenderloin has been something of a lifesaver for Wee-Ma-Tuk Country Club.

The 193 acre club, which stretches near the Fulton County city of Cuba, had fallen into disrepair.

But in 2019, new ownership overhauled the course and clubhouse.

But to keep things humming, they needed to draw more customers to the bar and grill.

And they've been coming in droves, thanks to the tenderloin.

It was created by former restaurateur, JK Keith who also happens to be Wee-Ma-Tuk chairman of the board.

- We get the meat in the entire loin.

We cut it to fit what we want it to do, hopefully by weight most of the time.

And then we hand pound 'em out.

Meat tenderizers don't work well, you need to pound 'em out.

- [Julie] Much of the recipe is simple.

- We do have our spices and pretty similar with most of the stuff you would do like this.

It would be be an egg wash.

In Illinois it's warsh.

In the rest of the world, it's egg wash. - [Julie] There are touches of innovation.

- [JK] Instead of using cracker meals, whatever the coarseness is, we actually use whole crackers.

- [Julie] But the key work involves a mix of art and science.

- Part of it is probably making sure you don't get it too thick, then you'll have to get the crust too done to get the meat done.

So there's kind of a fine line in there.

- [Julie] He isn't sure why Central Illinoisans go gaga over the tenderloins, but Wee-Ma-Tuk sells 80 or more a week.

Some people come from far away, including a Delaware couple who read a social media post about the Wee-Ma-Tuk tenderloin.

- Before they left, they pulled me aside and they said they were wonderful.

And I thanked them very much and wished them well on their trip.

Before they left this part of the state, they came back and had another one.

So that made me smile.

I'm making somebody happy and that's what we're doing this for.

- [Julie] The Wee-Ma-Tuk Tenderloin weighed in at one pound, eight ounces, the price 12.99.

Keith calls it a good deal.

- I would kind of call these kind of a loss leader that, you know, we put 'em out there.

We're not making a lot of money on 'em, but it brings people in.

- [Julie] For Wee-Ma-Tuk Country Club, that's a solid business strategy.

- [JK] We want happy people and we're working hard to get it to that point.

(upbeat music ends) - My favorite part of that whole story was that a couple drove from Delaware to get a sandwich at Wee-Ma-Tuk.

- You know, for some hardcore fans, it's no big thing to jump in a car, drive hundreds of miles to find that top-notch tenderloin.

- Oh my goodness.

Well we didn't drive as far as Delaware, but we have been driving around trying to find the best for you guys.

- For the next stop, we're gonna be closer to home.

Let's go to Bartonville.

For decades, 801 McKinley Avenue in Bartonville was mostly known as a shot and a beer joint.

In fact, it advertised itself as home of the 32 ounce schooner.

These days, you can still get a big schooner of suds there.

But the Billboard Bistro, though still comfy inside, gleams with a modern polish and it offers a full menu of top-notch comfort food, including a big tenderloin.

Chef Gabriel Bassette says the sandwich has grown over time, literally.

- I had made the smaller, more individual sized tenderloin for the past few years and I kind of just, the tenderloins were a big, big hit.

And then I kind of just wanted to make sure that we had one of the best in the area and that we were kind of known for, is its tenderLoin.

- [Phil] Why are giant tenderloins so beloved locally?

Maybe it's the old adage of location, location, location.

- [Gabriel] It's only known in the Midwest, so people can travel all around the world to get it.

- [Phil] But what's the secret of their unique lure?

- I can't answer that question 'cause I'm still yet to find out what the most extraordinary thing about a pork tenderloin is.

- [Phil] They're simple to make, if you're a chef in a commercial kitchen.

But they're not as easy to whip up at your own home.

- [Gabriel] Yeah, you don't have a commercial fryer that you can fit the bigger size tenderloin in.

- [Phil] And even for professionals, tenderloins offer a challenge in terms of making sure to get just the right cut.

The average diner has no idea of the precision involved.

- We cut from the loin, we take all the fat off.

Where it separates into two different colors in the pork, we don't use the the pinker meat in that.

We stick to the right of the loin so that it's more meaty and every bite is full of meat and has zero fat.

- [Phil] That means a lot of work every day for Bassette and another chef at Billboard Bistro.

They cut and cook upwards of 400 tenderloins a week.

Tenderloin rookies are especially impressed when the Tenderloin arrives at the table.

So much so, they'll gasp with wild reactions.

- I give you the PG rated ones.

Overall it's shock and wonder.

- [Phil] The Billboard Bistro tenderloin weighed in at one pound, 14 ounces.

The price, 14,99 or just 10.99 on Tenderloin Tuesdays.

- I've had a handful of people eat the whole tenderloin, but it's kind of our motto around here is, is you order here for two meals, one for eating here and then one for at your house later.

- Have you ever tried one of those bad boys?

Got it all down in just one sitting?

- Are you kidding me?

Those are giant.

- And they're getting gianter.

- Well, we're actually headed on our way back to Home County and hello London Mills.

at Spoonies Bar and Grill, it's famous tenderloin happened pretty much by accident.

In 2009, Dena Anderson bought a pub in London Mills.

It's never been a big place.

These days, aside from Spoonies, there's a bar and a mechanic shop nearby and you can see the Spoon River and the annual Spoon River Drive brings in a lot of bargain hunters into town.

- There's not a whole lot to come for (laughing).

- [Julie] When Anderson bought the place, the menu already had a pork tenderloin, but the loin wasn't much bigger than the burger bun.

- We've come a long ways with our loins.

- [Julie] Her husband was in charge of cutting tender loins, a tiresome task.

So, rather than make a lot of smaller sandwich cuts, he decided to reduce his workload.

- When we first started, my husband was the one that cut 'em.

He just got tired of cutting them.

So one night, he just like, "Okay, I'm just gonna cut these even bigger and let's see what happens."

- [Julie] What happened was people loved them, and bring on those monster loins.

- Then it just kind of made us popular for big tenderloins.

- [Julie] In fact, the oversized sandwiches became too popular for Spoonies to handle in-house.

- We couldn't keep up at all after that.

So then I had to go somewhere and have my loins cut and then we would, you know, still pound 'em out and bread 'em here.

But we're back to cutting our own loins and everything.

- [Julie] As for the recipe, Anderson will share that Spoonies uses cracker meal, but that's all she'll reveal.

- We do use certain things, but we don't like to tell what it is.

We've had several people ask us.

That's something we usually just don't throw out there.

- [Julie] Whatever the wizardry, the customers are hooked and Spoonies sells 300 a week.

And even Anderson isn't sure of the lure.

- Honestly, I am not sure because it just kind of blew me away once people are like, "Oh, look at them big loins."

And then we were kind of known for big loins.

- Spoonies' tenderloin weighed in at two pounds, one ounce.

And though diners love those tenderloins, their eyes are usually bigger than their stomachs.

- I mean, we got a few people that can eat a full one, but most of the time, it's, I mean, they're just way too big for one person.

- See?

I told you, it was way too much food for one person.

- Well, I get it and that's why the next place really blows my mind.

They've got a food challenge with not just one but two tenderloins on one sandwich.

- I mean, we tried it and it was delicious, period.

But it was also way too big.

- Really big.

Time for stop number four, Pekin.

How many tenderloins do they make at Asher's Bar and Grill?

- We have one person on each shift that that is their specific job, is to do tenderloins.

- [Phil] From staffers to customers, the Pekin pub takes their tenderloins seriously.

In fact, the original recipe came from a collaborative effort.

- We went through about seven different recipes before we opened.

We made them seven different ways, lined them on the bar.

All of the employees came out and we all tasted one.

We got to the very last one and everybody unanimously was like, "That's it.

That's the one."

- [Phil] Asher's originated in Farmington.

But after it burned down, Ashley and husband Russell decided to relocate to Court Street in Pekin, across from the Tazewell County Courthouse.

It's a bigger place, but still retains a folksy charm.

- We have some of our originals from Farmington that came here with us as well.

So it's kind of, you know, a bigger skill of a small town feel.

- [Phil] The menu includes supper club favorites, plus innovations like the Peanut Butter Burger, as well as the Asher Bomb.

A beloved deep fried glob of potatoes, bacon and cheese.

But the favorite is the tenderloin.

- We get our loin in, we cut it, we turn the fat, we cut it, we tenderize it, we pound it out, we bread it.

They're all done daily.

- [Phil] But you can't ask simply for a tenderloin.

There's the record tenderloin, so named as its round and wide as a record album.

And there's the 45, which is half as big.

Plus there's a horseshoe, which involves Texas toast, hand cut fries and cheddar cheese sauce.

And the pony is the smaller version.

And then there's the big shoe challenge.

It's not for the meek.

- So it's Texas toast, big tenderloin, fries, cheese, tenderloin, fries, cheese.

- [Phil] The challenge costs $45, but it's free if you can eat it in one hour and 15 minutes.

Succeed, and you get an Asher's T-shirt or a $25 gift certificate, plus your picture on the wall of fame.

But don't count on it.

- I'm getting ready to put one person on that wall of fame and she was a competitive eater.

It's the only person who's been able to finish our challenge.

We've probably had maybe 50 to 60 people try in the years we've been open.

- [Phil] Then again, even failure is fun.

- I think it's more of the not a reward, just the excitement and fun of the challenge and defeating it.

Everybody says we should do a wall of shame instead of a wall of fame, for all the people who've tried.

And when we get people in here, we make it a big to-do.

It's a, you know, it's an actual show.

Like everybody watches 'em.

Everybody knows they're doing the challenge.

It comes out, it's huge.

Everybody stands up, people take pictures.

It's a whole thing.

- [Phil] Asher's Tenderloin weighed in at two pounds, five ounces.

Yet even amid so many tenderloins and so many varieties, owner Spencer still isn't clear why tenderloins are so beloved in Pekin as well as the rest of central Illinois.

- I don't know, it's a Midwest thing.

I've always grown up knowing a tenderloin, but then people come from other states and they're like, "Oh, a tenderloin.

I've never had that before."

I mean, I don't know, maybe it's that everything's fried here in the Midwest, so maybe that has something to do with it.

- Those are some great places that we visited, and they have amazing tenderloins.

- And if you've ever wondered how to make one yourself at home, here's our resident cooking expert, Mary Disomma, gonna show you how.

(upbeat music) - The pork tenderloin sandwich is a huge favorite in Central Illinois.

And I say huge and favorite together because, well, need I say more?

It all starts with a tenderloin roast.

You wanna cut your roast into four ounce pieces and cut them on a diagonal.

This will give you more surface area for the meat.

And you pound it for two reasons.

One, you wanna make it nice and thin, so it cooks fast and evenly.

And secondly, pounding the pork tenderizes the meat.

I use the parchment paper because I don't want the meat to stick to the pounder.

Make sure that you pound your pork slab to about a quarter inch thickness.

I always start pounding from the center and work my way out.

This gives your cutlet a nice round appearance.

In my first bowl, I have an egg and some milk.

In my second bowl, I have my breadcrumbs and I'll add salt, pepper, garlic powder, a little bit of onion powder, and of course, a little bit of Italian seasoning.

First, we'll dip our pork slab into the egg wash, get it good and coated.

I like the excess to drip off.

Now for the breadcrumb coating.

Press down on the meat so the breadcrumbs get onto the meat nice and evenly.

Once it's breaded, place it right on a parchment lined baking sheet.

I have to tell you a story.

When I first saw this pork tenderloin sandwich at my farm, there was no question who's the star of the show; this pork tenderloin.

And my family just loves it.

I put enough oil in the pan just to cover the bottom and I know the oil is ready when it starts to shimmer when it gets up to temperature.

(upbeat music continues) It'll take about three to four minutes to get golden brown.

Pork loin doesn't have a lot of fat in it, so you need to cook it quickly if you want your meat to be juicy.

Ready to flip.

(loin sizzling) This side takes two to three minutes to be golden brown.

I'm transferring my fried cutlet right onto a paper towel-lined baking sheet.

This is so that it absorbs all of that extra oil.

I like to serve my pork tenderloin sandwich on a toasted bun.

I know the bun is smaller than the sandwich, but that's just the way it is.

The new classic, the pork tenderloin sandwich.

(upbeat music continues) - Here's the moment, you've all been waiting for.

The tenderloin that topped the scale.

- And for this one, we took another bit of a drive to a place that few people watching this have probably been to.

Heck, they probably haven't even heard of this town.

- It is a small town, but it has a big tenderloin.

And our biggest in little Leonore.

- [Julie] People come from all around to Smitty's Bar and Grill.

Then again, most would have to.

The old LaSalle county village has just 130 residents, maybe less.

Some customers routinely from an hour away.

Others, on an annual cross country vacation.

- They make the drive.

It's a destination.

- For sure, they come for the tenderloin.

But the draw also is the pub itself, an oasis amid a vast farmland and Leonore's one-stop commercial district.

In 1988, Schmitt was a snack chip route driver when he decided to buy an old saloon that had seen far better days.

- Old paneling, wooden floors, you could see through.

You could see the basement and spots.

- [Julie] With a lot of elbow grease, Schmitt put an inviting shine on the place.

Five years later, he decided to start offering food, including the tenderloin which at first was a relatively modest size.

- When I was buying them, they started out, you know, a fairly nice size, say eight, 10 inches.

And they shrank 'em, shrank 'em, and the price went up.

So then I says, you know what, I can do this myself and probably make a better product, which we did, you know, in the long run.

So, and then we gave the customer a better value.

- [Julie] After taking matters into his own hands, Schmitt decided to make a tenderloin big enough to get people talking.

Further, he decided to use a thin cracker meal coating to better emphasize the meat.

- Some people do it like a wet batter and I don't like that.

I mean, and it's real thick and, you know.

But this so far has been a success.

And I'd say 80% of 'em are a dry batter, you know, a dry cracker meal batter.

- [Julie] The result is a whopper that weighs four pounds.

It often becomes a photo op.

- It's kind of funny because if somebody gets a tenderloin or has never had one here, you'll see the cameras, you know, the phone's going off, taking pictures and whatnot and sending it to people.

And I think that's the best advertisement, is just word of mouth.

- [Julie] Not everyone can handle the prodigious porker.

- It's kind of a challenge, sometimes, if they eat it all and then probably 50, 60% of the time, they get an extra bun and split it.

You know, or they take it home and have a meal, or you know, a meal or two afterwards, you know?

So they like the value and you know, we did a little one we went and, you know, just something different I think, and it draws 'em in.

- [Julie] If you finish the tenderloin, the prize is mostly the satisfaction of a job well done.

- There's very few people that do it, but some of 'em will and then usually we'll buy 'em, if they're drinking, we'll buy 'em a beer or something.

- [Julie] All in all, people keep coming back again and again and again.

- In a good summertime, maybe when we get the motorcycle traffic and everything's rolling good, I mean, we'll go through 300, 350 a week.

(upbeat music ends) - Wow, that thing was gargantuan.

So many big tenderloins on this show.

- There's so many to keep track of.

I wish we had a scoreboard.

- We do.

(audience applauding) (audience gasping and cheering) (audience gasping and cheering) (buzzer buzzing) (audience gasping and cheering) - Whew, we've had a lot of pork tenderloin sandwiches.

- We packed in a lot of pork and that's a whole lot of road trips and a lot of fun.

But remember, those are just by weight.

There's plenty of other places that, you know, they even have smaller tenderloins and those are delicious too and we like to know about those.

- And we wanna know from you, especially if you have ideas for shows, or you wanna tell us your favorite tenderloin place, that's fine, but I think we've had enough tenderloin for a while.

- (laughing) Send us an email at the address on the screen and if it is about tenderloin, we might have to take a pause but we will be ready for next time on, - "You Gotta See This".

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - Welcome to Leonore!

Check out this neat place.

(upbeat music continues) (upbeat music ends)