Fried Pork Strips with Sweet and Spicy Dipping Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds boneless pork (boneless chops or cutlets), cut into 1/4 inch thick strips

2/3 cup extra fine yellow cornmeal

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon sugar

enough vegetable or canola oil to fill frying pan 3/4” deep*

For the egg wash:

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

For the dipping sauce:

1/4 cup honey mustard dressing (I use Ken’s)

3 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons agave nectar

2 tablespoons hot sauce (I use Franks RedHot Wings Hot Buffalo)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Place 3/4-inch of oil into a 10-inch frying pan. Heat to 360° F when ready to fry.
Combine the flour mixture for dredging: add flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and sugar in a large zip lock bag.
Make the egg wash: whisk egg, milk, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.
Place pork strips into a mixing bowl. Add egg wash. Mix to thoroughly combine.
Working in small batch at a time, remove pork strips, shaking off liquid. Place into the bag of the flour/cornmeal mixture. Close bag and shake to coat thoroughly.
Scoop pork into a spider or small sieve. Shake and tap of excess flour mixture back into the bag. Do not skip this step. It creates texture on the flour and makes it fry up nice and crispy.
Drop the pork into the preheated oil. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Do not overcook. It will dry out the pork. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Continue coating and frying the pork in small batches.
To make the dipping sauce: combine all ingredients until smooth.
Serve and enjoy!

Makes 4-6 appetizer servings.

Recipe notes:

To prevent overflow of hot oil, fill the skillet no more than half full.
For easier slicing, freeze pork for an hour or so, depending on the thickness, prior to cutting into strips.