Schnitzel Wiener Art is a classic of Austrian/Southern German cuisine. The original from Austria is made from veal, but it can be also be made from pork or poultry. It is easily made in big quantities, which makes it perfect to eat with friends or family.
It is very important to pound the meat to a thin and even size, so that it cooks evenly and fast. You can make Schnitzels as big as your pot is, in Germany many restaurants serve the so called "Riesenschnitzel" (Giant Schnitzel).
If you don't have a meat mallet you can use a pan or pot with a heavy base. The plastic wrap on and under the meat helps to stay the meat fibers intact.
A "Panierstraße" (literally translated to: breading street) is used to efficiently put the breading on the meat.
The breading process starts with salt and pepper to taste.
After that I spray the meat with a little bit of water, which is optional but helps with the breading to take off. The meat then gets coated in flour, whisked eggs and breadcrumbs in this order. Be cautious not to press any of the breading in, which will prevent the breading from lifting off from the meat while frying. (look at the last picture) Also be sure to shake off any excess breading.
But if you bread too many Schnitzels at once and they lay around it can happend that the breading gets soggy ruining the Schnitzel.
For frying you can use any pot or pan, which is big enough for your Schnitzel to fit in and can hold enough oil so the Schnitzel is able to swim. Heat your pan to medium high heat and pour in your oil, you can also add clarified butter (Butterschmalz) for an awesome butter flavor, which you don't want to miss! Drop in your Schnitzels away from you to not splash any oil on yourself.
Fry your Schnitzels while moving the pan back and forth on the stove, to cook the upwards side and get the breading to crisp up. Flip it once and continue moving the pan to baste the Schnitzel with oil from all sides.
When it is a golden brown color remove it from the pan, then let it drip off the excess oil for a few seconds. Let the Schnitzel rest on a paper towel to remove any excess oil and it is ready to serve.
Schnitzel goes great with a little lemon juice over the top, in Austria they use a kind of mountain cranberry sauce which is called "Preiselbeerensauce".
This is how your Schnitzel should look like when its done, what you are looking for is golden brown breading and that the breading lifted off from the meat.
Ingredients:
Meat of your choice
Salt&Pepper to taste
Flour
Eggs
Breadcrumbs
Clarified Butter
Lemon