A Tour of Montana in Pork Chop Sandwiches

It feels titanic, monolithic, eternal — every blessed ounce of it. Two buns. A succulent pork patty breaded and fried to a juicy golden brown, with onions, pickles, and mustard generously arranged in mouth-watering harmony. It's so iconic it feels as if it must have always been here, as solid and steadfast as the mountains and the prairies.

And yet there was a time, not even so long ago on a cosmic scale, that Montana was entirely devoid of pork chop sandwiches.

Thankfully for Montana, they were finally introduced to the world by John Borklund, a Swedish immigrant to Butte, in the 1920s. First, he pounded the pork chops out, tenderizing them, then breaded and fried them. This was a great idea on its own, but the no-utensils-required sandwich form factor elevated his creation above the common slop. It was the perfect workingman's lunch, hearty enough to sate the hungriest laborer's appetite, but tidy enough not to make a mess.

Before long, the breaded fried pork chop sandwich competed even with the legendary beef pasty as Butte's favorite meal. They became so popular that Borklund went from selling them out of a handcart to opening his own iconic brick-and-mortar business called PORK CHOP JOHNS that survives, in its original location we might add, to this day.

Meanwhile, the pork chop sandwich colonized the rest of the state, with local variants offered at all the finest roadside eateries. It has even taken root in other states, particularly in the Midwest, where a misapprehension is entertained that the sandwich was invented there. It wasn't. As with any icon, imitators are legion but accept no substitutes — Montana's version reigns supreme and, thankfully, is abundantly available across our fair state, including at these excellent venues...

The KING'S HAT DRIVE-IN in Billings has been serving fine fast, affordable, and most importantly delicious comfort food since 1949, when it opened as the Big Boy Drive-In. Today, big boys, small girls, and everybody in between continue to enjoy their remarkably inexpensive fare — including pork chop sandwiches for a scant $6.50 each. This is a point worth emphasizing — the pork chop sandwich is a food of the people, and the people, especially those lucky enough to don the King's Hat, love it.

The K2 HIDEAWAY GRILL is one of the best-kept secrets in Bozeman, tucked snugly inside the Hideaway liquor store and bar. But, with respect to bars, this is no mere bar food. Their fries are perfectly crispy, their burgers juicy and toothsome, and their onion rings? Well, they're good enough that you could pass them out as engagement rings and become a polygamist easily. But the pork chop sandwiches, made with Pork Chop Johns patties but served with a twist, are particularly good. Our correspondent in the field tried the Hot Chop, draped with jalapenos and packing a spicy wallop. Washed down with an ice-cold brew to tame the burn, it's absolutely top-notch.

Nothing is as iconically Butte as the FREEWAY TAVERN, founded as Muzz and Stan's Freeway, except of course for Pork Chop John's. But Freeway Tavern's version of the sandwich, called the "Wop Chop" for decades, is a little different from Borklund's double-battered original. First, we have to get out of the way that it is undoubtedly the tastiest sandwich ever to contain a mild racial slur in its name. Second, it varies slightly in that, rather than a chop, it is a slice of pork tenderloin that has been tenderized and breaded. It is no less delicious. Some prefer the Wop Chop, some Pork Chop Johns. The truly wise will have one of each, and enjoy them both.

SHELLIE'S is a long-standing mainstay of Helena (and a several-time, several-category Best of Montana winner), and if you go there, you have to try their milkshakes, which are unparalleled. Any shake sommelier can tell you that a huckleberry malt pairs well with pork chop. The pork chop sandwich at Shellie's is served up in classic style, with lettuce, pickle, and mayo on the side. This may also be a key to understanding the curious sway held over the denizens of the pork chop sandwich; when something is perfect, you don't mind if it's frequently the same. Can you still have a piece of pie with your pork chop sandwich even if you already had a huckleberry milkshake to drink? Yes, definitely.

The website of the RIVER CITY GRILL in Missoula calls it an oasis for travelers, truckers, and tourists, which is absolutely true. We would add "anyone hungry" to that list. Because the River City Grill, situated in the historic W. A. Clark building (once the headquarters of the Western Lumber Company), serves up classic diner food exactly the way you want it served: quickly, piping hot, and with love. Naturally they serve a pork chop sandwich, classic style: with lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, and a little mustard. To quote Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, "Tradition, tradition, tradition!"