Distinctly Montana Magazine

47 w w w. d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m I T 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 mus- tard 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 fi- nally introduced to the world by John Borklund, a Swedish im- migrant to Butte, in the 1920s. First, he pound- ed the pork chops out, tenderizing them, then breaded and fried them. This was a great idea on its own, but the no-uten- sils-required sandwich form factor elevated his creation above the common slop. It was the perfect work- ingman's lunch, hearty enough to sate the hungriest laborer's appetite, but tidy enough not to make a mess. Before long, the bread- ed fried pork chop sand- wich 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 hand- cart to opening his own iconic brick-and-mortar busi- ness 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 road- side eateries. It has even taken root in oth- er states, particularly in the Midwest, where a misapprehension is enter- tained 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 abundant- ly 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 deli- cious 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 — in- cluding pork chop sandwiches for a scant $6.50 each. This is a point worth emphasizing — the pork chop sand- wich is a food of the people, and the It's so iconic it feels AS IF IT MUST HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE, AS SOLID AND STEADFAST AS THE MOUNTAINS AND THE PRAIRIES.

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