Asian•gourmet

Vietnamese Lemongrass Grilled Pork (Thịt Nướng)

These grilled pork skewers are a popular at Vietnamese restaurants. Lots of minced lemongrass makes them extra fragrant.

Ingredients

Quantities are shown as originally provided.

1½ - 2 lbs pork belly or shoulder
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
3 tbsp sugar or honey
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 shallots minced
½ cup minced lemongrass
salt and pepper to taste
fish sauce dipping sauce
scallion oil ((sauté some chopped scallions in a neutral oil for a fragrant sauce))
crushed peanuts
pickled carrots and daikon
bean sprouts
mint
thai basil
cilantro
red/green leaf or romaine lettuce
cucumber
sliced thai chiles or jalapeños
rice vermicelli
baguette or french bread

1
Trim any large chunks of fat or gristle off of the pork. If you're using skin-on pork belly like me, trim the skin off as well. Then, slice the pork into stripe about ¼ of an inch thick.
2
Add the meat to a bowl and add the fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar or honey, garlic, shallots, lemongrass and salt and pepper. Mix the meat thoroughly and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes but preferably overnight.
3
Skewer the pork by poking one end of a pork strip through the skewer, folding the pork over, and poking it through the skewer again. Keep a few inches on either end of the skewer empty.
4
If you're not using skewers, you can layer the pork on a wire wrack and cook them in the oven at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Broil for 1-2 minutes as necessary to achieve a char on the meat.
5
Grill the skewers, flipping often to ensure a good char on all sides. Skewers can also be baked using the instructions above.
6
Serve the cooked pork rolled in rice paper rolls, as a noodle salad bowl or in a banh mi. See blog post for suggestions.