Vietnamese Grilled Lemongrass Pork (Thit Nuong)

~ My buddy Ms. T shared this wonderful recipe a while back and I’ve only now had an opportunity to indulge. After I gave my son a quick sample, the kid tried to run off with the entire plate. Another friend who got to try it, has dubbed it “Crack Pork”. A high honor, but nothing short of the truth. The lemongrass gives the pork a beautifully bright element, while the caramel sauce lends an intoxicating smoky  aroma.

Adapted from Ms. T.

Ingredients:

5lbs pork butt or shoulder- cut into ¼” slices

5 lemongrass stalks- finely minced

½ head garlic- finely minced

2 large shallots- finely minced

2 tbsp caramel sauce

1/3 cup fish sauce

2 tbsp honey

4 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp sesame oil

Fresh ground pepper

Baking powder

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, lay several pork pieces flat across surface. Lightly douse with baking soda. Layer several more pieces on top and douse with more baking soda. Repeat until all pork is treated with baking soda. Set aside for 10-15min.
2. Run cold water onto pork, rinsing each piece individually and thoroughly. As each piece is cleaned, place into colander and set aside to drain.
3. In a large bowl, combine lemongrass, garlic, shallots, caramel sauce, fish sauce, honey, sugar, sesame oil, and fresh ground pepper. Mix until blended.
4. Place piece of pork into bowl and lightly toss to ensure each piece is coated.
5. After several hours, turn pork so that the pieces marinating on the bottom is now on top and vice a versa. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
6. Grill over medium heat until done. Make sure to turn often. Because of the high sugar content, the meat can burn easily.

Serving suggestions:

• Bun: Vietnamese noodle dish using rice noodles, fresh herbs, pickled vegetables, and chopped lettuce with nuoc cham and mo hanh
•  Toasted baguette with tomatillo salsa verde
• Steamed rice topped with a fried egg
• Salad