Vietnamese Grilled Pork With Vermicelli Salad- “Bún Thịt Nướng” Recipe
This is popular traditional Vietnamese dish, bún thịt nướng, is a tasty combination of grilled pork, vermicelli rice noodles, fresh veggies & herbs, and deep fried Vietnamese Spring Rolls.
The secret here is how my parents used honey and brown sugar in the pork marinade. The honey adds a touch of sweetness and helps add color and caramelizes the edges of the pork. I love getting a nice crispy burnt edge around these steaks! Using quality fresh cracked black pepper also helps enhance the flavor as well as a quality fish sauce like Red Boat or the Vietnamese 3 crab brand (my dad’s favorite). My favorite black peppercorns are from Jacobsen Salt Co. @ Bluecashew Kitchen.
*Don’t throw out the marinade, you can use it to brush on extra sauce mid-grilling, OR you pour the leftover marinade in a pan and bring it to a boil for a few minutes (you can brush this over the meat after they’re done for a nice saucy glaze!
DIPPING SAUCE
Nuoc Mam Cham- see recipe -here-
INGREDIENTS
1.5 lb thin cut pork chops (Shoulder, neck (cut thinly 1/4") or pork belly (cut belly into 3/4" slices))
1 package rice vermicelli noodles cooked
PORK MARINADE
1 tbsp shallots minced (or white scallion bottoms minced)
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tbs brown sugar
1 1/2 tbs honey
4 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbs soy sauce
3/4 tbs fresh cracked pepper
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
VEGETABLE SALAD
1 green butter lettuce, turn into medium pieces
Mint (Asian min preferred, rau thơm)
1 bunch cilantro
1 bag of Vermicelli rice noodles- med or thin round noodles
Optional Vietnamese herbs:
Vietnamese perilla tiá tô
Vietnamese balm kinh giới
GARNISH
1 tbs Fried asian shallots
1 tbs Crushed peanuts
Optional garnishes:
Pickled daikon and carrots (Du chua)- see recipe -here-
1/2 tbsp scallion oil (mo hahn)- see recipe -here-
PREPARATION
1. Mince garlic and shallots and whip marinade in a bowl with sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, black pepper, and oil until sugar dissolves.
2. Pour marinade into zip lock bag with pork and seal (removing all air as possible). Let marinate the meat for 2-6 hours, or overnight for best results in fridge.
3. Before grilling, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add vermicelli noodles and cook through. Rinse noodles under cold running water and drain in strainer and set aside.
4. Place pork on a wire tray to remove excess marinade/liquid.
*Don’t throw out the marinade, you can use it to brush on extra sauce mid-grilling, OR you pour the leftover marinade in a pan and bring it to a boil for a few minutes (you can brush this over the meat after they’re done for a nice saucy glaze!
Best choice to cook these is on a grill:
To grill: Set grill to med-high and wait till your grill reaches about 375 degrees, wire brush your grill and I like to brush on a little vegetable oil on the grills so they steaks don’t stick. Grill pork well on both sides until cooked through, about 3-4 min or so on each side depending on the thickness of your pork chops.
To bake pork: Bake the pork at 375 F for 10-15 minutes or until about 80% cooked. Finish cooking by broiling in the oven until a nice golden brown color develops, flipping the pieces midway. Don't take your eyes off the broiler!
OR to fry in Pan: Heat about a couple tbs of oil in pan on high heat in cast iron skillet (just enough oil to cover the bottom of pan). Wait till oil is thin and glossy then pan fry pork chops on high until meat is cooked through and golden brown (about 5 min, 2-3 min on each side).
BOWL ASSEMBLY: To assemble, place noodles in bowl and top with the grilled pork, lettuce, cilantro, scallions, and mint.
Drizzle with fish dipping sauce and top with crushed peanuts and/or fried scallions!