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Grilled Pork Bánh Mì

A perfect from-scratch recipe for an authentic Vietnamese Pork Bánh Mì Sandwich.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Vietnamese
Keyword Sandwich, Vietnamese
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 5 hours
Servings 2
Author Johan Johansen

Ingredients

Pork shoulder:

  • 2 pounds pork shoulder
  • 1 liters water
  • 1 kilo ice
  • 140 grams salt
  • 50 grams unrefined sugar
  • 2 lemon grass stalks cut into small pieces
  • 1 inch ginger sliced thin
  • 3-4 dried chilies stems and seeds removed
  • 2 garlic cloves smashed
  • 20 ml fish sauce

Chicken liver pâté:

  • 250 gram chicken livers
  • 1 shallot minced
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 100 grams butter
  • 5 cl cognac or brandy
  • Salt
  • Black pepper freshly ground

Mayonnaise:

  • 1 egg yolk certified salmonella free or pasteurized
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • black pepper Freshly ground
  • Salt
  • 200 ml vegetable oil neutrally flavored oils work best

Pickled vegetables:

  • 2 carrots
  • 1 Daikon Asian radish
  • 200 ml apple cider vinegar
  • 100 grams sugar

Additional ingredients:

  • 1 cucumber julienned or cut into thin strips
  • Sriracha or other hot sauce
  • 1 red chili sliced, jalapeño and serrano work well
  • 10 cilantro sprigs

Instructions

Brine pork shoulder:

  1. Bring water to a gentle simmer in a large pot

  2. Add salt, sugar, lemon grass, ginger,chilies garlic and fish sauce

  3. Stir until salt and sugar is dissolved then remove pot from the heat
  4. Add ice to brine mixture and allow to cool completely
  5. Once cooled, add pork shoulder to brine and refrigerate overnight

Pickled vegetables:

  1. Add sugar and vinegar to a small sauce pan and heat, stirring now and then, until sugar has dissolved, then set aside to cool.
  2. Cut carrots and daikon into julienne or thin strips using either a sharp knife and steady hand, vegetable peeler or mandolin.

  3. Add the cut vegetables to a bowl, pour over pickling liquid, cover and refrigerate for at least a few hours before using.

Make mayonnaise

  1. Before making mayonnaise, ensure that all ingredients are room temperature. Let the egg yolk sit (covered) at room temperature for about an hour of needed.

  2. In a large bowl, add egg yolk, mustard, lemon juice and black pepper.

  3. Using a hand-held mixer (or a whisk and a strong wrist), beat the ingredients for about a minute until completely mixed, light and airy.

  4. While whisking continually, carefully start adding the oil to the bowl at the rate of a few drops at a time.

  5. As the oil drops hit the eggs, they’ll start emulsifying into the egg, creating a uniform mass that slowly thickens.
  6. Once the first drops have been incorporated you can start to slowly drip in more oil, still whisking vigorously and making sure the oil integrates as you go.
  7. Once about a teaspoon of oil has been thoroughly integrated, the emulsion in the bowl will be quite stable and you can start pouring in oil in a slow, steady stream. Still whisking as you go, of course.
  8. Continue adding oil until your desired thickness has been reached. The more you add, the thicker the mayo will become.
  9. Once happy with the consistency, taste and season with salt as needed and add a little more lemon juice for extra twang if you so desire.

Pâte:

  1. Wash and clean chicken livers, removing any white strings or nasty bits, then pat dry.
  2. Add 10 grams of butter and an equal amount of cooking oil to a pan set over medium-high heat and allow butter to melt and come to temperature.
  3. Add livers and cook for about two minutes on one side.
  4. Turn livers, season with salt and black pepper, and at the same time add shallots and garlic to the pan.
  5. Cook livers for another two or so minutes, then add the cognac and cook for an additional minute.
  6. Transfer livers, onions and liquid to a high-power blender or food processor and process for several minutes until smooth and uniform. The finished result should be lump-free and non-grainy.
  7. After several minutes of processing, start working in the rest of the butter a few cubes at the time, still processing as you go to make sure it’s completely integrated.
  8. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
  9. OPTIONAL: If mousse seems and tastes grainy at this point, you can force it through a strainer to remove any lumps or graininess.
  10. Transfer paste to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until pâté has set and is ready for use.

Grilled pork:

  1. Remove pork shoulder from its brine and pat thoroughly dry.
  2. Allow pork shoulder to rest at room temperature while your oven heats up to 150C.

  3. Heat a large pan over high heat and add a tablespoon of cooking oil.

  4. Sear pork shoulder thoroughly for a couple of minutes on all sides until well and thoroughly browned.

  5. Slide pork shoulder into oven and cook for at least a couple of hours until a probe thermometer measures a core temperature of 75C.

  6. Remove roasted pork shoulder from the oven and allow to cool before slicing as thinly as possible.

Assemble Banh Mi Sandwich:

  1. Slice baguette length-wise, smear the bottom half with pâté and the other with mayonnaise.
  2. Layer slices of pork on the bottom half of the baguette and top with plenty of pickled carrots, pickled daikon, cucumber, chili slices and cilantro stems.
  3. Add top half of baguette and cut your sandwich into two pieces along the middle.
  4. Serve and enjoy.