Vietnamese Restaurant-Style Grilled Lemongrass Pork
Source: Viet World Kitchen
Serves 4
1 pound boneless pork shoulder steak, about 1/2 inch thick
Marinade:
11/2 to 2 tablespoons granulated or light brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped shallot or yellow onion
1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and finely chopped (3 tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon dark (black) soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon oil
1. Cut the pork shoulder steak into pieces about 3 to 4 inches big and about 1/2 inch thick. Set aside.
2. Mince the garlic, shallot, and lemongrass individually, put them into a bowl, and add the sugar. Add the pepper, soy sauce, fish sauce, and oil to combine well. You could also mix in a blender and blend until a relatively smooth texture. The marinade will be chocolate brown. Transfer to a bowl or ziplock.
3. Add the pork, and turn to coat well. Cover and set aside at room temperature to marinate for 1 hour. Or, refrigerate up to 24 hours, letting the meat sit out at room temperature for 45 minutes to remove some of the chill before grilling.
4. Preheat a grill, let the charcoal burn down a little before you start. Grill for 2 minutes on each side on the hot side of the grill then transfer to the cool side until cooked through (145 degrees). Transfer to a plate, loosely cover with foil or an inverted bowl for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes: I made double the marinade, and had to skip the lemon grass. It was still really good. The browned marinade edges were really good, I'd cut the pieces smaller into 3-4 inches next time as suggested. The dipping sauce suggested came out weird because I used these bitter key limes.
Serves 4
1 pound boneless pork shoulder steak, about 1/2 inch thick
Marinade:
11/2 to 2 tablespoons granulated or light brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped shallot or yellow onion
1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and finely chopped (3 tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon dark (black) soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon oil
1. Cut the pork shoulder steak into pieces about 3 to 4 inches big and about 1/2 inch thick. Set aside.
2. Mince the garlic, shallot, and lemongrass individually, put them into a bowl, and add the sugar. Add the pepper, soy sauce, fish sauce, and oil to combine well. You could also mix in a blender and blend until a relatively smooth texture. The marinade will be chocolate brown. Transfer to a bowl or ziplock.
3. Add the pork, and turn to coat well. Cover and set aside at room temperature to marinate for 1 hour. Or, refrigerate up to 24 hours, letting the meat sit out at room temperature for 45 minutes to remove some of the chill before grilling.
4. Preheat a grill, let the charcoal burn down a little before you start. Grill for 2 minutes on each side on the hot side of the grill then transfer to the cool side until cooked through (145 degrees). Transfer to a plate, loosely cover with foil or an inverted bowl for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes: I made double the marinade, and had to skip the lemon grass. It was still really good. The browned marinade edges were really good, I'd cut the pieces smaller into 3-4 inches next time as suggested. The dipping sauce suggested came out weird because I used these bitter key limes.