Grilled-Pork Banh Mi

Do you ever have those days that are pretty NORMAL but just so good?  It started with a run this morning.  I went into my office late today because I had a late afternoon meeting, so after my run, I was able to shower, enjoy two cups of coffee, make the marinade for my pork dish and work at my computer in the comfort of my own home for over an hour before Brooke woke up.  I was so happy to see her when she woke up and we spent some time eating breakfast together and playing.  Morning is my favorite time of day - so fresh and full of energy and the hope of a great day ahead...

Isa arrived and off to work I went where I spent a very productive day. I got home around dinnertime and spent time with my three kiddos and am now enjoying a wonderful glass of Cabernet while Dancing with the Stars is on in the background.  Doesn't get much better than that!

Alright - so did my blog title impress you?  If I may puff out my chest and show my feathers for a moment, let me say that I just grilled probably the best tasting pork I've ever had.  Taken from the May issue of Food & Wine magazine, I followed a recipe line by line and made Grilled-Pork Banh Mi.  I have no idea what Banh Mi is, but that's no matter.  This is a Vietnamese dish, so says the little write up of the recipe, and holy cow, is it ever tasty!  The recipe is actually a sandwich - which I made for Matt, but I ate just the meat (to avoid all the bread) and seriously could have easily polished off all 2 1/2 pounds of meat. 

Take a minute to grab a pen and paper and write this down. This recipe is a keeper - easy and rich in flavor - I will be serving this for dinner parties, weeknight dinners, new moms, meal for a new neighbor, etc.  It is easy, tasty, full of flavor and very impressive. 

Can you tell I'm excited about it?  This morning before Brooke woke up, I plugged in my Cuisinart food processor and pureed Asian fish sauce, honey, sugar, ground pepper, scallions and garlic.  Now, let me tell you about the fish sauce.  I opened it up and started pouring it into my measuring cup when I decided to give it a quick smell.  Big mistake - it smelled so awful that I went back to the recipe to make sure that this is truly what it called for.  When I confirmed that, I started looking for the expiration date thinking that maybe it was rancid.  Nope - not until 2013... then, I checked the ingredients -what is actually IN fish sauce?  Anchovies, salt and water.  I love all three of these things on their own, but together as a sauce... not so much.  NASTY is the word that I kept uttering - out loud, mind you.  I carried on and blended it with the other ingredients, but I was still very skeptical.  I sliced two pork tenderloins into thin slices and then poured the marinade over all and let it sit in the fridge all day.  The recipe said to refrigerate for 2-4 hours only, but that didn't work for me because I worked all day, so mine sat in the marinade all day long.

When I got home this evening from work, Matt fired up the grill and I cooked the pork medallions on medium heat for about 6-8 minutes (recipe called for 4 minutes total, but I didn't think it was done enough).

The result?  Oh my goodness - the most wonderfully flavored pork EVER!!!  I couldn't BELIEVE how great it tasted - best pork I've ever had!  EVER!!  Brooke and I couldn't get enough!  I continued on with the recipe and assembled the sandwich for Matt using Sriracha and Hoison as the condiment spread - and he loved it! 

Here's the recipe (if you click on the name, it'll take you to the online recipe):

Grilled-Pork Banh Mi

1/4 cup Asian fish sauce
1 TBS honey
2 TBS sugar
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
6 scallions, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
Six 8-inch long rolls or 2 baguettes, cut into 8-inch lengths and split
Hoisin sauce and Sriracha chile sauce
Vegetable oil, for grilling
1/2 seedless cucumber, cut into 2 by 1/2 inch matchsticks

In a blender or food processor, puree the fish sauce with the honey, sugar, pepper, scallions, and garlic.  Transfer the marinade to a bowl, add the pork and toss.  Refrigerate 2-4 hours (or all day!).  Thread the pork through the top and bottom of each slice onto 12 bamboo skewers. (**I did not take the time to do this).
Spread the rolls with Hoison an Sriracha.  Light a grill and oil the grates.  Brush the pork with oil and grill over high heat, turning, until just cooked, 4 minutes (I cooked a bit longer).  Place 2 skewers on each roll and top with cucumber.

This was FANTASTIC!!!  I thought about just keeping this delicious recipe to myself as a sort of "secret recipe" - but why not spread the culinary joy with you?  After all, what's joy when you keep it to yourself? 

Go out TODAY and pick up the ingredients - they are few - and spread the joy to your family, your guests, whomever - they'll be so impressed and you can sit back, as I am doing, with a glass of wine and fluff your feathers :).