Vietnamese Skewered Pork

Author: Anita Jacobson

Categories: Main Dish

Cuisines: Vietnamese

Ingredients: Pork

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 40 mins

Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1 kilogram (~ 2.2 lb) pork shoulder ribs, cut into thin slices (2-3mm or 1/32-1/16")
• 50 gram shallot/onion, minced
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 lemongrass, white parts only, minced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1/2 cup Vietnamese caramel sauce (*)
• ~ 16-20 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least 1 hour prior to baking

Instructions

1. Mix together pork with the rest of the ingredients (except bamboo skewers), and marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 200 Celsius (400 Fahrenheit).
3. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil, and place a baking rack inside each of the baking sheet. Skewer the marinated pork with bamboo skewers, and arrange on baking rack. (Note: I use 2 sheets, and I place 8 skewers per rack for a total of 16 skewers.)
4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, then flip to the other side, brush with any leftover marinating sauce, and bake again for another 15 minutes.
5. Turn off oven, but turn on broiler. Broil each side for 1-2 minutes until charred. Serve hot.

Notes

• (*) Store bought. Or homemade version: heat 3 tablespoon sugar in a heavy bottom sauce pot until melted and amber color, then quickly add 1/2 cup hot water to the pot. Stir until fully dissolved.