Pulled Pork Sandwiches (Banh Mi)

A banh mi is quite possibly the perfect bite of food. It combines the rich, savory flavor of meat (or fish) with the light, sweet and cool flavors of pickled carrots, radishes and cilantro. All of this goodness sits between a crunchy French baguette, with a smear of chili mayo. Although Keith has an undying love for pulled pork, he had never experienced a banh mi until I took him to one of my favorite sandwich shops in New York, Nam Pang. This simple, unassuming fast-food paradise serves up some of the best sandwiches ever, in the Vietnamese street food tradition.  I couldn’t wait to bring Keith there, and watching his eyes light up as he took his first bite of a pulled pork banh mi was incredibly rewarding.  He has talked about making his own since we walked out the door. Have I mentioned how much Keith loves pulled pork? He has cultivated a recipe over the years that he uses as a basis for sandwiches and barbecue. It has now become the ideal filling for our banh mi. First, he sears the meat on the grill, then he puts it in a slow cooker (or in a dutch oven in this case) with spices, onions and apples, and lets it slowly cook.  The result is a moist and juicy base for our sandwich that almost melts in your mouth. As if this sandwich was not a complete meal, we suggest serving it Nam Pang style with our Coconut Sweet Corn with Chili Mayo.  Anyone know how to say “Bon Appétit” in Vietnamese?

Vietnamese Pulled Pork Sandwiches (Banh Mi)

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

2 hours 30 mins

Total time

3 hours

 

An incredible sandwich with fresh flavors that are a beautiful complement to the tender, juicy pork

Author: Superman Cooks

Recipe type: Sandwiches

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Serves: 6-8 sandwiches

Ingredients

• 1 2-3lb pork butt
• 1 C sherry wine
• 1 C cider vinegar
• 2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 TBSP parsley flakes
• 2 TBSP crushed garlic
• 2 Apples peeled and quartered ( we used Macintosh but any apple will work )
• 1 large onion
• 2 Carrot
• 2 TBSP oil
• ½ C radishes, sliced thin
• Cilantro
• 1 TBSP sugar
• French baguette
• ½ C mayo
• ½ C chili sauce

Instructions

1. Heavily salt and pepper the pork butt
2. Rub with chopped garlic
3. Sear pork butt on grill (or in a sauté pan) until browned on all sides (best to use high heat)
4. After completely seared, place in a Dutch oven and add onion, peeled and cut in quarters
5. Peel and core apples, cut in quarters, and place in Dutch oven with pork.
6. Add ½ C sherry wine
7. Cover and cook at 350 degrees for 2½ hours
8. While pork is cooking:
9. Peel and shred carrots and place in a bowl with ½ cup cider vinegar and sugar.
10. Refrigerate and allow carrots to "pickle"
11. Slice radishes very thin and place in small bowl with water and refrigerate.
12. To make the chili mayo: mix the mayo and chili sauce and set aside until sandwich is assembled.
13. When pork is done, remove from oven and shred pork using two forks and pull apart pork butt until a "pulled pork" consistency.
14. Be sure to shred the onions and apples as well.
15. Add to the pork ½ c cider vinegar,1/2 C sherry wine, worchestire sauce, red pepper and parsley and combine.
16. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes
17. To assemble sandwich:
18. Slice baguette in half and spread with chili mayo
19. Place a layer of the sliced radishes on top of that
20. Drain carrots and place large handful on top of radishes
21. Top with pork mixture
22. Add a layer of cilantro
23. Close the sandwich up and enjoy the best sandwich you will ever eat.

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