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three skewers of grilled lemongrass pork, or Thịt Nướng on a wooden platter with a bowl of fish sauce.
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Vietnamese Lemongrass Grilled Pork (Thịt Nướng)

These grilled pork skewers are a popular at Vietnamese restaurants. Lots of minced lemongrass makes them extra fragrant.
Course dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Asian, Vietnamese
Keyword BBQ, Grilling, Pork
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
marinating time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 9 people
Calories 436kcal

Equipment

  • Wooden or metal skewers (optional)

Ingredients

For The Pork

  • 1½ - 2 lbs pork belly or shoulder
  • 2 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 3 tablespoon sugar or honey
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-2 shallots minced
  • ½ cup minced lemongrass
  • salt and pepper to taste

Suggested Toppings and Add-ons

  • fish sauce dipping sauce
  • scallion oil (sauté some chopped scallions in a neutral oil for a fragrant sauce)
  • crushed peanuts
  • pickled carrots and daikon
  • bean sprouts
  • mint
  • thai basil
  • cilantro
  • red/green leaf or romaine lettuce
  • cucumber
  • sliced thai chiles or jalapeños
  • rice vermicelli
  • baguette or french bread

Instructions

  • Trim any large chunks of fat or gristle off of the pork. If you're using skin-on pork belly like me, trim the skin off as well. Then, slice the pork into stripe about ¼ of an inch thick.
  • Add the meat to a bowl and add the fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar or honey, garlic, shallots, lemongrass and salt and pepper. Mix the meat thoroughly and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes but preferably overnight.
  • Skewer the pork by poking one end of a pork strip through the skewer, folding the pork over, and poking it through the skewer again. Keep a few inches on either end of the skewer empty.
  • If you're not using skewers, you can layer the pork on a wire wrack and cook them in the oven at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Broil for 1-2 minutes as necessary to achieve a char on the meat.
  • Grill the skewers, flipping often to ensure a good char on all sides. Skewers can also be baked using the instructions above.
  • Serve the cooked pork rolled in rice paper rolls, as a noodle salad bowl or in a banh mi. See blog post for suggestions.

Notes

Calories are for the pork skewers only. Total calories will vary depending on method of serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 2skewers | Calories: 436kcal | Carbohydrates: 10.7g | Protein: 7.9g | Fat: 40.1g | Saturated Fat: 14.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18.7g | Cholesterol: 54.4mg | Sodium: 429.7mg | Potassium: 261.6mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 4.8g