Grilled Pork Banh Mi

This grilled pork tenderloin banh mi boasts layers of juicy, flavorful pork, tangy pickled vegetables, and a kick of spicy sriracha aioli. It’s a BBQ spin on the Vietnamese classic sandwich that’s loaded with flavor.

I’ve tried my best to keep this version of banh mi as true to traditional recipes that I could find (a particular nod to Andrew Nguyen’s Banh Mi Cookbook for the help). However, while many recipes might use a cold meat filling, I’ve prepared the meat on the grill. I’ve seen people use pork belly, but I’ve gone for pork tenderloin: It’s easier to cook and takes on the flavor from the marinade especially well.

There are a few steps to this recipe, including making the homemade pickled vegetables and the marinade, but it’s all easy and only takes a few minutes to cook on the grill.

Banh Mi Explained

Banh Mi is a sandwich combining East and West cuisine with its blend of Vietnamese pickled vegetables, spices, and French baguette bread. Originating in Saigon during French colonial rule, banh mi (pronounced ban mee and literally meaning ‘wheat bread’ in Vietnamese) soared in popularity in France, Australia, and North America from the mid-1970s as their Vietnamese communities began to grow.

The sandwich is a street food classic in Vietnam and is popular for its vibrant mix of textures and flavors. Because of the wild popularity of the sandwich now, versions vary wildly, but the core ingredients stay broadly the same: bread, meat, pickled vegetables, fresh herbs, and mayonnaise.

For our recipe, we’ve gone for pork tenderloin: It’s quick to grill, deliciously tender, and superb at taking on flavor. We prepare it with a simple fish sauce and lemongrass marinade before firing on the grill and then serving on a toasted baguette with a homemade pickled vegetable mix and sriracha aioli.

How to Grill Pork Tenderloin Banh Mi

1. Marinade

Whisk together all the marinade ingredients (soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, etc). Add the sliced pork tenderloin and toss thoroughly. You can do this in a ziplock bag or airtight container, but I just do this in a bowl which I then cover with plastic wrap. Transfer to your fridge and leave to marinate for at least a couple of hours or (ideally) overnight.

2. Pickle

Add boiling water to a small mason jar (or a mug). Stir in the rice vinegar, salt and sugar until dissolved. Add the daikon and carrot matchsticks, and try to submerge them as best as possible.

IMPORTANT: Allow the solution to cool completely before sealing with the jar lid or plastic wrap. Once it has cooled, store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

3. Aoili

Last but not least for the prep, it’s time to make the sriracha aioli. This is to go in place of the butter you might use in a standard sandwich and is incredibly easy to make. Simply combine mayonnaise and sriracha in a small bowl, adjusting the sriracha depending on how hot and sweet you like it.

4. Grill

Fire up your grill to medium heat, about 300-375°F (150-190°C). Set it up for 2-zone grilling, with the coals to one side for the direct zone. 

Place the baguette halves onto the indirect zone of the grill, and cook until lightly toasted. You might need to edge them towards the heat slightly but, be warned, they will toast quickly so keep an eye on them. Once they’re done, put them to one side to let them cool.

Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry any excess marinade with paper towels. Then, thread the pork slice onto wooden skewers. Cook the pork skewers on the grill over the direct side until caramelized, cooked through and slightly charred. This will depend on how thick the slices are, but it will take approximately 2-3 minutes per side.

5. Serve

Spread each toasted baguette half with the sriracha aioli and add a dash of Maggi liquid seasoning (use soy sauce if you don’t have any). Pull the pork from the skewers and layer it on the sandwich, then add the drained pickled vegetables, cucumber, jalapeño slices, and fresh herbs. Place the other baguette half on top and enjoy right away.

Grilled Pork Banh Mi

This grilled pork tenderloin banh mi boasts layers of juicy, flavorful pork, tangy pickled vegetables, and a kick of spicy sriracha aioli.

Print Pin

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Servings 4 sandwiches

Equipment

• 1 small Mason jar
• 4 wooden skewers

Ingredients

  

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• 1 lb pork tenderloin thinly sliced lengthwise against the grain
• 4 baguettes split lengthwise
• 1 tbsp Maggi liquid seasoning or soy sauce as a substitute
• 1 cucumber thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeño pepper thinly sliced
• fresh cilantro

Marinade

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp lemongrass finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger minced
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Pickled Vegetables

• 1 ½ cups boiling water
• ¾ cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 carrots peeled and cut into matchsticks
• ½ daikon radish peeled and cut into matchsticks

Aioli

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup sriracha or to taste

Instructions

 

• In a medium bowl, whisk together all the marinade ingredients. Add the pork tenderloin slices and toss to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
• In a small mason jar, add the boiling water and rice vinegar. Add the sugar and salt, stirring to dissolve. Then, add the carrot and daikon matchsticks, keeping them as submerged as possible.
• Allow the pickled vegetables to cool completely before sealing. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise and sriracha. Adjust the amount of sriracha to your desired level of spiciness.
• Fire up your grill to medium heat. Grill the baguette halves open-side-down until lightly toasted. Put to one side to cool.
• Thread the pork slices onto wooden skewers. Grill the pork until caramelized, slightly charred, and cooked through. About 2-3 minutes per side.
• Spread each baguette half with the sriracha aioli and a dash of Maggi liquid seasoning. Layer the grilled pork, pickled vegetables, cucumber slices, jalapeño slices, and fresh herbs on the bottom half of each baguette. Close the sandwiches and enjoy them right away.

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