Chef Tom fires up the Kamado Joe for this smoked Pork Belly Banh Mi with scratch made pickled daikon & carrots, fresh cilantro and jalapeños stuffed into a baguette spread with Sriracha mayo. Your taste buds will thank you!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Marinating the pork belly overnight in a soy-fish sauce-lime blend seasons the meat all the way through before it ever touches smoke
- Pickling the carrots and daikon a full day ahead lets the vegetables absorb the vinegar brine completely, rather than tasting sharp and undissolved right out of the fridge
- Smoking past the usual pulled-pork range, up to 200°F, breaks down the fat and connective tissue in the belly until it's tender enough to slice cleanly rather than staying chewy
- Slicing the baguette hinged instead of all the way through keeps the sandwich together as one piece, holding the fillings in rather than letting two separate halves slide apart
Pork Belly Banh Mi Sandwich
Tom Jackson
Rated 4.0 stars by 2 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
Vietnamese
Servings
4
Prep Time
25 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 3 minutes
Calories
1029
Satisfy your cravings with Chef Tom's recipe for smoked Pork Belly Banh Mi. This sandwich is made with a slow-smoked pork belly, fresh cilantro, jalapeños, and pickled daikon and carrots, all stuffed into a baguette and spread with Sriracha mayo.
Ingredients
- 2 lb pork belly, skin off, sliced into 2” strips
-
Dizzy Pig Pineapple Head
- Baguettes
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup cucumber, sliced
- 1/2 cup jalapeño, sliced
-
1 cup Kim’s Asian BBQ Sauce
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
- 4 oz carrots, peeled, julienned
- 4 oz daikon, peeled, julienned
- 2/3 cup warm water
- 2/3 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
-
2 tsp Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt
- 1/2 cup Kewpie Mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp Sriracha
For the marinade:
For the Pickled Carrot & Daikon: (12 servings)
For the Sriracha Mayo:
Directions
- To make the marinade, combine the Kim’s Asian BBQ Sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce and lime juice and whisk well to combine. Place the pork belly in a large zip-top bag. Pour the marinade over the pork. Squeeze the air out of the bag and massage the marinade into the pork. Transfer to the refrigerator and marinate overnight.
- To make the pickled carrot and daikon, whisk the salt and sugar into the warm water until dissolved. Add the rice vinegar. Pour the pickling liquid over the carrots and daikon, in a sealable container. Make sure the carrots and daikon are totally submerged. Cover. Refrigerate overnight before using.
- Preheat your Kamado Joe Classic II to 300ºF, set up for smoking. Place a fist sized chunk of pecan wood on the coal bed.
- Remove the pork from the marinade. Remove most excess marinade from the surface. Season with Dizzy Pig Pineapple Head. Transfer to the grill.
- Smoker the pork belly strips until they reach an internal temperature of 200ºF, about 1.5- 2 hours. Remove from the grill and rest 10 minutes before slicing into 1/4”-1/2” strips.
- Combine the ingredients for the Sriracha mayo and mix well.
- To assemble the Pork Belly Banh Mi sandwiches, slice the baguette open horizontally, leaving the bun hinged (attached on one side). Spread the Sriracha mayo on the top and bottom buns. Cover the bottom bun with cilantro leaves. Lay out slices of cucumber on top of the cilantro. Lay out strips of pork belly over the cucumber. Top the pork with the sliced jalapeños and pickled carrots and daikon. Close the bun around the fillings.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why marinate the pork belly overnight instead of for just an hour or two?
A full overnight soak in the soy sauce, fish sauce, and lime juice blend gives the marinade time to season the pork all the way through, rather than just flavoring the surface.
Why pickle the carrots and daikon a full day before serving?
Refrigerating them overnight in the vinegar brine lets the vegetables fully absorb that sharp, tangy flavor, rather than tasting like raw carrots and daikon with pickling liquid poured over them at the last minute.
Why smoke the pork belly all the way to 200°F instead of pulling it earlier?
Taking it past the point where it's simply safe to eat and up to 200°F breaks down the fat and connective tissue running through the belly, making it tender enough to slice cleanly rather than staying tough and chewy.
Why slice the baguette hinged instead of cutting all the way through into two separate halves?
Leaving one side attached keeps the whole sandwich together as a single piece once it's filled, rather than the top and bottom halves sliding apart while you're trying to eat it.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
2 out of 5 — the pickling, sauce, and assembly all happen off the grill, but the low, extended smoke that renders and tenderizes the pork belly is difficult to replicate without an actual smoker.
Recipe Highlights
Overnight marinade: Seasons the pork belly all the way through.
Day-ahead pickling: Lets the vegetables fully absorb the brine.
Extended smoke to 200°F: Renders the belly tender enough to slice cleanly.
Hinged baguette cut: Keeps the sandwich intact as one piece.
Recommended Recipes
Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 20.76 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 1029
- Carbs
- 51 grams
- Protein
- 46 grams
- Fat
- 68 grams
- Sodium
- 2017 milligrams
