Vietnamese Bahn Mi sandwiches are truly a great mash-up of Vietnamese and French cultures. Buttered baguettes layered with roast pork, cucumbers, chilies, cilantro, and pickled daikon radish and carrots. What was once only found in Vietnamese restaurants, bahn mi are starting to appear more often here in the U.S. in sandwich shops and as a food truck concept. I love the crunch of the fresh and pickled vegetables with the slices of pork (or whatever protein being featured) on a soft buttered baguette.
Not to long ago, I had a fantastic roast pork bahn mi in San Diego that instead of the usual butter or mayonnaise, had been slathered with a compound butter with simply made with butter and soy sauce. I know it sounds obvious, but boy, it made all the difference in the sandwich and I have adopted the soy sauce butter in this recipe. Honestly, that butter would be great on some grilled corn or any other vegetables).
This is a pretty easy recipe – simply seasoned grilled pork tenderloin with a glaze that doesn’t take more than a few minutes to put together. The rest is just making a sandwich. So don’t get hung up in the number of ingredients… it really is easy!
- For the pork:
- 1½ to 2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- -
- For the glaze:
- ¼ cup sriracha sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into four pieces
- -
- For the sandwich:
- Petite baguettes (7-inches) or cut 2 baguettes into serving sizes
- Soy Sauce Compound Butter (recipe follows)
- Sliced cucumbers
- Sliced jalapeño chilies
- Cilantro sprigs
- Set up grill for direct grilling over high heat. Brush and oil grates before cooking.
- Season pork tenderloin with salt, granulated garlic, and black pepper and set aside at room temperature while you make the sauce.
- In a small sauce pan, whisk together the sriracha sauce, honey, and soy sauce and bring to a simmer. Stir in the lime juice and whisk in the butter one piece at a time until incorporated into the sauce. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Grill the tenderloin(s) for about 5 to 7 minutes per side (there are four sides) or until the internal temperature hits 145°F. Brush the tenderloin liberally and often for the last couple minutes of cook time. Allow the meat to rest 5 minutes before slicing. You can also wait to slice later at room temperature or even cook the day before if you want to take on a picnic!
- For sandwich: split open baguettes (toast if desired) and slather both sides with soy sauce butter. Layer with cucumbers, sliced pork, jalapeños, a few sprigs of cilantro, and top with pickled daikon and carrots (the best part!).
- 1 stick softened unsalted butter
- 3 teaspoon soy sauce
- The trick here is to incorporate the liquid into the butter. Add the softened butter to a small mixing bowl - you'll need more room than you think. Whisk butter until it is light. Add ½ to 1 teaspoon of butter and vigorously whisk to incorporate. Repeat until all the soy sauce is incorporated. If not using immediately, cover and refrigerate. The butter will keep in the refrigerator for a couple weeks.
Cheers and Happy Grilling!
~ Jeff
I’m pulling the tenderloin out of the freezer right now! Wish you’d had this a couple of weeks ago when I had daikon from my CSA.
I feel ya, Anne! It is really good – even without the sandwich! Cheers
Wow very delicious for a nice Vietnamese themed BBQ
Thanks, ChefCat!
This looks so yummy … thanks for sharing your recipe! Here’s my new favourite way to make pork tenderloin: http://sweetseatstreats.wordpress.com/2014/08/25/grape-jelly-sriracha-pork-tenderloin/#more-507