Vietnamese Grilled Pork Poboy (Banh Mi)

Ingredients

2 scallions, minced

1 fresh red or green chili pepper, seeded and minced

4 – 6 cloves garlic, minced

4 tablespoons sugar, divided

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons Vietnamese fish sauce

Juice from 1 lime

1 pork tenderloin, about 1 1/2 pounds, trimmed

1 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 loaf, Parisian bread

2 carrots, peeled

1 daikon, peeled

3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and thinly sliced

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Mayonnaise (preferably Japanese)

1/2 English cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

Fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

Combine the scallions, minced chili pepper, garlic, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, black pepper, fish sauce, and limejuice and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour into a resealable plastic food storage bag, add the pork, turn to coat evenly, and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight, turning occasionally.

In a small nonreactive saucepan combine the vinegar, remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, crushed red pepper, and salt and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Julienne the carrots and daikon (a mandolin comes in handy here, as well as with the cucumber). Transfer the slightly cooled vinegar mixture to a nonreactive mixing bowl and add the carrots, daikon and jalapeno. Place in the refrigerator overnight.

Preheated a grill to medium-high heat. Remove the pork from the marinade. Pat the pork dry and brush all over with the vegetable oil. Grill for about 20 minutes, tuning every 4 – 5 minutes (a meat thermometer inserted into the center should register 145^OF – 150^OF when the pork is done). Remove the pork from the grill, cover loosely with foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes prior to slicing.

Cut the French bread into 4 pieces, about 6-inches long. Cut each piece in half lengthwise. Spread both sides of the toasted bread liberally with mayonnaise. Place the bread halves on the grill to toast. Slice the pork into rounds and divide evenly between the bottoms of each sandwich. Top with cucumber slices and pickled carrot/daikon/jalapeno mixture. Garnish with cilantro leaves then place the top of the sandwich over all. Cut each sandwich in half and serve immediately.