Grilled Lemongrass Pork Shoulder

This one comes from our friend Chef Kevin Do. It's a simple recipe for the long stretch of summer, a Tuesday-night kind of cook. Pork shoulder gets sliced thin, marinated in lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce, and honey, then either threaded onto skewers or laid flat over hot coals just long enough to take a hard char. The marinade does most of the heavy lifting. The grill finishes the job.

Build a bowl around it: rice or vermicelli, cucumber (fresh or quickly pickled), a handful of herbs, whatever sauce you have on hand. Bún thịt nướng in spirit, even when you're improvising. It scales easily for a crowd, and the leftovers fold into rice paper rolls or fried rice the next day.

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Prep 20m
Cook 8m
Total 28m
Serves 4 as main, 6 shared
Difficulty Beginner
Equipment Thaan grill

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Mince the lemongrass, shallot, garlic, and Thai chilies in a food processor until loose and combined.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the aromatic paste together with the Maggi seasoning, fish sauce, oyster sauce, honey, sesame oil, and cracked black pepper.
  3. Add the sliced pork shoulder and massage the marinade thoroughly into the meat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24.
  4. If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes while the pork finishes marinating, then thread the pork on in loose folds so the heat can move between the pieces.
  5. Fire up your grill for high, direct heat over charcoal. Get the grates screaming hot before the pork goes down.
  6. Lay the skewers or sliced pork flat on the grates. Cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes per side, letting the sugars glaze and the edges char and caramelize.
  7. Pull the pork off the grill and rest on a cutting board for 3 minutes. If you grilled slices, cut against the grain into bite-sized strips. If you used skewers, serve them on the stick or slide the pieces off into a bowl.

Frequently asked

Can I use a different cut of pork?

Pork shoulder is the right call — it has the fat to handle hard char without drying out. Boneless country-style ribs are the closest swap if shoulder isn't available. Skip loin and tenderloin; they'll be jerky by the time the edges char.

How do I get the pork sliced thin enough?

Ask your butcher to slice a whole shoulder on the deli slicer — easiest move and they'll usually do it. Doing it yourself: freeze the shoulder for 45 minutes first to firm it up, then slice across the grain with a sharp knife.

What if I can't find fresh lemongrass?

Frozen minced lemongrass works fine — thaw and use the same amount. Skip dried lemongrass and tubes of paste; the flavor flattens out under the rest of the marinade.

How do I know when the pork is done?

Watch the edges. Pull when they're deeply caramelized with tight char marks — about 3 to 4 minutes per side over screaming-hot coals. Quarter-inch slices cook through fast; by the time you've checked a thermometer reading you've overshot.

Can I prep and freeze the marinated pork ahead?

Yes. Massage in the marinade, portion into freezer bags, press flat, freeze right away. Thaw overnight in the fridge — the pork keeps marinating as it thaws, so it's ready to grill straight out of the bag.