Pork and Pâté Vietnamese Sandwich (Banh Mi)

Name: Pork and Pâté Vietnamese Sandwich (Banh Mi)
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h 30 min
Yield: 12-15 serving(s)
Ingredients: 10 cups water, divided (simmering); 1/2 cup kosher salt; 1/2 cup sugar; 3 garlic cloves, peeled; 2 serrano chilies, crushed; 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, cracked; 3 lbs pork butt, boneless; 1/2 cup white vinegar; 1/2 cup sugar; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and coarsely shredded; 2 French baguettes (Vietnamese or French, not sourdough); 6 tablespoons mayonnaise; 10 ounces pork pate (optional but oh so fine); 1 large English cucumber, halved crosswise and sliced lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick pieces; 1/2 cup cilantro leaf, packed; 1/4 cup Thai basil, packed; 4 jalapenos, sliced lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick pieces; 4 teaspoons light soy sauce

Submitted by Busters friend

"I so miss going down to the International District & grabbing these wonderful sandwiches. The kind folks at www.Chow.com shared this wonderful recipe & I am stashing it for summer al fresco noshing on the deck. ***Start the pork marinade and the pickled carrots the day before serving.**** These sandwiches can be prepared ahead & wrapped in Saran wrap & fridged until serving. To serve, place the toothpicks, slice & serve. The Chowhounds appropriately recommend a light bubbly beer - Tiger Beer from Singapore or a Rolling Rock for a more local brew."

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Ready In:: 3hrs 30mins
Ingredients:: 19
Serves:: 12-15

ingredients

Pork
10 cups water, divided (simmering)
¹⁄₂ cup kosher salt
¹⁄₂ cup sugar
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 serrano chilies, crushed
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, cracked
3 lbs pork butt, boneless
Pickled carrots
¹⁄₂ cup white vinegar
¹⁄₂ cup sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ¹⁄₂ cups carrots, peeled and coarsely shredded
Assembly
2 French baguettes (Vietnamese or French, not sourdough)
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
10 ounces pork pate (optional but oh so fine)
1 large English cucumber, halved crosswise and sliced lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick pieces
¹⁄₂ cup cilantro leaf, packed
¹⁄₄ cup Thai basil, packed
4 jalapenos, sliced lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick pieces
4 teaspoons light soy sauce

directions

Pork:.
Pour 2 cups of the simmering water into a 6-quart heatproof container with a tightfitting lid, then remove water from heat.
Add salt and sugar to the heatproof container and stir until dissolved. Add garlic, chiles, peppercorns, and pork. Top with remaining 8 cups of tepid water to fully cover meat. Submerge meat if necessary by filling a resealable bag with water and placing it on top. Cover and refrigerate 12 hours or overnight.
When pork is ready, remove from liquid, rinse, pat dry with paper towels, and place fat side up in a roasting pan. Allow to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F and arrange the rack in the middle. Roast pork until internal temperature reads 165°F, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, or at least 45 minutes, then slice thinly, about 1/8 inch thick.
Pickled carrots:.
Combine vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once sugar and salt have dissolved, remove from heat, add carrots, and stir to coat in pickling mixture. Let stand until carrots have softened, at least 30 minutes or overnight. Drain well and set aside.
Assembly:.
Slice off top 1/3 of baguettes lengthwise and set aside. Remove enough of bottom interiors so that filling can fit easily.
Spread 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise on each upper 1/3 of baguette and 2 tablespoons on each bottom. Crumble 1/2 of the pâté (if using - use it!) on each bottom section, then top with sliced pork (there may be some left over), cucumber, cilantro leaves, basil leaves, pickled carrots, and jalapeños. Sprinkle each sandwich with soy sauce and close with upper parts of baguettes. Place 10 toothpicks approximately 1 inch apart to secure the sandwiches, and slice into about 10 (1-1/2-inch) pieces. Serve.

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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Busters friend

Pleasure Island, 73

First about Buster: Buster moved onto whatever comes next on February 26, 2008. He was just shy of five years old. I miss him terribly. He came into our lives when he ran out in front of my car late one night as I was driving home. A just under 4 pound ball of kitten fluff, complete with an ostrich boa tail that stayed straight up as he assessed his new domain. He became a 19 pound longhaired beast who guarded our house (he followed any new guests or servicepeople the entire time they are on the property) & even killed copperheads (among other things with his hunting buddy, Fergus the short-tailed)! Friends never saw his formidible side as he smiled at them & uttered the most incongruent kitten-like mews as he threaded legs! He liked to ride in the car & came to the beach. There are Buster-approved recipes in my offerings - however, HE decided which he wanted to consider - Buster demonstrated he liked pumpkin anything - ALOT -LOL!!! Copperhead count 2006 - Buster 2 (10 inchers w/yellow tails) 2007 - Buster & Roxie 1 (a 24 incher!) Buster woken from beauty sleep - http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/62264/DSCN0335.JPG Big whiskers - http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/62264/DSCN0333.JPG For those of you who gave kind condolences - thank you so very much. http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=250301 I love to cook & incorporate techniques from Southern/Mid Atlantic roots (grits, eastern NC BBQ shoulders, Brunswick stew, steamed crabs & shrimp & shellfish, hushpuppies, cornbread, greens, shad roe, scrapple) with Pacific Rim foods & techniques aquired while living in Pacific Northwest, fish & game recipes learned while living in Rocky Mountain region & foods/techniques learned travelling to the Big Island & up into BC & Alberta & into the Caribbean. The Middle Eastern/African likes I have are remnants of my parents who lived for many years in North Africa & Mediterranean before I was thought of. Makes for wide open cooking! Since moving back east we try to go annually in the deep winter to Montreal (Old Montreal auberges & La Reine) & Quebec City (Winter Carnival & Chateau Frontenac)- for unctuous foie gras & real cheeses, French & Canadian meals prepared & served exquisitely, fantastic music & wonderful people - with the cold helping burn off some of the calories! I love putting in our aluminum jonboat & heading across the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) to the barrier islands for foraging & exploring! Bodysurfing is a lifelong sport for me - one that a person's body never seems to forget how to do, once the knack is learned (thank goodness!) I especially miss cool summers & foggy/drizzly days & fall mushroom foraging/anytime of year hot springing in WA, OR, MT, ID, BC & Alberta.

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