Name: Cơm Thịt Nướng Sả (Vietnamese Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops with Broken Rice)
Total time: 5 h 30 min
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: ½ cup packed brown sugar; ½ cup fish sauce; ½ cup vegetable oil; 4 lemongrass stalks, trimmed to bottom 8 inches, bruised, and minced; 1 large shallot, minced; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 2 teaspoons pepper; 2 Thai chiles, stemmed, seeded, and sliced thin; 8 (4- to 6-ounce) bone-in blade-cut pork chops, ½ inch thick, trimmed; 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar, divided; 1 small Thai chile, stemmed and minced; 1 small garlic clove, minced; ⅓ cup hot water; 2½ tablespoons fish sauce; 2 tablespoons lime juice; ½ cup vegetable oil; 6 scallions, sliced thin; Pinch table salt; 3 cups broken rice; 2 English cucumbers, sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rounds; 6 tomatoes, cored, halved, and sliced ¼-inch thick; ½ cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts (optional)

Why This Recipe Works

Cơm Thịt Nướng Sả (Vietnamese Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops with Broken Rice) are a staple element of cơm tấm, the broken rice plates that are a signature dish of southern Vietnam. The chops are marinated in a salty-sweet, lemongrass-infused marinade and then charred over a hot fire; they should taste deeply savory, sweet, and aromatic as well as slightly bitter from charring, and offer satisfying chew. Half-inch-thick bone-in blade chops contain lots of flavorful, collagen-rich dark meat that delivers on the dish’s requisite savor and texture. The thin chops cooked through quickly and had plenty of surface area for soaking up the potent marinade and for charring. Equal amounts of fish sauce, brown sugar, and vegetable oil (fat carries flavor and also helps prevent sticking on the grill) formed the base of the marinade, to which we added minced shallot and garlic, black pepper, a Thai chile, and four minced stalks of lemongrass. Soaking the chops for several hours (or up to a full day) gave the salt in the fish sauce a chance to seep beyond the meat’s surface for deeper seasoning; sugar in the marinade and a hot fire then helped the chops char quickly, and cooking them to a higher temperature than Western-style chops accentuated their chew. The grilled meat is served alongside steamed rice (cơm tấm, “broken rice,” is traditional; conventional jasmine works too) with nước chấm (dipping sauce) and mỡ hành (scallion oil).

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Before You Begin

Bone-in, thin-cut blade chops are customary; if they are unavailable, substitute 2½ pounds of boneless pork butt and slice it ¼ inch thick. Look for light-green lemongrass stalks with minimal browning on the root and top ends. Use a meat pounder, the bottom of a skillet, or the flat side of a knife blade to bruise the lemongrass. Broken rice is traditional, but long-grain rice such as jasmine will also work.

Instructions

for the pork chops

Combine sugar, fish sauce, oil, lemongrass, shallot, garlic, pepper, and Thai chiles in large bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add pork chops and toss until evenly coated. Arrange chops evenly in large baking dish, pouring any excess marinade from bowl over top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

FOR THE NƯỚC CHẤM: Meanwhile, using mortar and pestle, mash 1 tablespoon sugar, Thai chile, and garlic to fine paste (or mash to paste on cutting board using flat side of chef’s knife). Transfer to medium bowl and add hot water and remaining 1½ teaspoons sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in fish sauce and lime juice and set aside (nước chấm can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

for the scallion oil

Heat oil in small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add scallions and salt and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Pour oil into serving bowl and set aside.

for the rice

Place rice in fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear. Drain rice well and transfer to large saucepan. Add 3½ cups water and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Adjust heat to maintain bare simmer. Cover and cook until water is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff rice with fork so that steam can escape. Cover to keep warm.

FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high; cover; and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.

Set wire racks in 2 rimmed baking sheets. Transfer chops to 1 prepared rack (do not pat dry). Clean and oil cooking grate. Place chops on grill and cook (covered if using gas) until well charred on first side, about 3 minutes. Flip chops and continue to cook until second side is charred and meat registers 155 to 160 degrees, 2 to 3 minutes longer.

Transfer chops to second prepared rack, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve with rice; cucumbers; tomatoes; and peanuts and Thai chiles, if using. Drizzle scallion oil over chops; spoon nước chấm over pork and rice.