If you only master one Vietnamese food it has to be this Lemongrass Grilled Pork recipe. It has big flavor, it is easy to make, great for serving a crowd, and uses an affordable cut of meat! I am going to show you how to quickly break down a pork shoulder and slather it in a classic lemongrass marinade. A quick spin on the grill and you are going to impress everyone at your dinner table.
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I love cooking my way around the world, from Indian lamb vindaloo to spicy Thai pumpkin soup. But I also like to experiment with recipes that are off the beaten path, like turning traditional swimming rama into a 20-minute weeknight dinner.
And when most people think of Vietnamese food, they think of classics like Pho or a Bahn Mi sandwich. However, I think of grilled lemongrass pork.
Vietnamese grilled pork follows pretty much every grilling recipe you know; prep the meat, marinade, and grill. Not hard but we have a few key points to help this lemongrass pork be your greatest culinary masterpiece.
📖Why My Recipe Works
- This is a grilled pork recipe that uses the least expensive meat possible- a pork shoulder roast. Don't worry about the meat being tough. The juice in the marinade will tenderize the meat.
- The marinade is bursting with the flavors of Vietnam but uses ingredients that are easy to find at basic American grocery stores.
- My recipe also comes with a traditional dipping sauce to add a little heat.
- Makes 8 servings but you can make a smaller batch by using the recipe to make pork chops or marinated pork skewers. I included instructions for both.
🧾Ingredient Notes
- Lemongrass- Can be found in bulk at international markets for cheap. In a pinch, you can use the tube of lemongrass paste, just be aware of other ingredients. When working with lemongrass, always trim the dry ends just a bit and peel off the dry outer layer.
- Onions- You just need one small white onion. If you only have a large onion, use half. You can also substitute a shallot or 3-4 green onions.
- Garlic- Use the equivalent of 3 large cloves of fresh garlic. I don't recommend substituting garlic powder.
- Soy Sauce - I use tamari, a gluten-free soy sauce. But you can use regular soy sauce if gluten isn't an issue for you.
- Fish Sauce- Proper fish sauce is really important but I would be lying if I said I never substituted Worcestershire Sauce when I was out of the fish sauce.
- Orange Juice- The juice's acid helps to tenderize the meat. If you don't have oranges, try substituting pineapple or lime juice. Y
- Honey- You can use fermented honey, white sugar, or brown sugar.
What Cut of Pork Should I Use?
Vietnamese lemongrass pork typically uses a pork shoulder roast. Boston butt, or pork butt, is the cut of pork that comes from the upper part of the shoulder from the front leg and may contain the blade bone.
It is relatively tough, but also relatively inexpensive. Woot woot! While normally slow-cooked to make it tender this style of pork recipe is thinly sliced and the marinade will soften the meat for us.
You can use a pork loin roast, but it will be more expensive. This grilled pork dish isn't fancy; it is meant to be served family-style. For me, it isn't worth the extra expense.
⏲️How to Make Vietnamese Grilled Pork
- The pork can be trimmed of excess fat if you like. I prefer to keep the fat cap on for extra flavor. You want to cut the meat into ¼-inch thick slices.
- You want the marinade to be as smooth as possible, but note that there will be little fibers due to the nature of the lemongrass.
- Coat the sliced pork in the marinade and cover. It can be tempting to rush and just do 30 minutes or an hour but trust me, for the best results this needs all night. Otherwise, the pork will be tough.
- You can use gas or charcoal, either way over medium-high heat and 3 to 4 minutes per side. I little char is a good thing. The pork should be cooked to 145 F degrees.
- Let the pork rest. It isn't meant to be served piping hot.
- You can make the dipping sauce in advance by simply mixing together all the ingredients.
Vietnamese Pork Chops
Use half the marinade recipe for 4 bone-in pork chops. You will still marinate overnight. Grill (or sear in cast iron) over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes per side until the internal temperature of the chops reaches 145°F.
Vietnamese Pork Skewers
You can use pork shoulder, pork belly, or pork roast (more expensive). For skewers, you need to slice the meat longways into very narrow strips, between ⅛ and ¼ inch. Marinate overnight per the recipe.
Skewer one piece of meat onto the skewer in a zig-zag shape. Skewer each piece of pork several times. Depending on the length of your pieces, you will likely get 2 to 3 pieces per skewer. Grill over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, turning often.
If using bamboo skewers, soak for at least 20 minutes to prevent burning. If using metal skewers, be careful! They will still be hot after resting.
🥗What to Serve with Vietnamese Pork
This type of dish is traditionally served over rice noodles with pickled fresh vegetables. Sometimes it is served with a fried egg.
But most of my readers say they serve this with either jasmine rice or sticky rice. I like to use fresh herbs like Thai basil and cilantro with pickled watermelon radish and quick pickled onions.
If you want more dipping sauces, try carrot ginger dressing or spicy cashew sauce.
Serve with summer rolls and stir-fry veggies for a complete meal.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Pork shoulders tend to be large cuts of meat. You can either double this recipe for a large crowd or cut your pork shoulder into parts. Using 2 pounds for this grilled pork recipe and freezing the remainder for future use as a stew or braise.
- A common "substitute" is the zest of one lemon, but I don't recommend that for this recipe. The main flavor in this pork dish is lemongrass; it just wouldn't be the same without it.
- When making the pork chop variation, you will have excess marinade. Only use what you need and freeze the marinade for future use. It will keep 2-3 months in the freezer.
- I don't recommend an oven broiling or using a grill pan for this recipe.
- If you don't have a grilling basket. I recommend 3 to 4-inch long pieces for the pork to prevent them from falling through the grates.
🌡️Storing Leftovers
Grilled lemongrass pork will last 3 to 4 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Use leftover pork for Vietnamese-inspired tacos, chop into small pieces and pan-fry to reheat, or make a spring roll in a bowl for an easy lunch.
More Mouthwatering Pork Recipes
Did you enjoy making this recipe? Show it some love with ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a comment! Hungry for more? Get more flavorful recipes!
📖 Recipe Card
Vietnamese Grilled Pork with Lemongrass
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork shoulder
- lime wedges, cilantro, scallions optional garnish
Lemongrass Marinade
- 2 stalks lemongrass outer layer removed, ends trimmed
- 1 small white onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce or tamari for gluten free
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce (optional)
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 3 Tablespoons fish sauce
- ⅔ cup warm water
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons carrots shredded
- 1 serrano pepper thinly sliced
Instructions
- Slice pork into ¼ inch thick pieces, 3 to 4 inches wide. Place in a nonreactive bowl (glass or ceramic).2 pounds pork shoulder
- In a food processor blend all the marinade ingredients until smooth. The lemongrass fibers will still show but there should be no big chunks. Pour over the pork slices. Each piece should be coated with the mixture. Refrigerate overnight.2 stalks lemongrass, 1 small white onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, ¼ cup fish sauce, ¼ cup orange juice, 3 Tablespoons olive oil, 1 Tablespoon honey, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Grill 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through.
- Allow meat to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Top with cilantro and scallions, serve with lime wedges, and Nuoc Cham dipping sauce.lime wedges, cilantro, scallions
Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce
- Combine sugar, fish sauce, and warm water in a small bowl. Stir until sugar dissolves. Stir in garlic, carrots, and serrano chili to taste.3 Tablespoons sugar, 3 Tablespoons fish sauce, ⅔ cup warm water, 1 clove garlic, finely chopped, 2 Tablespoons carrots, 1 serrano pepper
Video
Notes
- Remove the meat from the refrigerator 30 to 60 minutes before grilling. Allow resting to ensure even distribution of the marinade.
- See the post for pork skewer, pork chop, and oven cooking variations.
Equipment
- Grill, gas or charcoal
Dave says
This recipe had a nice sweetness to it and a stickiness to the texture that all great barbeque should have. I was sceptical the pork loin would grill but it worked great. My family loved the dipping sauce too!
Jen Wooster says
Thanks for the review!
Natalie says
Wow this recipe sounds amazing. I love the marinade and the sauce. Meat looks absolutely delicious. I will definitely give this a try. We are planing family BBQ next weekend. This will be nice addition to our menu.
LaKita says
This grilled pork looks so mouthwatering! I don't believe I've ever used lemongrass in a recipe but it sounds like it pairs well in this recipe and I'm tempted to try it very soon.
Uma Srinivas says
Vietnamese grilled pork recipe looks easy and simple. Loved your detailed post and pictures!
Tara says
I love everything about this recipe! The pork and fish sauce combo is one of my very favorites. The meat turned out so moist and full of flavor!
Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
This Vietnamese Grilled Pork is making me super hungry... I think I just heard my tummy growl. lol!
Amy says
This looks so incredibly flavorful!! Any easy recipe I an share with my family is a huge win in my book. 🙂 You're right -- when I think of Vietnamese food, I usually think of Pho or Banh Mi -- but I'm so glad to have discovered this new dish! 🙂
Amanda says
Such an easy to follow recipe and I love the step by step photos!
Jen says
Thanks for the feedback on the photos, something new we have been trying. Glad they helped.
Amy Liu Dong says
I have never tried to taste a Vietnamese dish but they look really delicious, will save this on my bookmark will try making this, just wish that it will turn good as yours.
Jen says
Let us know how it turns out!
Jess says
This with the sushi rice is over the top delicious!
Jen says
Glad you enjoyed!
Kate says
Oh wow the grill marks on these pieces of pork look so amazing! I hardly ever cook with lemongrass because I'm not sure how to use it honestly! But I really want to try this recipe because it looks so flavorful!