Grilled Pork (Bun Thit Nuong) "Wilbur Saves the Day"

They call it swine, pork, the other white meat, the "How could you eat Wilbur" but no matter the name, we Vietnamese consume our fair share of this all purpose pig. Perhaps if you've ever been to Vietnam you'd understand, when you see the cows,they are all bones and skin. Beef was scarce, and the beef that we did get from the market was questionable, you didn't know if you were getting ox or water buffalo not to mention the texture was tougher then rubber. That being said beef was never first choice on the menu and besides, we were a coastal country, if we didn't catch our food from the sea,ocean or river, we bred it. Pigs were much cheaper to maintain, as we all may be aware, they'll eat just about anything and that is why swine is commonly used in our dishes. Ever had authentic "Bun Bo Hue" ? You would find jelloed pig blood,pigs feet among others, most of us in the U.S. get the watered down version.Now if you haven't closed my blog yet and or feeling a bit nauseous, here comes the pain! In utter pleasure I present to you a HoustonWok favorite, grilled pork, joined by vermicelli, fresh garnishment with Nuoc Cham of which I call a splash of Bliss. Thit Heo Nuong could be eaten with rice or eaten with a french baguette but that'll be another post to come in the near future.

Ingredients
1 pack of Chow Ching rice stick noodles
1 pound of pork thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of nuoc mam(fish sauce)
2 small knobs of garlic minced
1 small shallot minced
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
2 tablespoons of caramel for color(optional)
1 tablespoon of black pepper

Garnishments
Fresh bean sprouts
Spearmint leaves
Basil leaves
Cilantro 

Method for cooking the Pork

1. Thinly slice your cut of pork preferably 1/4 inch
2. Marinate your pork with everything above best if overnight and place it onto skewers so that it doesn't fall through the grill.
3. Now I prefer to grill this over mesquite coal but if it's cold where you are or a grill is non conducive to your living quarters, then you could use your stove and broil this on high for about 30 minutes. Please make sure you check on it and turn it half way through.
4. Follow the instructions on the package of vermicelli on the proper way to cook.
5. Make the Nuoc Cham, now although I don't have my own recipe, allow me to refer you guys to my Friend Bee of RasaMalaysia who has a wonderful Blog and awesome method for making Nuoc Cham

Now you are ready to enjoy "Bun Thit Nuong (Grilled pork w/Vermicelli) like a true Vietnamese.