Vermicelli with vegetables and grilled pork is a refreshing Vietnamese classic.
Salt from soy sauce and fish sauce in the marinade also helps the meat retain juices during cooking.
The key to this dish is a long marinade using a few ingredients at the heart of the Vietnamese pantry. That includes lemongrass, a good dose of garlic, and a mix of fish sauce and sugar . As for the meat, we tested our two favorite cuts of pork for this recipe: boneless country-style ribs and thin-cut pork chops . Both have plenty of marbling, which is important to keep them from drying out on the grill. Both cuts performed really well, so the choice is, once again, up to you. The ribs were extremely tender and juicy, though the chops had a bit more flavor, and a bone to gnaw on.
. A grill that isn't hot enough will take longer to cook the chops, which could result in a tough piece of meat. Nobody wants that. Luckily, there's a backup plan.The sugar in the marinade helps a good char develop on the chops quickly, but we still like a little extra insurance. In this case, we turn to the same technique we use in our recipe for : a quick soak in a baking soda solution.