Grilling: Vietnamese Meatball Banh Mi Recipe

• 1 pound lean pork, very thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup shallots, minced
• 1/4 cup garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons nuoc mam (fish sauce)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 ounces pork fat, minced
• 2 tablespoons roasted rice powder (see recipe below)
• Bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
• 2 large baguettes, cut into 6- to 8-inch pieces and sliced in half
• 1 bunch of cilantro, very coarsely chopped

1. Whisk together the shallots, garlic, fish sauce, sugar and pepper in a small bowl. Place pork slices in a large Ziploc bag, pour in marinade, seal bag and toss to coat well. Open bag and reseal, removing as much air as possible. Place in the refrigerator and marinate at least 1 hour, or up to 24. Thirty minutes prior to making the meatballs, transfer the pork to the freezer to firm up.
2. Using a food processor, pulse the pork fat into a paste. Add pork and process until you have a sort of pasty ball. Add the roasted rice powder and process to combine.
3. Form meat into into balls about 1 1/2" in diameter. Thread 4 balls onto each soaked bamboo skewer.
4. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread coals out evenly over the charcoal grate. Grill skewered meatballs over medium-high heat. Cook until browned on all sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and let cool for 5 minutes.
5. To assemble the banh mi, place pickled carrots and daikons in the baguette, add the meatballs, and stuff in a handful of cilantro and serve.

lean pork, shallots, garlic, nuoc, sugar, ground black pepper, pork fat, rice powder, skewers, baguettes, cilantro

Taken from www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/grilling-vietnamese-meatballs-banh-mi-recipe.html?ref=search (may not work)