Bánh mì burger.

I call this my banh mi burger, though it's a very loose interpretation of the classic Vietnamese sandwich. Ground pork is combined with liberal amounts of fish sauce, garlic, serrano chilies, scallions, and cilantro, then slathered with sriracha mayo, and topped with basil, tomato, etc. It's un-friggen-believable how much flavor this sandwich has. Salty, sweet, and spicy, this burger has it all.

To make this monster, I busted out the grinder, broke down a 3.4 lb pork shoulder in to 1-2" cubes, and chilled the meat for about half an hour.





I ran the pork through the grinder a couple of times until the meat and fat were mixed well. Ground pork at Safeway was 3.99 a pound, but I got 2.5 lbs of ground meat for less 5$. Sure, it takes a bit of time and effort to do it yourself, but it is definitely worth it.



Banh mi style patties

1.5 lb ground pork
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 heaping tbs brown sugar
1 egg, lightly scrambled
1 cup bread crumbs
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 serrano chilies, minced (seeds and membranes removed, if you must)
1 bunch of scallions, thinly sliced
handful of cilantro, chopped



Sriracha mayo

1 cup mayo
3 tbs sriracha (to taste)
1 tbs lime juice



To make the mayo, mix all ingredients and chill for a couple of hours.

Accoutrement

Fresh basil leaves
Tomato slices
Red onion, thinly sliced
 Pickled dikon & carrots

Preheat your grill and lubricate the grate with canola oil thoroughly.



Mix all ingredients well and form in to patties. Grill until done, about 4 minutes per side.





Toast buns, slather on mayo, and top patties with basil, tomato, and onion.