Vietnamese BBQ — Grilled Meats, Bún Chả and Lemongrass | The Rub Kitchen
Vietnamese BBQ is street food of the purest kind: small pieces of marinated pork on bamboo skewers, grilled over glowing charcoal on a miniature grill on the sidewalk, the smoke drifting through the street. Thịt nướng — literally “grilled meat” — is one of Asia's most aromatic grilled dishes: the combination of lemongrass, fish sauce, garlic, and caramel on meat over charcoal is incomparable.
Thịt nướng — grilled pork
Thịt nướng is the umbrella term for grilled meat in Vietnamese cuisine — but in practice, it almost always means pork. Thin strips of pork shoulder or belly, marinated in a combination of lemongrass, garlic, shallots, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and sometimes condensed milk for extra caramelization. Cooked on bamboo skewers over charcoal.
The classic marinade
- 2 stalks lemongrass — finely chopped, white part only
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 shallots
- 2 tbsp fish sauce (nước mắm)
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar or palm sugar
- 1 tbsp honey or condensed milk — for caramelization
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp sesame oil (optional)
- Sometimes: annatto oil for the orange-red color
Marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. The meat will turn orange-brown from the sugar and annatto.
Bún chả — Hanoi’s most beloved lunch
Bún chả is the dish that Barack Obama ate with Anthony Bourdain in Hanoi in 2016 — and has since become world-famous. It consists of grilled pork patties (chả) and grilled pork strips, served alongside a bowl of rice vermicelli (bún), fresh herbs (mint, cilantro, perilla), and a bowl of sweet and sour dipping sauce (nước chấm) with pickled carrot and daikon.
The contrast of the sweet-smoky grilled meat, the fresh herbs, and the sour dipping sauce is the principle of Vietnamese cuisine in one dish.
Technique and equipment
- Traditionally: small table-height charcoal grills on the sidewalk — close to the fire, little distance
- At home: bamboo skewers (soak for 30 min), charcoal BBQ or cast iron grill pan on high heat
- High direct heat: 2–3 minutes per side — the meat is thin and dries out quickly
- Baste with extra marinade for shine and caramelization in between
- Serve immediately — the meat cools down quickly
Nước chấm — the indispensable dipping sauce
Every Vietnamese grilled meal has nước chấm: fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, water, garlic, and chili pepper. It is sweet, sour, salty, and umami all at once — it balances the rich, caramelized grilled meat.
Rub tip for Vietnamese BBQ
Rub Kitchen tip
The Korean BBQ Rub shares the sweet-umami-sesame profile of Vietnamese thịt nướng. For a quick Vietnamese-style chicken without a long marinade: rub in the rub, add a dash of fish sauce, and grill over high direct heat. Baste with honey during the last minute for caramelization.