Mrs. Hieu, a friend of my parents, is an avid cook, and one of her specialties is this garlicky pork. When my mother first tried the meat, stuffed in a baguette sandwich, she said it instantly reminded her of pork from her favorite Saigon street vendors. Indeed, it is so good that Mrs. Hieu used to sell her pork to Little Saigon delis in Orange County, California. Mrs. Hieu’s method calls for seasoning, rolling, and tying boneless pork shank, a funnel-shaped, rich cut sold at Chinese and Viet markets. Instead of boiling or steaming the meat in the traditional manner, she bakes it in the oven, a method that yields more concentrated flavor. That’s her secret. My recipe utilizes Mrs. Hieu’s approach, but since pork shank can be hard to roll and tie securely (the meat slides around), I forgo tying it and instead roll the meat in heavy-duty foil. Food coloring gives this cold cut its characteristically pinkish red rind, without which it is rather gray. You may decide against this superficial yet cheery touch, but it is authentic.

　　

Ingredients

makes 2 rolls, about 1 3/4 pounds total

　　1 skin-on, boneless pork shank, about 2 pounds

　　

Seasoning Mixture

3 large cloves garlic, finely minced and mashed with the broad side of the knife

　　1 teaspoon black peppercorns, toasted in a dry skillet for about 1 minute, until fragrant, then crushed with a mortar and pestle

　　2 1/4 teaspoons salt

　　2 teaspoons sugar

　　1/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

　　3 or 4 drops red food coloring mixed with 1 teaspoon water (optional)

　　Boiling water

　　

Step 1

Pork shank typically comes as a single circular cut with unbroken skin. Find the part of the skin where no meat is attached and cut at that spot so the shank will lay flat. If you have purchased a cut from a large shank, skip this step. Lay the pork skin side up. Exam it for stray hairs and use a sharp knife to scrape and remove any you find. Locate the white cord of tendon in the thick layer of fatty tissue. The tendon is hard to chew, so cut it out with a boning knife. Trim any other loose bits of tendon or fat to neaten the shank, and then halve it into 2 chunky pieces each about 6 inches long.

　　

Step 2

To make the seasoning mixture, in a small bowl, stir together the garlic, pepper, salt, sugar, and five-spice powder to form a paste. Rub the paste on the meaty side of each piece of pork, taking care to get it into the crevices. Flip the pork over so the skin side faces up. Dip your fingers into the diluted food coloring and paint the skin pinkish red.

　　

Step 3

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Shape each piece of pork into a chubby roll that will more or less hold its shape; if necessary, spiral the meat to manipulate it. Don’t expect the skin to surround the meat completely. Put a 12-by-18-inch piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil on your work surface with a short side closest to you. Center 1 pork roll, skin side down, on the foil about 3 inches from the edge closest to you. Holding the roll together with one hand, lift up the bottom edge of foil and tightly roll up the pork, encasing it in a foil tube. Finish by sealing the ends closed and then folding them toward the center. Repeat with the other piece of pork and a second piece of foil.

　　

Step 4

Put the rolls, seam side up, in a baking dish and add boiling water to the dish, filling it a generous 1/4 inch deep. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, replenishing the water midway. If you wish to check the internal temperature of the rolls to see if they are done, it should be about 170°F on an instant-read thermometer. Use tongs to transfer the rolls to a plate and then let cool completely.

　　

Step 5

Refrigerate the rolls for 8 hours or up to overnight before unwrapping. To neaten the rolls, scrape off the gelatinous juices and/or fat. Because the meat and skin are a little chewy, slice the rolls as thinly as possible (1/8 to 1/16 inch thick) for stuffing sandwiches or nibbling alone. Also, always cut them when they are cold for the thinnest slices. The rolls will keep in an airtight container or zip-top plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

　　Cooks' Note

　　When purchasing the pork shank for these rolls, buy a little extra for a batch of Headcheese (page 170). Both cold cuts are excellent in Vietnamese baguette sandwiches (page 34).

　　Reprinted with permission from Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors by Andrea Nguyen. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Copyright © 2006.  Photographs by Leigh Beisch. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.