Thit Nuong, or Vietnamese Pork Skewers, is a powerhouse of flavors and one of Vietnam's most popular dishes! Thinly sliced pork is coated in a fresh and aromatic marinade, then charred to perfection. It's simple, delicious, and a family favorite!
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🥩 What Is Thịt Nướng?
In Vietnamese, thịt nướng directly translates to "grilled meat". It specifically refers to barbecued pork that's been marinaded in aromatics like shallots, garlic, fish sauce, and sugar. The Southern preparation also includes finely chopped lemongrass for more flavor.
Vietnamese Pork Skewers are traditionally charred over a charcoal grill to create a crunchy, caramelized crust. But the fat in the pork butt keeps it super tender and juicy. The result is a sweet, savory, and succulent pork skewer that's absolutely irresistible. Thit Nuong can be enjoyed anytime of the day - stuffed in banh mi for breakfast, on its own as an after-school snack, or with noodles and fresh vegetables for a full dinner.
Homemade Can Be Better
When creating traditional Vietnamese recipes like Vietnamese Turmeric Fish with Dill (Cha Ca La Vong) or Instant Pot Chao Ga (Vietnamese Rice Porridge), I like to keep the flavor authentic but simplified for us home cooks. So this recipe for Thit Nuong is just that - delicious like the restaurants, but easy enough to make every day.
In this homemade Thit Nuong, the pork marinade consists of easy-to-find, accessible ingredients that pack a punch. And instead of grilling, we're roasting the Vietnamese Pork Skewers in the oven and then broiling them for that irresistible charred effect. It's less clean-up and much simpler, but just as tasty! Serve Thit Nuong on its own, or with bún (vermicelli noodles), cơm (rice), or in banh mi (Vietnamese baguette). There's no wrong here!
Why You'll Love It
- Easy: Cooking thit nuong in the oven makes life a whole lot easier. Just marinade the pork, thread it onto skewers, and then bake. Three simple steps and you've got yourself the best Thit Nuong at home!
- Versatile: Authentic Vietnamese Pork Skewers can be served so many ways. The most popular is Bún Thịt Nướng (with rice vermicelli noodles). But I also love it in a sandwich, summer rolls, or a rice bowl with vegetables like Vietnamese Chayote Squash with Beef. It's also great for parties, barbecues, and family gatherings.
- Affordable: Pork shoulder is a very affordable cut of meat. And the marinade is made from almost all pantry staples. This easy thit nuong recipe is budget-friendly and great for the whole family.
🧂 Ingredients
- Pork butt: Synonymous with pork shoulder or Boston Butt pork roast. Pork butt and shoulder are from opposite ends of the shoulder, but can be used interchangeably. Pork butt will have more fat though. I like to buy pork shoulder in bulk at Costco and also use it in Instant Pot Pork Adobo or Instant Pot Pork Ragù.
- Lemongrass: More common in South Vietnamese preparations of Thit Nuong. You can leave it out but I love its signature citrus flavor. I use fresh stalks, but you can find pre-chopped lemongrass in the freezer section or stir-in paste in the vegetable section. Got extra? Cook up some Vietnamese Chicken Curry (Ca Ri Ga).
- Shallot and garlic: Classic aromatics for the marinade.
- White sugar and honey: Two different sweeteners for depth of flavor. The honey also acts a binder to help the marinade "stick" to the pork.
- Fish sauce: The quintessential Vietnamese condiment. It adds great seasoning and umami. My favorite brand is Red Boat because of its concentrated flavor and clean ingredients.
- Soy sauce: I always recommend using low sodium when possible.
- Oyster sauce: Some thit nuong recipes call for thick soy sauce, which can be difficult to find or make. Oyster sauce has the same consistency and will provide the same results.
- Cooking oil: Avocado oil is my favorite oil to cook, fry, and sauté with because of its high smoke point (500°F) and neutral flavor.
- Green onion: For the scallion oil.
Substitutions & Variations
- Instead of pork shoulder, you can use pork belly. Remove excess skin or fat and cut into thin strips. While pork is the traditional choice, you can also try beef, chicken, or shrimp for thit nuong.
- Shallot can be replaced with a mild yellow or white onion.
- Most thit nuong recipes uses two different sweeteners. White and brown sugar are interchangeable. In a pinch, you can use just one kind of sweetener.
- You can add a ¼ teaspoon sesame oil, ginger, or Chinese five-spice powder for additional flavor.
👩🏻🍳 How To Make Thit Nuong
⬇️ Please scroll down to the recipe card to see full ingredient amounts and instructions.
STEP ONE: First, prepare your fresh ingredients. Cut the pork into ¼" thick slices (or you can ask the butcher to do this for you). Then chop the garlic, green onion, shallot, and lemongrass (more details on lemongrass below). You can also prepare the aromatics in a food processor to a very fine consistency.
STEP TWO: To a large bowl, add the sliced pork, lemongrass, shallot, garlic, white sugar, honey, fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, oil, salt, and pepper.
STEP THREE: Thoroughly mix everything together. I like to use food-grade gloves for this. Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let marinade for at least 2 hours or up to 48 hours. Let sit in the fridge if marinading for more than 2 hours.
STEP FOUR: When the pork is almost ready, soak wooden skewers in water for 20+ minutes and preheat the oven to 375ºF.
STEP FIVE: Thread the sliced pork onto the skewers. Don't pack them too tightly as we want to create more surface area for charring.
For longer strips of pork, thread it through the skewer twice as seen in the photo on the right. For extra long pieces, twirl the pork in between the two piercings.
Then place into the oven to cook for 10-15 minutes. If you have an internal thermometer, the pork should be around 160ºF at this point. Then turn on the broiler to continue cooking for 10 more minutes. Feel free to occasionally rotate the baking sheet to char as many spots as possible.
STEP SIX: While the thit nuong is cooking, make the scallion oil. Add green onion and oil to a small bowl. Then microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring each time, until onion is bright green and wilted. Mine took 30 seconds total. Brush onto the pork skewers and serve.
How To Prepare Lemongrass
- First, discard any dry or tough outer leaves. Use the back (dull point) of your knife to smash the bottom third of the lemongrass. This will release the essential oils in the lemongrass.
- Starting from the bottom, thinly slice about halfway up the lemongrass. Once it gets woodsy and dry, stop slicing and discard.
- Finely mince the pieces to your desired consistency. You can also do this in a mini food processor or chopper.
- Add to soups, curries, marinades, or stocks. If you have a lot of extra, store it in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Different Cooking Methods
- Roast in the oven without skewers: Spread the pork onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Make sure to not overcrowd the pan (cook in batches if needed) and reduce initial baking time by 2 minutes.
- Air fry: Preheat air fryer to 325ºF. Make sure to use smaller skewers that will fit. Then cook for 8-10 minutes or until internal temperature is 160ºF. Turn up the temperature to 400ºF and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until charred - make sure to keep an eye on it to prevent burning.
- Grill: Preheat the grill to 375-400ºF and brush the grates with oil to prevent sticking. Grill over direct heat for 1-2 minutes on all sides until seared (be careful of flare-ups from the marinade and pork fat). Then transfer to the indirect side to finish cooking for 10ish more minutes, keeping the grill uncovered. You could also use a wire grilling basket, which is traditionally used in Vietnam. Spray generously with oil, don't overstuff the basket, and keep the pork in a single layer.
- Cook on the stovetop: Do not assemble skewers. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat and add a splash of foil. Sauté pork in batches until seared and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes each side.
💭 Top Tips
- To easily slice the pork butt, par-freeze it for 20-30 minutes first. Then use a sharp knife to cut ¼" thick slices.
- Lemongrass can be be woodsy or stringy. Use only the bottom half where it's most fragrant and make sure to mince it finely or else the texture will be unpleasant.
- The serving size will depend on the size of your skewers and pork strips. I used 12" wooden skewers and was able to get 5 skewers out of 2 lbs pork.
- Don't forget to soak your wooden skewers! If you skip this step, they'll flare up and can be dangerous.
- Leave a little space between each slice of pork on the skewers. This will create more surface area for charring.
- Metal skewers will cook faster than wooden skewers. Reduce the cook time by 5-7 minutes.
🥡 Storing & Freezing
Storing: You can store Thit Nuong on the skewers or pulled off. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freezing: You can freeze Thit Nuong before or after cooking. Freeze raw, marinaded pork shoulder in a zip-top bag or air-tight container in the freezer for up to 6 months. Let thaw overnight in the fridge and cook as directed in the recipe.
If the pork is cooked, pull it off the skewers and freeze in a zip-top bag or air-tight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating: Microwave in 1 minute intervals until heated through. Alternatively, you can air fry, toast, or roast in the oven at 300ºF for about 10 minutes.
If frozen, you can cook from frozen but it won't char due to the moisture. Instead, it's best to let the meat thaw overnight first.
Make Ahead: The pork can be marinated for up to 48 hours, on or off the skewers.
📖 Recipe FAQs
It's a bit of misnomer because pork butt actually comes from the shoulder. It's thick and fatty with a lot of connective tissue, making it great for low and slow cooking methods. It's most commonly used for pulled pork. We're able to cook pork butt quickly in this recipe because we slice it thinly and marinade it.
Both are made from pork, grilled, and threaded onto skewers. However, nem nuong is made from ground pork and formed into sausages or patties before bing grilled. Thit nuong, on the other hand, is made with sliced pork butt that's skewered and grilled.
The pork is juicy on the inside and lightly crispy on the outside. If grilled with charcoal, it has a smoky flavor as well. The marinade gives it a lot of umami, sweet, and fresh flavor. It's the perfect balance.
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📋 Recipe
Thit Nuong (Vietnamese Pork Skewers)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs boneless pork shoulder or butt thinly sliced
- 1 stalk lemongrass finely minced; about 3 tbsp
- ½ shallot minced; about 2 tbsp
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 2 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1½ tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Scallion Oil
- 2 green onion thinly sliced
- ½ tablespoon cooking oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add thinly sliced pork, lemongrass, shallot, garlic, white sugar, honey, fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, oil, salt, and pepper. Thoroughly mix together.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let marinade for 2 hours, up to overnight, mixing halfway through. If marinating for more than 2 hours, place in fridge but let come to room temperature before cooking.
- Soak skewers in water for at least 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with foil.
- Thread pork onto skewers, leaving a little space between each one and double threading when possible. To double threat, pierce skewer through one end of the pork, twist the meat, and pierce the skewer once more through the other end of the pork. Evenly spread the skewers out onto the baking sheet.
- Roast in oven for 10-15 minutes (internal temp should be around 160°F), then broil for 10 minutes until lightly charred. Keep an eye on the pork while it's broiling because the sugar can easily burn. Let cool slightly before serving.
- To make the scallion oil, add green onion and ½ tablespoon oil into a bowl. Microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring each time, until green onion is bright green and lightly wilted (it took me 30 seconds total). Brush onto pork.
Notes
- To easily slice the pork butt, par-freeze it for 20-30 minutes first. Then use a sharp knife to cut ¼" thick slices.
- The serving size will depend on the size of your skewers and pork. I used 12" wooden skewers and was able to get 5 skewers out of 2 lbs pork.
- Metal skewers will cook faster than wooden skewers. Reduce the cook time by 5-7 minutes.
- To serve this with nuoc cham (fish dipping sauce), follow the recipe at the bottom of my Cha Ca recipe.
- To roast in the oven without skewers: Spread the pork onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Make sure to not overcrowd the pan (cook in batches if needed) and reduce initial baking time by 2 minutes.
- To air fry: Preheat air fryer to 325ºF. Make sure to use smaller skewers that will fit. Then cook for 8-10 minutes or until internal temperature is 160ºF. Turn up the temperature to 400ºF and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until charred (keep an eye on it).
- To grill: Preheat the grill to 375-400ºF and brush the grates with oil to prevent sticking. Grill over direct heat for 1-2 minutes on all sides until seared (be careful of flare-ups from the marinade and pork fat). Then transfer to the indirect side to finish cooking for 10ish more minutes, keeping the grill uncovered. You could also use a wire grilling basket, which is traditionally used in Vietnam. Spray generously with oil, don't overstuff the basket, and keep the pork in a single layer.
Roman
Delicious ❤️❤️
Jessica
Thanks Roman!