Vietnamese Pork Sausage Skewers (Nem Nuong)
This Vietnamese Pork Sausage Skewers recipe is an easy dinner for feeding everyone on busy weeknights or for hosting a large party on the weekend. This recipe is extra tasty with all the garlic mixed into the pork mixture. Its affordable and can be made in advance. Easy to bake in the oven or BBQ on a hot summer day.
Ingredients
- 5 lbs fatty ground pork
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup fish sauce
- 2 bulbs garlic finely minced
- 2 tbsp roasted rice powder
- 2 packs alsa baking powder 2 tbsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ cup tusino nem nuong curing powder
Sweet Glaze
- 4 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp water
Instructions
- Prepare the Marinade: In a large mixing bowl, blend together sugar, fish sauce, finely chopped garlic, roasted rice powder, baking powder, corn starch, and nem nuong curing powder until thoroughly incorporated.
- Marinate the Pork: Add the fatty ground pork to the marinade and mix until the pork is fully coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. Chilling the mixture helps in shaping the sausages around the skewers later.
- Skewer the Sausages: Using your hands, take a handful of the marinated pork mixture and evenly wrap it around a skewer. Place the prepared skewers on a plate. To prevent sticking, use plastic wrap in between the skewers as you make them. Freeze the skewers as you complete each batch.
- Prepare Sausage Balls: Roll some of the pork mixture into balls of your preferred size. Freeze these balls once you've shaped them all.
- Pre-freeze for Better Shape: For at least 2 hours, freeze the skewers and balls to help them maintain their shape during cooking.
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake the Sausages: Place the nem nuong skewers in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remember to flip them halfway through the cooking time to ensure even cooking.
- Prepare the Sweet Glaze: While the sausages are baking, prepare the sweet glaze by mixing the ingredients until well combined.
- Glaze and Broil: At the 20-minute mark, take out the nem nuong from the oven. Spread the sweet glaze over the sausages. Switch the oven to broil mode and let the glaze bubble up for a bit. Flip the nem nuong, apply more glaze, and broil until caramelized.
- Rest and Serve: Once out of the oven, let the nem nuong rest for 2 minutes before serving. Enjoy your delicious Vietnamese pork sausage skewers!
Notes
- Quality Ingredients:
- Use high-quality, fatty ground pork. The fat content is crucial for the juiciness and flavor of the sausages.
- Fresh, aromatic herbs like cilantro and mint add a burst of freshness. Use them generously.
- Invest in a good fish sauce for an authentic and rich flavor base. I like to use three crab brand
- Balanced Marinade:
- Balance the flavors in your marinade. Sweetness from sugar and saltiness from fish sauce flavors should be well-balanced.
- Let the pork marinate for at least a couple of hours or overnight for the flavors to meld.
- Texture Matters:
- Include ingredients like roasted rice powder or cornstarch. They absorb excess moisture, ensuring your sausages are not overly wet or crumbly.
- Proper Shaping:
- When shaping the sausages on skewers, ensure they are evenly wrapped. This ensures even cooking and a consistent taste in each bite.
- If you're making sausage balls, make sure they are of similar size for uniform cooking.
- Freezing Technique:
- Freeze the skewers and balls before cooking. This helps them hold their shape and prevents them from falling apart during cooking.
- Grilling/Broiling Technique:
- Preheat the grill or oven properly. A medium-high heat ensures the sausages cook through without burning on the outside.
- Turn the skewers halfway through the cooking time for even grilling.
- Apply the sweet glaze near the end of the cooking time. The sugars in the glaze can burn quickly, so monitor them closely.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!