Caramel Pulled Pork Banh Mi Sandwiches

These banh mi sandwiches are filled with pork that is broiled and then simmered in a caramel sauce of almost burnt sugar and fish sauce. The flavor is a wonderful combination of sweet and savory. 

The caramel pork is shredded or "pulled" after cooking and then used for banh mi sandwiches, along with all of the goodies that go into the sandwiches, including mayonnaise, cucumber, cilantro, pickled vegetables, and chiles. 

In addition, I spread some of the caramel cooking sauce onto the bread on one side and added a few sprinkles of Maggi Seasoning, an umami rich flavor enhancer, onto the mayonnaise. 

If you'd like to experience the flavors of this traditional Viet sandwich, definitely give this caramel pulled pork sandwich a try. 

Ingredients in This Caramel Pork:

Boneless Pork Shoulder: Sometimes it is labeled pork butt. You will need about two pounds. 

Onion: For the marinade and the simmering sauce. 

Black Pepper.

Sugar: To make the caramel sauce. 

Fish Sauce: My favorite fish sauce is Red Boat. 

Distilled Vinegar: A few drops for preventing crystalization of the caramel. 

Ingredients to Assemble the Sandwich:

Bread: You can use mini baguettes, hoagie rolls, bolillo rolls, or sections of longer baguettes. I ended up making my own banh mi rolls for these sandwiches. I've made them a few times and they are pretty rewarding to make. They have a thin crackly crust and a super soft interior with a fairly tight crumb. They crackle like crazy when you remove them from the oven. 

I have also used them to make Maggi steak banh mi sandwiches and caramel shrimp banh mi sandwiches. 

Condiments: I used mayonnaise sprinkled with Maggi Seasoning on one side of the bread and spread some of the sauce over the other side of the bread. 

For the mayonnaise, I used Kewpie, a Japanese-style mayonnaise which has a sweet tang, but you can use any mayonnaise you have on hand, or even make your own homemade mayo. 

Pickles: I made pickled red onions, pickled daikon and carrots, and added some pickled jalapeños. 

Fresh Vegetables: Sliced cucumbers and fresh cilantro. 

To Make The Caramel Pork:

First, cut the pork into 2 inch cubes and marinade them in a mixture of pureed onion, black pepper, sugar, and fish sauce for 30 minutes. 

Next, make the caramel sauce. Dissolve sugar in a small amount of water and a few drops of vinegar and cook the mixture until it turns a caramel color. Turn off the heat and let the mixture continue to darken over residual heat. Add more water to the mixture and set it aside. 

After that, grill or broil the pork chunks just enough to char the edges of the pieces. Then, add the pork and the marinade to the caramel sauce along with more fish sauce. Cover the pan and simmer the pork for 45 minutes. 

Remove the lid from the pan and continue to cook the pork for 25 more minutes, until it is tender. 

Let the pork cool and then shred the pork with two forks. Then, cook the shredded pork with some of the sauce until the sauce is reduced. 

Finally, assemble and serve the sandwiches. 

Accompanying Recipes:

Homemade Banh Mi Rolls

Daikon and Carrot Pickle

Pickled Red Onions

More Sandwich Recipes: 

August is National Sandwich Month! This week, the Sunday Funday group is sharing recipes for sandwiches. 

• Caramel Pulled Pork Banh Mi Sandwiches by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Chicken Caesar Wraps by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Family Favorite Tuna Salad by Food Lust People Love
• Grilled Cheese Extra Ordinary by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Hung Curd Veggie Sandwich by Sneha's Recipe
• Pie Iron Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches by Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sunflower Pesto Turkey Sandwich by Our Good Life

Caramel Pulled Pork Banh Mi Sandwiches

Yield: 6 Servings

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 45 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 45 M

These banh mi sandwiches are filled with pork that is broiled and then simmered in a caramel sauce of almost burnt sugar and fish sauce.

Ingredients

For the Pork

• 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2 inch chunks
• 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 3 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce, divided
• 2 to 3 drops distilled white vinegar
• Water

For the Sandwiches

• 6 sandwich rolls
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 3 teaspoons Maggi Seasoning
• Pickled red onions
• Daikon and carrot Pickle
• Pickled jalapeños
• Cucumber slices
• Cilantro leaves

Instructions

To Prepare the Pork

1. Put the pork into a bowl. In a food processor, process the onion, pepper, a tablespoon of sugar, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of fish sauce until pureed. Pour the mixture over the pork and marinade for 30 minutes at room temperature.
2. While the pork is marinading, make the caramel sauce. In a 3 to 4-quart saucepan, add 2 tablespoons of water, 1/3 cup of sugar, and the vinegar. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is almost dissolved, one minute. Quit stirring and continue to cook the mixture.
3. When the mixture starts turning yellow, swirl the pan to mix the sauce. Continue to swirl (without stirring) until the mixture is the color of dark tea. Turn off the burner and let the mixture cook over the residual heat until it turns fairly dark, about 3 minutes. Add one cup of water. Set the pan aside.
4. Cover a sheet pan with foil and remove the pork from the marinade (save the marinade) and place the pork on the foil. Broil the pork on the top rack with the oven on the broil setting, until the pork pieces are charred arount the edges, about four minutes per side.
5. Heat the pan with the caramel sauce over high heat and stir. Add the pork and its juices along with the marinade and 2 tablespoons of fish sauce. Add water to just covere the meat.Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook for an additional 25 minutes.
6. Turn off the heat and let the pan cool for 15 minutes. Transfer the meat to a skillet. saving the cooking liquid, and, using two forks, roughly shred the pork. Add 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and cook the pork until the liquid has been absorbed by the meat.

To Assemble the Sandwiches

1. Cut each roll in half lengthwise. Spread the bottom half with some of the cooking liquid and the top half with mayonnaise and a few dashes of Maggi Seasoning
2. Divide the pork among the rolls and top with the pickled onions, daikon and carrot, and jalapeño. Top with sliced cucumber and some cilantro leaves. Serve.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

478

Fat (grams)

13 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

3 g

Carbs (grams)

48 g

Fiber (grams)

3 g

Net carbs

45 g

Sugar (grams)

16 g

Protein (grams)

41 g

Cholesterol (grams)

94 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2025/08/caramel-pulled-pork-banh-mi-sandwiches.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

banh mi, pork

sandwich

Vietnamese

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Recipe adapted from The Banh Mi Handbook by Andrea Nguyen. 

You can also find great pickle recipes from the new book, Cold Canning: The Easy Way to Preserve the Seasons Without Hot Water Processing by Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough. I used the recipes in this book for the quick pickle this time