If you’re looking for a foolproof Vietnamese Sausage Skewers recipe that is worth the time investment, then you have come to the right place for for these delicious little pork pillows on a stick!
Yes, pork pillows on a stick! Because once you’ve gone through the steps, that’s the consistency of these little Vietnamese sausage balls! They are soft to the touch, yet form the perfect little balls that grill into the perfect finger food for any event or tailgate, or can be paired with lettuce for easy spring rolls.
The dipping sauce is so addictive that you will continue to eat, despite being stuffed, just so you can dip the balls into the sauce and then into your mouth! That sentence sounds provocative but it’s true lol. You will love this sauce — it is the perfect blend of sweet and salty and a touch of heat, but not noticeable and full of umami from the fish sauce. Sooo good!
Vietnamese Sausage skewers can be paired with Nuoc Nom, a spicy umami-packed dipping sauce.
This recipe for Vietnamese sausage requires a food processor and a few steps to get that pillowy consistency. You will first make a bacon fat mixture in the food processor to reserve to add to the rest of the ground pork later. Next, you will quickly make some annatto oil to add the red color to the meat, but that step is optional. Then combine the ground pork ingredients and then add back in the bacon fat and oil. Lastly, you will form the ground pork mixture into little balls.
The dipping sauce that goes will it is called Nuoc Cham, and it is a dipping sauce you will want to put on all the things.
If you make this recipe, don’t forget to leave a comment or tag me on the ‘gram (plus give me a follow — you’ll see behind-the-scenes recipes that you don’t find here). And, If you love anything meat on a stick, you will love some of my other skewer recipes like my Filipino Pinoy Pork Skewers! I love a good skewer recipe and this one is worth saving!
Now, let’s make Vietnamese Sausage Skewers!!!
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Vietnamese Sausage Skewers
Description
Vietnamese sausage is so good you'll wonder why you haven't tried sausage this way before. Filled with aromatic spices and with a pillowy texture, these sausage balls are great on their own or fun to put on skewers for street food inspiration.
Ingredients
Bacon Fat Mixture
- 3 slices bacon
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 shallot
Annatto Oil (this part is optional)
- 2 tbsp. avocado or coconut oil
- 1 tbsp. annatto seeds
Nem Nuong (sausage)
- 1 lb. ground pork
- 4 tbsp. cornstarch
- 3 tbsp. honey or maple syrup
- 2 tbsp. fish sauce
- 1 tsp. Chinese five spice powder
- 1 tbsp. rice cooking wine or sherry
Nuoc Cham (dipping sauce)
- 1 tbsp. (organic) sugar
- 3 tbsp warm water
- 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
- Zest of lime
- 1 tbsp. fish sauce
- 1 small red chili (bird's eye, if you can find it) or another mildly hot chili, thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Add bacon, garlic and shallot into the food processor and pulse until a bacon paste forms. Set aside and save for later.
- Make your annatto oil to add nice color to the Vietnamese Sausage Skewers. This part is totally optional, but if you skip this part, you will still need the oil to be added into the mixture. Start by heating your avocado or coconut oil in a pan on low heat and add the annatto seeds and stir for a few minutes. Once the seeds have turned the oil a bright orange color, turn the oil off. Remove the seeds and save the oil for adding to the pork later. (Be careful, this oil will stain your fingers, countertops and everything so make sure to clean up afterwards!)
- Mix your sausage ingredients in the food processor or stand mixer for 10 minutes. This sounds like a LONG time but what we are looking for is a very fine texture here, like pork paté.
- Add in the bacon fat mixture and annatto oil and mix for an additional 5 minutes.
- Put the meat in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, soak your skewers in water.
- Skewer your Vietnamese sausage balls. This is also totally optional but let’s face it, meat on a stick is just fun. I’ve never met anyone who said, “Nah, I’d prefer not to eat meat on a stick.” So for what it's worth, the skewers are an important step.
- Set up an area with the meat, your skewers, and a sheet pan or big platter to place your skewers. I like to wear gloves when touching meat. To make this process easier, add a touch of oil to your gloves or hands so the meat doesn’t stick to your hands. Take a spoonful (about 1 tbsp. of meat) into your hands and roll it into a little ball. Continue to do this, rolling into balls, putting onto the skewer, repeat, until you have worked your way through all the meat.
- Grill Your Vietnamese Sausage Skewers. Preheat your grill to 450 to 500 degrees. Coat your grill grates with oil so your meat is less likely to stick. Grill your meat about 3 minutes per side, or until you’ve formed char marks, and then it is time to flip. If the meat is not ready to be flipped it will stick to the grates. Your skewers are done once the internal temp hits 145 internal degrees.
Notes
These skewers are delicious on their own but I like to serve them in lettuce wraps paired with this sweet, mildly spicy, umami flavor packed Nuoc Cham sauce.
