Pork and Pâté Vietnamese Sandwich (Banh Mi)

Buster's friend's Note:

I so miss going down to the International District & grabbing these wonderful sandwiches. The kind folks at www.Chow.com shared this wonderful recipe & I am stashing it for summer al fresco noshing on the deck. ***Start the pork marinade and the pickled carrots the day before serving.**** These sandwiches can be prepared ahead & wrapped in Saran wrap & fridged until serving. To serve, place the toothpicks, slice & serve. The Chowhounds appropriately recommend a light bubbly beer - Tiger Beer from Singapore or a Rolling Rock for a more local brew.

• Total Time: 3 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 2 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

Pork

• 10 cups water, divided (simmering)
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 serrano chilies, crushed
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, cracked
• 3 lbs pork butt, boneless

Pickled carrots

• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and coarsely shredded

Assembly

• 2 French baguettes (Vietnamese or French, not sourdough)
• 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 10 ounces pork pate (optional but oh so fine)
• 1 large English cucumber, halved crosswise and sliced lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick pieces
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaf, packed
• 1/4 cup Thai basil, packed
• 4 jalapenos, sliced lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick pieces
• 4 teaspoons light soy sauce

Directions:

1. Pork:.
2. Pour 2 cups of the simmering water into a 6-quart heatproof container with a tightfitting lid, then remove water from heat.
3. Add salt and sugar to the heatproof container and stir until dissolved. Add garlic, chiles, peppercorns, and pork. Top with remaining 8 cups of tepid water to fully cover meat. Submerge meat if necessary by filling a resealable bag with water and placing it on top. Cover and refrigerate 12 hours or overnight.
4. When pork is ready, remove from liquid, rinse, pat dry with paper towels, and place fat side up in a roasting pan. Allow to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F and arrange the rack in the middle. Roast pork until internal temperature reads 165°F, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, or at least 45 minutes, then slice thinly, about 1/8 inch thick.
6. Pickled carrots:.
7. Combine vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once sugar and salt have dissolved, remove from heat, add carrots, and stir to coat in pickling mixture. Let stand until carrots have softened, at least 30 minutes or overnight. Drain well and set aside.
8. Assembly:.
9. Slice off top 1/3 of baguettes lengthwise and set aside. Remove enough of bottom interiors so that filling can fit easily.
10. Spread 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise on each upper 1/3 of baguette and 2 tablespoons on each bottom. Crumble 1/2 of the pâté (if using - use it!) on each bottom section, then top with sliced pork (there may be some left over), cucumber, cilantro leaves, basil leaves, pickled carrots, and jalapeños. Sprinkle each sandwich with soy sauce and close with upper parts of baguettes. Place 10 toothpicks approximately 1 inch apart to secure the sandwiches, and slice into about 10 (1-1/2-inch) pieces. Serve.