Char Siu–glazed Pork and Pineapple Buns

Easy chinese barbecue pork sandwiches. I finally got around to making them again and they’re totally delicious. The flavor comes through in each bite of the sandwich, and works really well with the sweet tropical notes of the pineapple and sticky, addictive char siu sauce.

• Ready In: 4 hrs 15 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup kosher salt
• 1⁄4 cup  packed light brown sugar
• 1  tablespoon vanilla, extract*
• 2  pork tenderloin (about 1 lb. each)
• 1⁄2 cup ketchup
• 1⁄2 cup hoisin sauce
• 2  tablespoons  toasted sesame oil
• 2  tablespoons  minced garlic
• 2  tablespoons  minced ginger
• 2  tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 12  slices  of peeled and cored fresh pineapple
• 24  king's hawaiian sweet  rolls or 24  other small soft  rolls, warmed on the grill if you like
• 1  cup fresh cilantro stem

Directions

1. Make brine: In a large pot, bring 3 1/2 cups water to a boil. Stir in salt, brown sugar, and vanilla. Chill until cool.
2. Put pork in a 9- by 13-in. pan and pour on brine. Chill at least 3 hours and up to 12. Make char siu glaze: In a small bowl, mix together ketchup, hoisin, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. Pour half the sauce into another small bowl. Prepare grill for indirect medium heat (350° to 450°; you can hold your hand 5 inches above cooking grate only 5 to 7 seconds). Lay pork over indirect-heat area and cook, covered, until meat reaches 135° on a meat thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes. Using a pastry brush and one bowl of glaze, cover pork with glaze, saving 2 tablespoons for the pineapple. Cook pork (if using charcoal, add 6 to 8 briquets to maintain temperature), turning occasionally, until glaze has caramelized slightly and meat thermometer reaches 145°, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 15 minutes. Lay pineapple slices on direct-heat area of grill, brush with 2 tablespoons reserved glaze, and cook, turning once, until grill marks appear, about 4 minutes per side. Remove slices from grill and cut in half. Cut pork into 1/2-in. slices. Cut a deep diagonal slit across the top of each roll. Fill each roll with a piece of pork, half a grilled pineapple slice, a cilantro sprig, and 1/2 teaspoons glaze from second bowl. Serve rolls with remaining glaze for drizzling.