Grilled Vietnamese Pork Sausages (Nem Nuong)

Peel 3-4 cloves garlic and 1 shallot and cut them roughly into small pieces and add it to the food processor.

Cut 3 slices bacon into 1 inch pieces and add it to the food processor.

Use the food processor and blitz the garlic, shallots and bacon until a paste forms. Set aside for later

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are not making the annatto oil, you will still need the oil from the ingredient list. Just add it directly to the pork on the next step in the 'Mixing the Nem Nuong'

Set the stove to low heat and add 2 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon annatto seeds into a small saucepan. Let it toast until the oil turns a dark orange color. (approximately 1-2 minutes)

Turn off the heat and remove the seeds from the pan and discard them. Set the oil aside to cool for later.

In a food processor or stand mixer, add 475 g ground pork, 2 tablespoons toasted rice powder, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 3 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 tablespoon rice cooking wine, and 3/4 teaspoon five spice powder and mix for 10-15 minutes.You want the texture to be as sticky as possible.

Add in the 'Garlicky Bacon Fat' mix and annatto oil you created earlier and continue to mix for another 5-10 minutes. (If you did not make the annatto oil, add 2 tablespoons of oil instead.)** If you don't have a food processor or stand mixer, you can also mix this by hand but it will take a lot of mixing! Mix it in one direction only and keep mixing until everything looks 'sticky'.

Remove a little piece of meat and pan-fry or microwave it to do a taste test to see if it is salty enough (or sweet enough) to your preference. Not all fish sauces are created equal and some are saltier than others. Adjust the seasonings by adding more honey or more fish sauce to your liking.

Once you are done, put the meat in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour to cool.

Soak the skewers in a tall cup glass of water and set aside

Once the meat is cold, remove it from the fridge and set up your skewering station, and lightly oil your hands. If your hands are very hot or warm, run your wrist under cold water to cool them down a bit so that it doesn't make the meat sticky.

Take about 1 to 1½ tablespoons of meat and roll it into a ball and skewer it. Gently squeeze your hand around the ball to form an oval shape (or you can keep it as a round meatball as well)

If there is an opening or hole on the openings of the meat, seal it well by pinching the openings and gently twisting your finger, and then sliding it slightly towards the meatball.

Continue to do this until all the meat is used up.

Set your BBQ or charcoal grill to approximately 450F (232C) - 500F (260C) degrees. Once the grill is hot, add the skewers and close the lid.

Cook the skewers for about 3-4 minutes until the meat becomes firm. Give it a gentle poke to see if it is still mushy. If it is still mushy it will be very difficult to flip it. Wait until it is firm before trying to flip it.

Once the meatballs are firm and cooked, you no longer need to use the lid anymore and can grill it over the open fire to start browning it by flipping it every 1-2 minutes for approximately 10-12 minutes.

You will know the meat is done when it is very firm and browned evenly.

Serve it over some vermicelli noodles, use it in Vietnamese rice spring rolls or eat them as is with Nuoc Cham sauce!