Lemongrass Pork Sliders with Daikon Carrot Slaw

For Father’s Day, let your Dad and Dads know how special they are in your life with these delicious sliders made with some heavenly scented lemongrass-marinated pork. They are so yummy, I’m going to treat myself to these bad boys on Father’s Day. Thanks to the kind folks at Snake River Farms, I used their Kurobuta pork collar but you can easily substitute pork shoulder instead. These sliders are a bit spicy, tangy, sweet, and have a refreshing herbal brightness due to the lemongrass and ginger. The daikon carrot slaw completes the picture with a satisfying acidic bookend to the flavors.

When Snake River Farms approached me to create a special Father’s Day dish with their pork collars, I didn’t tell them that I did not know what pork collars were. Sure, I’ve cooked many parts of the hog but I’ve only vaguely heard about the collar and had never seen one. SRF told me that their Kurobuta pork collar was a remarkably versatile cut that looks like an enlarged pork tenderloin except it has both fat and meat in it. My Internet research revealed that this cut is popular in Europe and it’s shoulder meat that runs from the base of the pig’s neck to the tip of the loin.

I love Italian food and apparently I had already eaten pork collar because I enjoy a salumi called Capicola or coppa for short. The coppa is made from the collar. Also, I’ve cooked dishes using another Italian salumi called Lardo which is the layer of fat on the top of the collar. So even though I’ve never seen one, I’ve eaten pork collars a few times.

As a pitmaster, I’ve enjoyed life’s highest pleasures by eating my share of pork breeds such as Berkshire, Chester, Yorkshire, Kurobuta, Red Wattle, and Duroc. The Kurobuta is descendent from the famous Berkshire hog from England which was bred for Kings due to the exquisite marbling and deep sweet pork flavor. This pork collar meat is very marbled and tender and is superbly suited for grilling. There is much less connective tissue compared to the pork shoulder so it does not have to be cooked low and slow for 8 hours to make it tender. A quick grill and char is all that’s needed to bring out the sweet pork flavor.

The inspiration for this style of grilled pork sliders comes from the thriving Vietnamese community in Los Angeles and Orange County where I often stop to enjoy a baguette sandwich with grilled pork, mayo spread, lettuce, jalapeno slices, and carrot/daikon slaw. I prefer my grilled pork on a soft hamburger bun slider-style so that’s what I used. I also like to squirt some Sriracha as I like my pork sliders spicy.