Chef notes
I love this recipe because I can get the meatballs prepped the day before, have my sandwich fixings ready to go, and when guests arrive, I'm able to really enjoy myself, just grilling up the meatballs rather than running around for ingredients and prep.
Technique tip: Roasting the meatballs at a medium heat will ensure juicy meatballs — then crank the heat to get nice char marks for a crunchy outside and moist juicy middle.
Swap option: To make the dish vegetarian, swap in plant-based "meatballs."
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup Sriracha
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 medium-sized Japanese eggplants
- 1½ pounds ground pork
- 1½ pounds ground beef
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- 1 large onion, grated
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 1 jalapeño, minced
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- salt
- 1 tablespoon coriander, crushed
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 large carrot, cut into thin matchsticks
- 8 ounces daikon radish, cut into thin matchsticks
- 2 jalapeños, sliced
- 1/2 cup Kewpie mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup Sriracha
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 large loaves Italian bread
- 1/2 cup chicken liver pate
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 1 bunch cilantro
Preparation
For the sauce:
In a small saucepan, heat the butter, honey, Sriracha and fish sauce until just melted, and whisk to combine.
For the meatballs:
1.Preheat the grill to medium-high.
2.Place the eggplants on the grill and roast until very charred on the outside and soft on the inside, about 20 minutes.
3.Remove the eggplants from the grill, carefully remove the skin and scoop the flesh in a large bowl and mash with a fork.
4.To the same bowl add the pork, beef, grated carrot, onion, garlic, ginger, jalapeño, fish sauce, sugar, egg, breadcrumbs, black pepper and salt.
5.Roll the mixture into golf ball-sized balls, place on a baking sheet tray and roast on the grill for 10 minutes.
6.Remove the meatballs from the pan and place them directly on the grill to sear, flipping once when a golden-brown crust forms.
7.Place the meatballs back on the sheet tray and pour the butter-Sriracha sauce over the top; toss to coat.
For the quick spicy pickles:
Add the coriander, sugar, salt, rice vinegar and water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Set aside to cool.
Add the carrots, daikon and jalapeño to a large jar or glass bowl and pour the vinegar mixture over the top to cover. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
For the spicy mayonnaise:
Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl, stir to combine and set aside.
To assemble:
1.Wet the outside of the whole loaf of bread and place on the grill; cook until crisp.
2.Cut the bread into 4 pieces, then slice horizontally. Gut the bread (take out the crumbs).
3.To one side of each piece of bread, smear the chicken liver pate and the spicy mayonnaise, and add the meatballs, pickles, cucumbers and cilantro.
