By Christie Vanover | Published August 9, 2017 | Last Updated February 23, 2023
Let’s take a journey to Vietnam. One of the nation’s most popular dishes is the banh mi. It’s a sandwich made on a tender baguette layered with marinated meat and pickled vegetables.
It’s a combination of rich, fresh and a little spicy, depending on your toppings.
Choosing the right steak for beef banh mi
Banh mis are traditionally made using pork, but I wanted to create a version using beef. I chose flat iron steak as my protein.
Unlike flank and skirt steaks, the flat iron cut comes from the shoulder of the cow, instead of the belly. You’re probably familiar with chuck beef. It’s most popularly used in burgers. The flat iron comes from this same area.
The flat iron that I used for this recipe is a leaner cut with gentle marbling. When combined with my banh mi marinade, it’s super tender, making it perfect for sandwiches or tacos.
After marinating the steak for about 6 hours, it will take less than 10 minutes to grill the steak for a perfect medium rare slice. If you prefer well done, let it ride a little longer.
Slice the steak into thin strips against the grain and set them aside to build your beef banh mi sandwich. You can even grill the steak in advance and build the sandwiches to order the next day.
How to top your beef banh mi sandwich
What really sets the banh mi apart from other sandwiches is the toppings: fresh cucumber slices, pickled carrots, fresh cilantro leaves and sriracha mayo.
I love my beef banh mi sandwiches with a few slices of fresh jalapeno or Fresno peppers, too. If you don’t enjoy heat, leave those out and just use plain mayo.
Grilled Beef Banh Mi Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds flat iron steak
Marinade + Sauce
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 2 tsps sesame oil
- 2 tsps vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
Sandwich Fixings
- 6 baguette rolls
- Sriracha mayo
- Pickled carrots
- Cucumber slices
- Cilantro leaves
- Jalapeno or Fresno pepper slices
Pickled Carrots
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 carrot julienned
Sriracha Mayo
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp sriracha
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the water, sugar, ketchup, hoisin, vinegar, soy sauce, chili sauce, sesame oil, vegetable oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Pour half of it in a zip-top bag. Save the other half for later.
- Place the beef in the bag. Massage, seal and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Make the pickled carrots and sriracha mayo (below).
- Just before grilling the meat, place the reserved marinade in a saucepot. Heat over medium heat until it thickens.
- Heat the grill to medium-high. Grill steak for 5 minutes.
- Flip. Brush with the thickened sauce. Grill 3 more minutes. Flip and coat with more sauce. Grill 2 more minutes.
- Remove from grill. Let rest 5-10 minutes. Slice against the grain.
Pickled Carrots
- Heat the water, vinegar, sugar and salt in small saucepot. Remove from heat. Add the carrots and let steep 30 minutes. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Sriracha Mayo
- Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Assembly
- Spread sriracha mayo on the baguettes. Top with sliced beef, pickled carrots, cucumber slices, cilantro leaves and pepper slices.
Nutrition
This estimate was created using an online nutrition calculator
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.