Grilling Moo Ping at Baan Padthai (Bangkok, Thailand)

A Bangkok’s Baan Padthai restaurant, they make moo ping (grilled pork skewers) by marinating pork neck—also called pork collar, the well-marbled meat at the top of the shoulder—in a mixture of garlic, cilantro root, honey, palm sugar, Golden Mountain sauce (a Thai soy-based seasoning), evaporated milk (you read that right) and black pepper. They then grill the pork hot and fast; the meat stays a little chewy and the fat gets nicely charred, which adds another layer of flavor to the dish.

Moo ping is served with nam jim jaew, a spicy lime-shallot dipping sauce that perfectly balances the fattiness of the pork. A key ingredient in the sauce is ground toasted rice, or khao kua, which provides nutty notes and a little viscosity, helping the sauce cling to the meat. Baan Padthai sprinkles more toasted rice over their grilled pork as a garnish, along with sliced shallot and fresh mint.