Thai-American / Lao-inspired · Mains
Smoked Chuck Larb Roll
Smoked chuck roast shredded and dressed larb-style — fish sauce, lime, toasted rice powder, crushed dried chilies — piled into a toasted baguette with chili-lime aioli, shallot slaw, and a full herb bouquet of mint, Thai basil, and dill.
Ingredients
Serves 8- *Smoked Chuck**
- 3 lbsmoked chuck roast, fully cooked and rested (smoked over oak blended with 10–15% peach or cherry wood)
- *Larb Dressing**
- 41 tbspfish sauce (Tiparos or Megachef)
- ⅓ cupsfresh lime juice (about 5–6 limes)
- 3 tbsptoasted glutinous rice powder (see step 1)
- 4dried Thai or arbol chilies, whole (for toasting)
- 1 tspwhite sugar
- 3shallots, thinly sliced
- 4green onions, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cupscrispy fried shallots (store-bought from Asian grocery)
- *Herbs**
- ½ cupfresh mint leaves, roughly torn
- ½ cupfresh Thai basil leaves, roughly torn
- ⅓ cupfresh dill, roughly torn
- *Chili-Lime Aioli**
- ½ cupKewpie mayonnaise
- 2 tbspsambal oelek
- 1 tbspfresh lime juice
- 1garlic clove, microplaned
- 1 tspfish sauce
- *Shallot Slaw**
- 2 cupsgreen cabbage, very thinly shaved
- 2shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsprice wine vinegar
- 1 tspwhite sugar
- *For the Sandwich**
- 8light French or Vietnamese-style baguettes, cut into 6-inch portions
- ½ cuproasted unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
- 2 tspchili crisp (Lao Gan Ma or S&B)
- *Day-Ahead**
- 3 tbspraw glutinous (sticky) rice
- ⅓ cupsmoking juices reserved from butcher paper
- 1 tbspfish sauce (for overnight storage)
Method
- 01
**Make glutinous rice powder:** Toast 3 tbsp raw glutinous rice in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until deep golden and nutty — about 8–10 minutes. Grind in a spice grinder or mortar to a coarse, breadcrumb-like texture. Store in a jar at room temp.
- 02
**Toast and crush dried chilies:** Toast 4 dried Thai or arbol chilies in a dry skillet over medium heat, pressing them flat, until fragrant and slightly darkened — about 2–3 minutes per side. Don't burn them. Let cool, then roughly crush by hand or with a mortar: you want a mix of small pieces and coarse powder, not a fine grind.
- 03
**Store chuck overnight (day-ahead):** After the chuck has rested post-smoke, break into 4–5 large chunks — don't fully shred yet. Place in an airtight container and pour the reserved smoking juices and 1 tbsp fish sauce over the top. Seal tightly and refrigerate overnight.
- 04
**Make the shallot slaw:** Combine cabbage, rice wine vinegar, and sugar in a bowl and stir until sugar dissolves. Add sliced shallots and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Drain excess liquid just before building sandwiches.
- 05
**Make the chili-lime aioli:** Whisk together Kewpie mayo, sambal oelek, lime juice, microplaned garlic, and fish sauce until smooth. Taste: it should be creamy, spicy, bright, and slightly funky. Refrigerate until ready. Can be made up to 5 days ahead.
- 06
**Reheat and shred the chuck:** Pull chuck from the fridge 30–45 minutes before reheating. Place in a covered baking dish with a splash of beef broth and reheat at 275°F for 45–60 minutes until internal temp hits 160°F. Shred into rough 1–2 inch pieces, incorporating any bark. Keep covered and warm.
- 07
**Dress the larb — first batch:** No more than 15 minutes before serving, dress half the shredded chuck with half the fish sauce, lime juice, rice powder, crushed toasted chilies, and sugar. Toss well and taste aggressively — it should be salty, sour, funky, and spicy. Add half the raw shallots, green onions, and fried shallots. Toss to combine.
- 08
**Dress the larb — second batch:** If service runs more than 20–30 minutes, dress the second half of the chuck fresh using the remaining dressing ingredients. This keeps herbs bright and shallots from going limp.
- 09
**Toast the baguette portions:** Split and toast cut-side down in a dry skillet or under the broiler for 2–3 minutes until golden.
- 10
**Build the sandwich:** Spread chili-lime aioli generously on both cut sides. Lay drained shallot slaw on the bottom. Pile on dressed larb — about 5–6 oz per sandwich. Top with mint, Thai basil, and dill. Add a pinch of chopped peanuts and finish with a few drops of chili crisp directly on the meat before closing. Serve immediately.