I have always thought of this dish as having very finely sliced pork.  Now, it can have just about any protein, or none at all, but that is my mind set.  So I am roasting (325°) some pork loin (gonna guess about a 2 lb. section).  It is has been trussed & rubbed with2 Tbsp. Kosher Salt, 1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder, 1 Tbsp. Onion powder, 1 tsp. cracked black pepper and about 1/4 cup dried Sage.  It was vigorously rubbed into the meat and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Will finish tonight with the rice noodles, seasoned broth, bean sprouts & scallions & the thin sliced pork.

 

Can't wait to see this.

We always use raw meat. Sliced very thin, it cooks in the broth right in the bowl.
The most important part of pho is the broth. Use very fresh spices and don't forget the star anise!

We always use raw meat. Sliced very thin, it cooks in the broth right in the bowl.
The most important part of pho is the broth. Use very fresh spices and don't forget the star anise!

Agreed.  I've had my butcher slice up a chuck roast very thin. 

And while I spend hours building up the broth, I cheat with this

Quoc Viet Foods Beef Flavored "Pho" Soup Base 10oz Cot Pho Bo Brand (you can find it on Amazon.) 

Good luck, looking forward to the results. 

Most of the recipes I have seen call for a lot of stuff I simply did not want to go the store for, fish sauce, fresh ginger, star anise. And stuff I simply do not want in mine, lime wedges & cilantro.  I will add Hoisin sauce & egg.  The pork is finished.  Cracklin was a little over done, but as thin as it is sliced, no real effect.  Not sure I detect any Sage flavor.  It is probably better served being put in a brine.

It would have been a great idea if I would have though about it in enough time!

We always use raw meat. Sliced very thin, it cooks in the broth right in the bowl.

Restaurant nearby makes a great Pho (pronounced Fuh). Great stuff but lotsa salt to be absorbed. Can be made with any meat (not sure what the vietnamese use in theirs. If they are like the Hungarians with their Goulash, it could be anything that walks, flys,crawls or swims. Hope yours turns out well. The Pork slices look great by themselves. 

To really have some flavor you would need to make your own broth from home made stock and more ingredients, but for a thrown together dish it was OK!  Need a proper Pho dish so you can have more broth.

That looks good, I have never had it.

>Most of the recipes I have seen call for a lot of stuff I simply did not
>want to go the store for, fish sauce, fresh ginger, star anise.

We always have fish sauce on hand because we use it in a lot of dishes and it lasts forever. But ginger is perishable so here's a good way to always have some on hand:

First, when you buy it, make sure it is fresh and not starting to dry out - it will become stringy when that happens. Peel it with a spoon, you don't have to get all the bark off. Then slice against the grain and puree it in a blender/food processor with a little water. Pour it into a ziplock bag(s) and lay it flat in the freezer. Then just break off a piece when you need it. Really about as good as fresh as far as I can tell.