5.0 from 2 votes

I’m sure you’ve probably had a French Dip at some point in your lifetime, but have you ever had a Vietnamese fusion Pho French Dip served with a side of pho before? This sandwich is filled with thinly sliced brisket that’s been slowly simmering in pho broth, provolone cheese, onions, cilantro, and jalapenos – but the real kicker is the pho butter (bơ) that I make with the fatty pho broth (nước béo) to slather the sandwich with. The pho butter adds a subtle essence of pho to every single bite.

Before we get into our French Dip, make sure you check out my Brisket Pho recipe to learn how to make the broth and brisket from scratch!

Pho Bo Chin - Brisket Pho with Basil, Onions and Jalapenos

What makes this a Pho French Dip?

The inspiration for this recipe comes directly from the American invention that traditionally comes with thinly sliced roast beef and Swiss cheese stuffed inside a French roll and served with an au jus.

Cross section of Pho French Dip Sandwich in a Vietnamese Baguette

While the classic sandwich is incredibly tasty, this version levels it up while still staying true to its roots.
We swap out the French roll for a French baguette that you’d find most banh mi’s on. Instead of using thinly sliced roast beef, we’ll use our brisket from our pho instead. I opted to use provolone in this recipe because I wanted a really mild melty cheese that would be a good accompaniment while allowing the other flavors of the sandwich to take center stage. Feel free to swap and use your favorite cheese, though! Then, we add all my favorite pho garnishes, such as thinly sliced white onions, green onions, cilantro, and jalapenos. However, I imagine other typical garnishes like Thai basil, beansprouts, hoisin, and sriracha would also be really great in this sandwich.

Pho French Dip Sandwich with Brisket and Provolone Cheese

Everything starts to come together, and it is made into an authentic pho-inspired dish by serving it with a side of pho broth instead of au jus. For me, though, what really makes this sandwich stand out is the pho butter that we’ll make to go in it.

Is it Butter or Mayo?

The direct and literal translation for bơ is butter, but there is some controversy about whether this is actually mayo. With many banh mi’s, you’ll typically find a homemade spread made with eggs and a neutral oil, which results in a creamy spread. On one spectrum, folks will argue that it’s not mayo because there’s no inclusion of vinegar, while the other camp will say that it can’t possibly be butter because it’s not made with milk or cream. To complicate things even further, I’ve even heard the term “egg sauce” used instead to try to find a happen medium.

While there’s no general consensus, we can all agree that it is undoubtedly tasty.

My version takes the butter to a whole different level by incorporating my pho’s fatty broth and replacing the neutral oil. By combining egg yolks with the nước béo to create the butter, we can take the essence of pho and turn it into a creamy sauce that elevates this sandwich.