Pulled Pork Bao Buns

5 from 3 votes

These pulled pork bao buns are filled with delicious, juicy Asian pulled pork made with minimal fuss. Just set and forget in the slow cooker!

Prep Time5

Cook Time5

Course: Family Dinners

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: buns

Calories: 179kcal

Author: Marianne Rogerson

Ingredients

For the pulled pork

1.8 kg pork shoulder
¾ cup hoi sin sauce
3 cloves garlic grated or finely chopped
1 inch piece fresh ginger grated
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
½ teaspoon Chinese five spice powder

To serve

12 bao buns
Asian slaw or shredded cabbage and julienned carrots
sliced cucumber
coriander (cilantro) leaves

Instructions

Pulled Pork

Combine all the ingredients except the pork in a bowl and mix well.
Place the Pork shoulder in a slow cooker with the skin side on top and pour over the sauce. Use your hands to massage into the pork to ensure it is completely smothered in the sauce.
Add the lid and set the slow cooker to HIGH for 4.5 - 5 hours (or LOW for 9-10 hours)
Remove the pork from the slow cooker. Remove the fat and discard. Use two forks to shred the meat.
Transfer the sauce/liquid from the slow cooker into a jug or bowl.
Return the pork to the slow cooker. Add enough of the sauce so that it is nice and juicy. (Not so much that it is too soggy).
You can keep the pork warm in the slow cooker until you are ready to serve.

Cook the bao buns

Cook the bao buns according to the packet instructions - usually this means steaming them in a basket over boiling water for around 10 minutes.
If using a Thermomix - put them in the Varoma basket. Half fill the jug with water and set to 15 mins / Varoma / speed 1.

To Serve

Serve each bao bun stuffed with some pork and with an Asian slaw, sliced cucumbers and a few coriander (cilantro) leaves.
You can also add extra hoi sin sauce, chilli sauce, sliced chillies, peanuts, siracha mayonnaise, sliced green onions... whatever you like!

Notes

I always use a Pork Shoulder to make slow-cooked pulled pork. This is also known as a Picnic Roast in the USA. In North America, the Boston Butt aka the Pork Butt is a popular cut and is ideal for making this pulled pork.

If you don't have a slow cooker, you can easily make this in the oven too. You just need an oven-proof dish big enough for the pork shoulder. Ideally it should have a lid - I use my Le Creuset dutch oven for this. If you don't have a lid, just use tin foil to cover it.

Heat your oven to 150C/300F. It will take around 3.5 hours to cook in the oven.

Nutrition