Orange Ginger Roasted Pork Bao Buns

Inspired by Chinese Peking duck, these orange ginger roasted pork bao buns are sensational in every way. Serve the juicy pork in soft steamed baos with fresh cucumber, scallions, and hoisin sauce for an amazing meal!

Ingredients

• Pork butt: A cut of pork from the upper part of the shoulder, from the front leg of the pig. It is well-marbled with fat, making it ideal for this recipe. If you can't find pork butt, you can use pork shoulder instead.
• Orange marmalade: Adds a sweet and tangy flavor to the marinade, which helps caramelize the pork during cooking.
• Hoisin: A thick, dark, fragrant sauce commonly used in Chinese cuisine used in both the marinade and as a dipping sauce.
• Shaoxing wine: A traditional Chinese rice wine with a rich, slightly sweet flavor and a deep amber color. If you can't find Shaoxing wine, use dry sherry wine instead.
• Five spice powder: A spice blend that typically includes star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, and fennel seeds. Five-spice powder brings a warm, aromatic, and slightly sweet flavor to the pork marinade.
• Bao buns: Bao buns are soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet. They are often sold in the freezer section of Asian markets.

Substitutions and variations

• Protein: You can substitute the pork with boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I do not recommend using chicken breasts, which can dry out too quickly in the air fryer.
• Spicy: Add chili flakes to the pork marinade or serve the bao buns with a spicy sauce.
• Wraps: Instead of bao buns, you can use Peking Duck pancakes or any other thin pancake.

Recipe

Print Recipe

Orange Ginger Roasted Pork Bao Buns

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: pork

Servings: 6

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Orange ginger roasted pork

• 2 ½ pounds boneless pork butt cut into 9-10 ounce portions, about 2 inches thick
• ¼ cup orange marmalade
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon hoisin
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon five-spice powder
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon hot water

Remaining ingredients

• 20 bao buns
• 1 cup thinly sliced cucumber
• 1 cup thinly sliced scallions
• 1 cup hoisin sauce

Instructions

• Prepare pork. Combine orange marmalade, soy sauce, hoisin, Shoaxing wine, minced ginger, orange zest, salt, five spice powder, and garlic in a medium bowl. Whisk until combined and reserve 2 tablespoons of marinade, setting it aside. Pour remaining marinade over pork, tossing to coat. Let sit in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight, turning over pork halfway through.
• Remove pork from fridge and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together reserved 2 tablespoons marinade with 2 tablespoons honey and water.
• Pour ¼ cup hot water to the air fryer basket. Place the rack on top and lay the pork in an even layer on the rack. Air fry pork for 5 minutes at 375 degrees F. Remove from air fryer and baste pork with honey glaze. Flip pork over and brush with more glaze. Continue to air fry for 10-13 minutes, basting every 5 minutes. If the water evaporates, add extra hot water to the basket.
• Remove pork from air fryer and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice pork into thin slices.
• Meanwhile, steam bao buns according to directions on package. Split open buns and stuff with sliced pork, cucumber, and scallions. Drizzle with hoisin sauce, serving extra sauce on the side.

Video

Notes

Make sure to purchase well-marbled pork shoulder. The air fryer can dry out the pork so it's important to have enough fat. 

If your pork is thinner than 2 inches, it will take less time to cook. For portions of about 6-7 ounces, it will take about 13-15 minutes total.

 

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Marinate pork

To start, prepare the marinade for the pork. In a medium bowl, combine orange marmalade, soy sauce, hoisin, Shaoxing wine, minced ginger, orange zest, salt, five-spice powder, and minced garlic. Whisk these ingredients together until well combined. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the marinade for the glaze and set it aside.

Cut the boneless pork butt into portions about 9-10 ounces each, roughly 2 inches thick. Since air fryers have a smaller cooking area, we're going to cut the pork into smaller pieces. This also allows the pork to cook quickly.

You can cut the pork into slightly smaller portions at around 7 ounces, but keep the pieces at least 2 inches thick.

Place the pork portions in the marinade, making sure they are well-coated. I like to marinate the pork in a large Ziploc bag, allowing me to massage all the wonderful seasonings into the meat.

Refrigerate the pork for at least 8 hours or overnight, turning the pork halfway through to ensure even marination. Feel free to marinate the pork for up to 24 hours.

Step 2: Cook pork

When ready to cook, remove the marinated pork from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Letting the meat come to room temperature allows it to cook more evenly.

Meanwhile, mix the reserved 2 tablespoons of marinade with 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 tablespoon of hot water to create a honey glaze.

Since air fryers heat up quickly, there's no need to preheat them. Pour ¼ cup hot water into the air fryer basket, then place the rack on top and lay the marinated pork in an even layer on the rack.

The hot water will help keep the meat moist while catching the drippings which will help prevent burning.

Air fry the pork for 5 minutes. Then, remove the pork and baste it with the honey glaze. Flip the pork over and brush with more glaze. Continue to air fry for 10-13 minutes, basting every 5 minutes. If the water evaporates, add extra hot water to the basket.

Once cooked, remove the pork from the air fryer and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing it thinly.

Step 3: Prepare toppings

While the pork is resting, prepare the toppings for the bao buns. Thinly slice 1 cup of cucumber and 1 cup of scallions. Additionally, have 1 cup of hoisin sauce ready for drizzling.

Bao buns are typically sold frozen and need to be steamed before consuming. Follow the package instructions to steam 20 bao buns until soft and fluffy.

If you're making a smaller batch, only steam the buns that you need. They are best served freshly steamed.

Step 4: Assemble bao buns

To assemble the orange ginger roasted pork bao buns, first, split open each steamed bun. Stuff each bun with a few slices of roasted pork. Then, add a layer of sliced cucumber and scallions to the pork. Drizzle with hoisin sauce to taste, and serve extra sauce on the side for additional flavor.

You can also serve the pork, toppings, and sauce separately, allowing the diners to assemble their baos. Serve the assembled bao buns immediately while warm and enjoy this flavorful dish.

While I was slicing the pork, I couldn't help but sneak in a tasting. Wow, I was blown away by how juicy and flavorful the pork was!

It would be delicious all on its own, but by taking it one extra step and turning it into baos, the orange ginger roast pork transforms into a complete dish. From the fresh cucumber to the thinly sliced scallions to the sweet hoisin and fluffy baos, every bite delivers.

For a unique spin on baos, check out these chicken gua bao noodles!

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: Cook the pork and reheat when ready to serve.
• Store: Store leftover pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If using frozen bao buns, keep them in the freezer until ready to assemble buns. For leftover assembled bao buns, store them in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Frequently asked questions

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