Taiwanese Gua Bao Buns With Spiced Heritage Pork Belly
These gua bao pork belly buns are the most popular street food in Taiwan. It’s easy to see why they’re so well-loved - they’re salty, sweet, and savory with robustly marinated pork belly in a fluffy bao bun. Since you can’t really go wrong with marinated, tender pork belly, these would be delicious on any type of bun. But if you can, I really recommend either buying or making the gua bao buns. They have a cloud-like texture and make these sandwiches truly wonderful to eat. You can find them pre-made at Asian markets and some gourmet grocery stores. They’re not too hard to make at home, either. The ingredients are really simple and they just take a bit of time and care. There are lots of easy to follow recipes available online for making bao buns from scratch.
Also Read: How To Make A Slow Cooked Pork Butt Roast In The Oven
Cooking With Our Delicious Heritage Pork Bacon
Now, onto the subject of pork belly. What’s the difference between pork belly and bacon, you ask? Well, they’re the same thing. They’re the exact same cut of meat. Bacon is commonly found in both cured and uncured varieties, while the same meat sold as pork belly is always uncured and often unsliced. Our heritage pork bacon is sliced and uncured, making it extremely convenient to prepare these sandwiches. This bacon is from Red Wattle pigs, renowned for having the best flavor of any heritage breed.
Free Range Heritage Pork Raised On The Rio Grande River
Our heritage pork is raised completely free range on a beautiful small farm here in Northern New Mexico. Each animal has approximately one half acre of land. These pigs roam as they please, swimming in the Rio Grande river. The farm is a rehabilitation center for those struggling with drug addictions. The center features agricultural therapy through caring for and interacting with the pigs. These animals get daily interaction, treats and live a completely stress-free life. Living stress-free is important for all animals, but particularly essential for pigs because they are quite sensitive. This pork is USDA Certified and grain fed with a nutritionally balanced diet. The pigs consume a nutritionally ideal ratio of crude protein, crude fiber and plant fiber. This pork is completely hormone, steroid and antibiotic free, just like all our other meat.
Also Read: Breakfast Burritos With Green Chile Heritage Pork Sausage
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds heritage pork uncured bacon (pork belly)
- 1 tablespoon bison tallow
- 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and smashed
- 2 whole star anise pods
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 dried Thai chilies
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- Chopped fresh cilantro as desired
- Kimchi as desired
- Chopped roasted peanuts as desired
- 8 gua bao buns, store bought or homemade
- Hoisin sauce for serving
Also Read: Heritage Pork Spare Ribs + Homemade Barbecue Sauce
Instructions:
- Melt the bison tallow in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Fry the pork belly, working in batches. Set the cooked pork belly aside.
- Once all of the meat is golden brown, add it all back into the skillet. Place the crushed ginger, star anise, Sichuan peppercorn, fennel seeds, bay leaf and dried chilies in the skillet. Add in the soy sauce, coconut aminos and coconut sugar.
- Bring water to a boil. Pour in enough to completely submerge the meat in the skillet.
- Simmer over low heat for about an hour, or until the meat is extremely tender.
- When the meat is finished cooking, steam the gua bao buns until hot.
- Assemble the sandwiches. Slice open the buns and fill with pork belly. Top with chopped fresh cilantro, peanuts and kimchi. Drizzle with hoisin sauce as desired. Enjoy immediately!
Also Read: Heritage Pork Rib Chops With Orange Coriander Spice Butter
The Beck & Bulow Team Is Happy To Help
At Beck & Bulow, we pride ourselves on our excellent customer service. We’re always here to help if you have any questions regarding your meat, want help making selections, or are just looking for some cooking tips. Every time you call our office, you’ll be directly connected with one of our team members right here in Santa Fe, New Mexico where we’re based. And if you’re a New Mexico local, be sure to check out our butcher shop!
Every cut of meat and seafood is pressure sealed and flash frozen immediately after butchering at the peak of freshness. We work exclusively with master butchers who make every cut with care and precision. All orders are hand packed at our Santa Fe warehouse, shipped in a reusable cooler with dry ice and delivered straight to your doorstep. Check out our selections of pasture raised bison, beef, elk, lamb, wild boar, poultry, seafood and more.
