Slow Cooker Hoisin Pulled Pork Bao Buns

Place of loaded pork bao buns with cucumber, radish and a pot of creamy gochujang drizzle.

I love turning pieces of pork shoulder into pulled pork using the slow cooker, and whilst sometimes barbecue pulled pork is exactly what I fancy, at other times I’m looking for something a little bit different. My Slow Cooker Hoisin Pulled Pork is delicious served as I’ve done here, stuffed into fluffy bao buns with some crunchy aromatics and a creamy gochujang sauce, but it’s also excellent on rice bowls (hello coconut rice!), in Asian-style pancakes, and stuffed into brioche burger buns.

It’s a dump and go recipe that just needs shredding come dinner time, and is also great for scaling up!

Four bao buns on a plate with a bowl of spicy creamy sauce.
Close up of 3 hoisin pulled pork bao buns with sliced cucumber, radishes, gochujang drizzle and sesame seeds.

Homemade vs. Store Bought Bao Buns

I used Marks & Spencer’s microwave bao buns for these pictures as I wanted to give you a pre-made option if you want to use this pulled pork down this bao bun front and whilst I 100% stand by the filling combination I’ve included here they were… not great. I’ll go back to making my own in future which are wonderfully light and fluffy. I use Jamie Oliver’s recipe from Comfort Foodad, which whilst I recommend you get the book (even if you’re not a fan of his books usually, but it is one of his books designed for food lovers, rather than someone just trying to get dinner on the table fast) you can also find online here.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will leftover slow cooker hoisin pulled pork last?

Keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days, reheating portions in the microwave with a splash of water.

I’ve got loads of the gochujang drizzle leftover. What other recipes can I use it in?

It’s actually the same drizzle I use on my Korean Beef Mince Rice Bowls – and happily the sauce will keep in the fridge for up to a week so you can plan to make them both without needing to have similar meals back to back. Incidentally, this pork would work really well in place of the beef in those bowls.

My Crockpot hoisin pulled pork is too watery once I’ve mixed it back into the sauce. Help!

For me, in my regular sized slow cooker the meat to sauce ratio is just right. But, if you’re using a bigger slow cooker or you’ve doubled the recipe you might have a bit too much liquid. Simply turn the slow cooker up on high and cook, uncovered for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to thicken the sauce.

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Place of loaded pork bao buns with cucumber, radish and a pot of creamy gochujang drizzle.

Slow Cooker Hoisin Pulled Pork Bao Buns

  • Author: Rachel Phipps
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 8 hours
  • Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
  • Yield: Makes 8 Buns 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Slow Cooking
  • Cuisine: Asian

Description

This delicious dump-and-go Slow Cooker Hoisin Pulled Pork is delicious loaded into a fluffy bao bun with crispy cucumber, radish, and a creamy, spicy gochujang drizzle.


Ingredients

Scale

For the Slow Cooker Hoisin Pulled Pork

  • 450g pork shoulder
  • 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp cooking sherry
  • 1 tbsp runny honey
  • 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice
  • 1 large garlic clove, crushed

For the Bao Buns

  • 8 bao buns
  • 1/4 cucumber, sliced
  • 3 large radishes, sliced
  • handful coriander leaves
  • sesame seeds

For the Gochujang Drizzle

  • 2 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise
  • 1/2 tbsp gochujang
  • 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp runny honey

Instructions

  1. For the pulled pork, whisk the marinade ingredients together until smooth. Place the pork in the slow cooker, cover with the sauce, and cook on low for 8 hours. Shred with two forks and stir back into the sauce.
  2. To make ton gochujang drizzle, whisk the ingredients together until smooth.
  3. Carry everything to the table to allow everyone to assemble their own buns!

Notes

Keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days, reheating portions in the microwave with a splash of water. The sauce will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

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