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Jamie Oliver’s Irresistible Pork Buns

Jamie Oliver's pork buns were definitely worth sharing. They're tender, meaty, juicy and addictive.
Course Dinner
Cuisine Asian
Prep Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours 40 minutes
Total Time 7 hours
Servings 4 people
Calories 350kcal

Ingredients

Pork

  • 2 1/2 lbs pork belly bone out
  • Sesame oil
  • Superfine sugar

Buns

  • 1 2/3 cups reduced fat milk 2%
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 4 3/4 cups good-quality Tipo 00 flour plus extra for dusting
  • 1 tablespoon heaping superfine sugar
  • 1/4 oz package of active dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoon heaping each baking powder baking soda

Pickles and Assembly items

  • 1 English cucumber
  • 1 bunch of radishes
  • 2 teaspoons superfine sugar
  • 6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon heaping sesame seeds
  • 4 scallions
  • 8 springs of fresh cilantro
  • 1 fresh red chile
  • Hoisin sauce

Instructions

Pork

  • Start cooking the pork a day ahead. Preheat the oven to 275 F. Carefully remove the pork skin from the belly and pop into the fridge. In a large roasting pan, rub the belly with sesame oil and seasoning with salt and sugar. Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 5 hours, then remove, cool and refrigerate in the same pan overnight.

Buns

  • The next day, by hand or by electric mixer, combine all of the bun ingredients with 1 teaspoon of salt, then knead for 10 minutes. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and proof for 1 hour. Knock the dough back and divide into 20 equal pieces. Roll into smooth balls, place on a flour-dusted tray, cover with a damp kitchen towel and proof for another hour. One by one, with a rolling pin, roll the balls into 4 x 5 inch ovals. Lay an oiled chopstick across the middle like a hinge, fold the dough in half over the top and pull the chopstick out. Place each bun on a little rectangle of parchment paper in a bamboo steamer, in single layers, read to steam later.

Pickles and Assembly items

  • Preheat the oven to 465F. For the garnish bowls, make quick pickles by finely slicing cucumbers and radishes on a mandolin into separate bowls. Sprinkle each with 1/2 tsp of salt, then divide the sugar and vinegar between them. Toss and pop into the fridge until needed. Lightly toast the sesame seeds and decant into another bowl. Trim the scallions, then finely slice lengthwise and pop into a bowl of ice-cold water so they curl up. Pick the cilantro leaves. Finely slice the chile. Place the pork skin on a baking sheet, season and roast until puffy and cracked. Once cool, smash up.

Assembly

  • When you’re ready to go, slice the pork 1/2 inch thick, then halve each slice, return it in a single layer to the sheet it was cooked on, and roast in the oven until golden, draining away the excess fat occasionally to help it crisp up. At the same time, steam the buns over a pan of simmering water for 8-10 minutes, or until fluffy. Scrunch and squeeze the pickles to get rid of the excess salty liquid, then transfer to clean bowls. Take everything to the table with a bottle of hoisin and let everyone build their own.

Nutrition

Calories: 350kcal