Cooking In, Dinner, Quick PostKerry Alaric CheeseboroJune 05, 2012Asian, biscuit, biscuits, brown sugar, bun, chili, chives, cider vinegar, cinnamon, clove, cloves, Cooking In, crispy, crispy skin, cumin, Dinner, dough, garlic, ginger, ground, mustard, oil, onion, paste, pork, powder, pulled, pulled pork, Quick Post, rice vinegar, rubbed, sandwich, sauce, seed, seeds, sesame, skin, spice, sriracha, steamed, vinegar, wasabiComment

Pulling It Together

Pulled Pork Buns | Asian Spice-Rubbed Pulled Pork with Chilled Wasabi Ginger BBQ Sauce, Sesame Seeds, Chives, in Steamed Biscuit Buns

ANOTHER MID-DREAM RECIPE IDEA prompted me to rub an almost 4-pound sesame oil-moistened half pork shoulder with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cinnamon, ginger, all-spice, ground cloves, chili powder, and brown sugar, then that morning threw that in an oven at 200° for a full 7+ hours, cranking the oven to 375° for the last 20 minutes to get that extra thorough crisp on the skin.

After removing from the oven, I could literally pull the bones straight from pork, separating effortlessly, peeled off the crispy skin and set that aside, I hand-pulled the tender, moist, aromatic pork into small strands and chunks, and tossed it in a large bowl with some rice vinegar and sriracha sauce, just to coat, adding as well much of the pan drippings.

In a smaller bowl, I combined wasabi paste, mustard, ginger, honey, and rice vinegar into a wasabi BBQ sauce and let that sit to let the flavors mingle. Store-bought Pillsbury buttermilk biscuit dough—the kind that comes in the vacuum-sealed tube—were sectioned, rolled wider and flatter, topped with sesame seeds, and steamed in a double boiler with liquid smoke-infused water, each cooking through in about 7 minutes time.

The pulled pork mixture finally gets spooned into individual biscuit "buns", topped with a section of the crispy pork skin, a generous drizzle of the wasabi ginger BBQ sauce, chopped chives, and sesame seeds. The final awesome result was a multi-layered eating experience of different tastes, flavors, temperature, and textures. The hot tender pork, rich with savory, sweet, and spicy seasonings, balance yet heightened by the cooling, creamy, sweet, and almost floral mild heat of the wasabi in the BBQ sauce, subtly brightened by the vinegar and mustard. Crispy, crackling pork skin supplied the always welcome porky and salty crunch. The bun was moist and pliable, airy yet firm and nicely absorbed the water's smoky flavoring. Sesame seeds add extra crunch and a hint of nuttiness.

And even though I prepped two for the photos, I wound up making and eating another three more! That, of course, sent me into another food coma, and soon enough—and after much cleanup—I fell happily asleep.

What will I dream up next? ;)