Pretty much put anything in a bao bun, and I’m gonna eat it. I love the pillowy sweetness that the buns bring to any dish. And being hand held is always a plus. Not only can it work as a dinner meal, but as an app, passed or plated, a tailgate staple, or quick snack.

Thankfully, my family feels the same. They love baos too.

And while I have a variety of recipes that feature the bao in all different flavor profiles, sometimes you just want a classic.

And these asian-flavored slow marinated pork tenderloin buns, topped with pickled veggies are ,ost definitely a classic.

Ingredients:

1 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup mirin

1/4 cup sesame oil

juice of 3 cara cara oranges

1 Tbsp honey

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 inch knob ginger, grated

2 pork tenderloins

bao buns

pickled veggies

thinly sliced jalapeño

sliced green onion

cilantro leaves

Directions:

Whisk together soy, vinegar, mirin, oil, juice, honey, garlic, and ginger. Remove and reserve 1/2 cup for later.

Place tenderloins in a large dutch oven or braiser. Pour marinade over top (minus the reserve). Refrigerate for 2 hour hours, turning occasionally.

Remove from fridge, and let sit out for 20 - 30 minutes while oven preheats.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Cook tenderloin covered until reaches 145 degrees. About 1 - 1.5 hours.

Remove from oven and let rest covered for 10 minutes.

Remove pork from pan, and chop up into bite sized pieces. Toss with reserved marinade.

Fill buns with a large amount of pork, and top with pickled veg, jalapeño, green onions, and cilantro as desired.