I’ve tried a few Summ! products from Costco, including the Apple Pie Rolls with Caramel Sauce and Vegetable Spring Rolls, and thought both were good. However, I’ve never tried the Summ! BBQ Pork Bao Buns, so I picked up a box to see what they’re like. They’re an easy option for a quick appetizer, snack or lunch, but are they worth buying? Find out what I thought of these Costco BBQ Pork Bao Buns in my review below!
Location in Store
I found these Summ! BBQ Pork Bao Buns in the refrigerated section of Costco near the Rana Beef & Short Rib Lasagna and the Pulmuone Pad Thai, the item number is 1998363.
Taste
The Summ! BBQ Pork Bao Buns have a nice sweet pork flavor and aren’t spicy, making them a good option if you prefer a milder pork bao bun. The pork filling itself tastes pretty good, although I did notice a little bit of fat and gristle. My biggest issue is the ratio of filling to dough.
The bao buns have fairly thick, chewy dough, but there’s not nearly enough pork filling inside, making them feel overly doughy. If they had more filling, I’d definitely score these Costco BBQ Pork Bao Buns higher because I do enjoy the sweet pork flavor.
Cost
The package costs $12.99 Canadian and comes with two separate plastic packages, with eight bao buns in each pack. That works out to less than a dollar per pork bun, which seems like a really reasonable price. However, I think they’re able to keep the price low because they skimp on the filling.
Convenience
The best before date on the Summ! BBQ Pork Bao Buns was about three weeks from when I purchased them. They need to be kept refrigerated, but you can freeze them if you don’t plan on eating them before the best before date. There are two cooking methods listed on the package: the microwave or a steamer.
I chose to microwave the pork buns, which was quick and easy, and they cooked up well. The package recommends eating them warm, and I definitely agree because the dough becomes a little hard if they sit for too long. These Costco BBQ Pork Bao Buns would make a convenient snack, appetizer or quick lunch.
Nutrition
Calories
Two pork buns contain 210 calories, six grams of fat, 31 grams of carbohydrates, one gram of fibre, four grams of sugar, eight grams of protein and 135 milligrams of sodium. For a pork bun, I don’t think eight grams of protein is particularly impressive, especially considering that’s for two buns. One positive is that the sodium is fairly low, which is nice to see!
Ingredients
The ingredients list is pretty standard for a store-bought product like this, with dough, pork, seasonings and spices being the main ingredients. The only ingredient I don’t love seeing is canola oil. The bao buns contain soy, sesame and wheat, so they’re not suitable for anyone with allergies to these ingredients.
Scoring
Taste: 6/10
Cost: 8/10
Convenience: 9.5/10
Nutrition: 6/10
Overall
Walk on by!
If you’re used to really good bao buns I think you’ll find these disappointing. If you’re looking for an appetizer from Costco I love the Minh Pork & Vegetable Egg Rolls.
Have you tried the Costco Summ! BBQ Pork Bao Buns? What did you think of them?
Please note that this review was not paid for or sponsored by any third party. This product was purchased by Costcuisine for the purpose of producing this review. The opinions in this review are strictly those of Costcuisine. Costcuisine is not affiliated with Costco or any of its suppliers. In the event that Costcuisine receives compensation for a post from the manufacturer of a product or some other third party, the arrangement will be clearly disclosed (including where the manufacturer of a product provides Costcuisine with a free sample of the product)
