B.B.Q. Brisket Buns (American Baozi)

When Charles Wong aka @umamique, the king of putting Asian twists on American-style BBQ, comes through… you make BRISKET BAO IN DIS MUH!

We made two styles of bun. The first is a classic take on Chinese baozi, the BBQ pork buns many of us know and love. The second is a riff off one of my favorite places to get Hong-kong Style BBQ in Chicago, Sun Wah BBW. The second is more of a bao “taco,” if you will, with PHAT piece of sliced brisket, some shredded carrot and scallion then finished with a drizzle of hoisin and chili oil. I won’t front, the second bao buns were store-bought, but if you use the same boazi recipe below, you can shape them however you’d like.

P.S. Charles and I’s bao pleating technique is whack, we know this. If one of you guys has a grandma who knows how to pleat like a pro, give her my @ please. So long as you can get the tops sealed up and closed, you’ll be gooch.

Print

STICKY American BBQ Brisket Buns

Ingredients

Dough

• 350g Cake Flour
• 30g Sugar
• 9g Baking Powder
• 7g Instant Yeast
• 23g Tbsp Neutral Oil
• 190g Water, warm
• 2g Kosher Salt

Sauce

• 1 Tbsp Neutral Oil
• 3 Tbsp BBQ Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• 2 tsp Kosher Salt
• 2 Tbsp Corn Starch
• 130g BBQ Brisket
• 120g Water

Instructions

Dough

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, knead all dry ingredients with wet until smooth over medium speed. Let rest 1-2 hours, or until nearly doubled in size.
2. On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 14 pieces then roll them out so the center is slightly thicker than the surrounding dough using a small rolling pin. Spoon in about a quarter cup of filling and pleat to close.
3. Steam for 10 mins on medium-high heat then CRUSH. Store leftover baozi in the fridge. To reheat, cover the bao with a moist paper towel and microwave for 45 seconds, or until warmed through.

Sauce

1. Add the oil, bbq sauce, sugar and salt to a pan and cook for 30 seconds over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
2. Make a slurry with the cornstarch and water then add it to the pan, reduce the heat to low and cool stirring constantly until a jelly forms. Stir in the diced brisket and set aside to cool and congeal.

Adam's Notes

• The dough can be used to make traditional baozi (pleated closed buns), or the other "taco-style" bao buns. Whatever floats your b.