BBQ Pork Steamed Buns

I am obsessed with these bbq pork steamed buns! They are reminiscent of the siopao I used to get from this little Filipino bakery years ago! They are slightly sweet, slightly tangy, and oh so fluffy! I know that I always say that things are easy to make but that's because it is! Lol. Purchasing pre-packaged mix helps tremendously with this recipe, but if you would like to make the dough from scratch, feel free to check out my recipe here.


INGREDIENTS:

(approximately) 2.4 pound pork shoulder butt roast (seasoned well with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder)

1 cup of freshly chopped pineapple

1 jar of your favorite bbq sauce (I prefer Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory and Brown Sugar)

1/4 cup of hot water

1 Tablespoon of brown sugar (optional)

black pepper

FOR THE DOUGH

1 package of dumpling (banh bao) flour--you will need to follow the directions according to the packaging, so make sure you have the ingredients for your mix.


YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
12 parchment squares

Steamer

vinegar


INGREDIENTS FOR BBQ PULLED PORK:

1. With your crockpot on high, add in a layer of bbq sauce and HALF of your chopped pineapple. Add in your seasoned pork shoulder butt roast, fat side up.
2. Cover the pork with another layer of bbq sauce and the rest of your chopped pineapple.
3. Add in 1/4 cup of hot water, cover, and cook on HIGH for 4 hours.
4. After 4 hours, remove lid, flip pork over, and cook on HIGH for another 2 hours.
5. Once pork is fork tender, remove pork from crockpot and shred it.
6. Drain the juices/pineapple from the crockpot using a colander. Discard the pineapple and save the sauce. Taste check for seasoning. Add a Tablespoon of brown sugar(optional) and two big pinches of black pepper. Mix well. Pour the sauce over your shredded pork and mix well. Refrigerate until cold.

MAKE THE DOUGH:

1. Follow the directions on the packaging for your steamed buns/banh bao/dumpling mix.
2. Roll out your dough into a 16 inch long log and divide equally into 12 pieces.
3. Flatten out the dough into a circle (the circumference should cover your palm), making sure that the middle of the dough is thicker than the outer part.
4. Using an ice cream scoop, place a scoop of bbq pulled pork into the middle of the dough. Bring the sides up and pinch to seal. Make sure to keep any unused dough under a clean wash cloth to prevent drying them out. Place filled dough on a piece of parchment square and repeat with the rest of the dough until finished.

STEAM THE BUNS:

1. Place some water into your pot and pour a couple of Tablespoons of vinegar in there. Add your steamer compartments on top of your pot. Cover with lid and bring water to a quick rolling boil. Turn down heat to medium. Wipe down the inner compartment and make sure it's dry before adding in the formed buns. It's also important to not have the boiling water touch the base of the compartment. That will lead to soggy buns.
2. Place some of your buns into the dry steamer, being careful not to overcrowd them. You may have to work in batches. Steam the buns for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, wipe it down, cover again, and steam for an additional 10 minutes (total time: 20 minutes). Repeat with the rest of the buns until all have been steamed.

NOTES:

Once your buns are done steaming, do not leave them in the steamer. The bottoms will get soggy! Remove them from the steamer and allow them to cool down completely before individually wrapping them in saran wrap. These can be refrigerated (for up to 3-5 days) and then reheated in the microwave until warm.

Nom Pao/Banh Bao (Steamed Bun with Meat Filling)

INGREDIENTS FOR THE DOUGH:

1 cup of lukewarm WHOLE milk

2 teaspoons of active dry yeast

1/3 cup of sugar (add a Tablespoon more if you like your buns a tad sweeter)

4 cups of cake flour (may sub for all purpose flour)

2 teaspoons of Alsa baking powder or Rumford baking powder

2 Tablespoons of tapioca starch

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil

INGREDIENTS FOR THE FILLING:

1 pound of ground turkey (may sub for ground pork or chicken)

1/4 cup of minced woodear mushroom (may sub for any mushroom)

1/3 cup of finely chopped sweet onion

1 green onion chopped

2 teaspoons of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of msg (optional)

1/2 teaspoon of white pepper

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 Tablespoon of fish sauce

1 Tablespoon of oyster sauce

1 egg

3 Tablespoons of plain breadcrumbs

YOU WILL ALSO NEED:

4 hard boiled eggs, each quartered (to make 16 pieces)

a steamer

16 parchment squares

water

vinegar

ice cream scoop (optional)

MAKE THE FILLING:

Into a large mixing combine all of the ingredients for the filling together and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

TO MAKE THE DOUGH:
1. Warm up milk until lukewarm (make sure it's not too hot!). Add in your sugar and active dry yeast. Stir and set aside until foamy.
2. Into a large mixing bowl, add in your cake flour, salt, tapioca starch, and baking powder. Stir until combined.
3. Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients, stir milk and yeast mixture, and pour it into your your large mixing bowl.
4. Using a wooden spoon, stir for about 30 seconds and then add in your vegetable oil. Stir again.
5. Dump your dough onto a clean work surface and knead by hand for an additional 3-5 minutes, until nice and smooth. Sprinkle in more flour as needed.
6. Put a bit of vegetable oil into the same large mixing bowl as earlier, and lightly coat the bowl all over. Add in your dough, toss to coat and cover with saran wrap (directly on the surface of the dough) for about an hour or until doubled in size.
7. Place dough onto clean surface, poke it all over with your fingers, and gently roll it into a log (about 16 inches long). Divide the dough into 8 equal sized pieces and cover with a clean dish towel until ready to use.

HOW TO ASSEMBLE:
1. Take one of your dough pieces and cut it in half. Place the other piece back under your dish towel. Flatten your dough using your hands, and then bring the dough under itself to create a smooth rounded ball. Place ball on counter and using a rolling pin, roll it out flat, making sure it's thick in the middle and thinner as you go out.
2. Place about two Tablespoons of meat filling (use an ice cream scoop for even sized fillings) in the middle of your dough then add a piece of egg on top. Bring up the dough up over the egg and meat filling, and pinch to seal. Place shaped dough onto a parchment square and repeat steps with the other pieces of dough.
3. Put enough water into your pot for steaming. How much you use will depend on how big your steamer is. Add in 1/4 cup of vinegar. Add on your steamer compartments. (I stack two on top of each other, but only place the buns in the top compartment only.) Cover with a lid. With your stove on medium high heat, bring the water to a rolling boil and allow the steamer to get nice and hot for a 5 full minutes.
4. Place your shaped buns into the hot steamer (you may need to work in batches) and steam for about 25 minutes or until filling is cooked through. Serve hot or wait for them to cool down, saran wrap, and place them into the fridge for up to two days. These microwave really well! :)

NOTES:

-You may sub for all purpose flour but using cake flour will yield in a much softer and whiter bun.
-You may make ahead: scoop out your meat filling onto baking sheet fitted with foil, freeze, and then place shaped filling into ziplock baggies until ready to
use!