Venison Bao Buns Recipe

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These bao buns are Chinese style, a nod to the char siu pork buns you’ll likely find in dim sum. To accommodate for the sinewy nature of venison shoulder, the meat was not barbecued like traditional char siu pork. Instead, I seasoned and braised the shoulder until tender, and then glazed the meat in a pan with ingredients you would typically find in char siu – skipping the red food coloring, of course.

Store leftover bao buns in an airtight container and refrigerate. To reheat, simply cover them in a damp paper towel and microwave for about 30-45 seconds – instant breakfast or lunch! You can also re-steam them for about 5 minutes. Use the bun dough recipe below as a base for your own bao bun creations. They can be filled with anything.

Yield: 8 venison bao buns
Prep time: 4 hours
Cook time: 20 minutes

Meat Filling Ingredients:

• 1 pound of venison shoulder
• ¾ teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Half an onion
• 1 quart beef/game broth
• 2 teaspoons of oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• Half a medium shallot, minced
• ¼ cup oyster sauce
• ¼ cup hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Bun Dough Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cups bread flour, plus more
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ⅔ cup warm water
• 1 packet active dry yeast (about 2 ¼ teaspoons)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon canola oil

Special equipment:

• Food steamer
• Parchment paper

Directions: