Steamed Hoisin BBQ Pork Buns
with Cucumber Slaw & Ponzu-Soy Dipping Sauce
- Fish
- Soy
- Wheat
Get ready to learn how to steam buns like a dim sum pro. Hot, fluffy, sweet, and savory—that’s the vibe for this dish that’s inspired by a Chinese classic. You’ll start with premade biscuit dough stuffed with a mixture of tender pulled pork, sliced scallion, and hoisin sauce. Set up a homemade steamer using items you already have in your kitchen, then, while the buns steam, you’ll whip up a crunchy cucumber-cabbage slaw, the perfect pairing. A tangy, umami-packed dipping sauce of ponzu and soy sauce adds just the right final touch.
Ingredients
6 milliliters
Ponzu Sauce
(Contains: Fish, Soy, Wheat)
1 tablespoon
Cornstarch
12 ounce
Buttermilk Biscuits
(Contains: Wheat)
5 teaspoon
Rice Wine Vinegar
2 tablespoon
Soy Sauce
(Contains: Soy, Wheat)
1 unit
Mini Cucumber
2 unit
Scallions
4 ounce
Coleslaw Mix
2 tablespoon
Hoisin Sauce
(Contains: Soy, Wheat)
8 ounce
Pulled Pork
Not included in your delivery
1.5 teaspoon (tsp)
Sugar
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Wash and dry produce. (For 4 servings, adjust rack to middle position; preheat oven to 200 degrees.) • Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. Trim and halve cucumber lengthwise; slice crosswise into ½-inch-thick half-moons.
• Cut a 12-inch-long piece of foil. Roll up foil lengthwise, then form into a coil. • Place foil coil in center of a large pan. TIP: We used a 10-inch stainless steel pan (the foil could damage a nonstick pan!). • Fill pan with 1 inch of water. • Line a heatproof plate with parchment paper (for 4 servings, line two plates with parchment). TIP: We used an 8-inch dinner plate (the plate should be slightly smaller than the pan).
• Place pulled pork* in a large bowl; using two forks (or your hands!), tear into smaller pieces. • Add scallion whites, hoisin, cornstarch, and ¼ tsp sugar (½ tsp for 4 servings) to bowl; mix well to combine. TIP: Your hands are the best tool for this!
• Remove biscuit dough from package. Using a rolling pin, roll out each biscuit into a 3½-inch round. TIP: If you don’t have a rolling pin, press into rounds with your fingers! • Add 2 tsp filling to center of each round. (Save any extra filling for tacos or rice bowls!) Gently fold edges over filling, then pinch edges together and twist to seal. • Place buns on prepared plate (it’s OK if buns touch!). (For 4 servings, divide buns between prepared plates and steam in batches.)
• Set plate with buns on top of foil coil in prepared pan, gently pressing plate so it’s level and foil flattens slightly. TIP: Re-center foil coil in pan if needed. • Cover pan with a tight-fitting lid; heat over high heat until water is boiling. TIP: No lid? No problem! Tightly cover with foil or set a baking sheet on top of pan. • Reduce heat to medium high; cook, covered, until buns are puffy and filling is warmed through (if you carefully press a bun with your finger, the indentation should quickly disappear), 8-10 minutes. TIP: It’s OK if the bun tops open slightly! • Remove pan from heat and set aside, covered, until ready to serve. (For 4 servings, transfer buns to a baking dish and cover with foil; transfer to oven while cooking remaining buns.)
• While buns cook, in a medium bowl, combine cucumber, coleslaw mix, scallion greens, vinegar, 1 tsp sugar (2 tsp for 4 servings), and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Using your hands, massage mixture (similar to how you would knead dough) until cabbage is tender, 30-60 seconds. • In a small bowl, combine ponzu, soy sauce, and ¼ tsp sugar (½ tsp for 4); stir until sugar dissolves.
• Divide pork buns and slaw between plates. Serve with dipping sauce on the side.
Pulled Pork is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 160°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many enjoyed the tasty filling, though some found it bland; adding extra seasoning or sauce boosted flavor 🍲.
- Ease of prep: Steaming technique was tricky for some; many needed longer cook times or finished in the oven for fully cooked buns.
- Suggestions: Consider using thinner dough or wonton wrappers instead of biscuits for a more authentic texture and flavor.
- Portions: Several found the buns too doughy with not enough filling; try using more pork and rolling the dough thinner.
- Sides: The cucumber slaw was a hit for many, adding a fresh contrast to the rich pork buns.
Reviews from our home cooks
It's a little bit more time consuming than most, but wow - the first recipe I jumped on to review because it was SO GOOD. Better than ordering take out, even if my buns were a little ugly. Usually I hate some weird chemical taste of the canned biscuit dough but it did not at all come through with the steaming. I loved it. One note - I had no parchment paper - maybe include a 12in square or how to do it without parchment - lightly oil the plate maybe?
We didn't exactly follow the recipe... I lightly cooked the white part of the green onions (salted these) in butter until soft & added the pork. I broke the pork up & cooked it until halfway done, stirring often. I mixed the hoisin & ponzu sauces with the corn starch & about 4 TBSP water. Added the sauce to the pork & onions & finished cooking. We served them on the buttered biscuits. They made great little sliders.
This was an amazing meal! We ended up putting the filled buns in the toaster oven for about 10 min. just to bake the doughy part where the buns touched. The flavors were amazing and the cucumber slaw and dipping sauce all eaten together was out of this world!!! We paired it with white wine and Chinese dinner music.
My entire family is blown away by how authentic these tasted for dinner and for a dim sum breakfast. I can't believe you figured out that using the refrigerated biscuit dough was as good as making the steamed bun wrapper. You guys are awesome and we look forward to more dim sum dishes on your menu!
Really good! Wasn't sure about using biscuit dough to make the dumplings, but this turned out far better than I expected. I love hoisin though, so this dish was a win.
Never tried steaming buns before, this turned out really well. We really enjoyed the contrast between the buns and the fresh crunchy veggies. Would definitely make this again!
These pork buns were amazingly good and the slaw was a good side to go with them. We were very pleasantly surprised.
I wanted to love these pork buns more than I did! The end result came out too bread-y and heavy--the biscuit dough puffed up so much that each bun was mostly bread, with hardly any filling. I liked the pork, but the dipping sauce was extremely salty (low-sodium soy sauce would have been better here); this killed some of the fun. I enjoyed assembling and steaming the buns, but unfortunately they were kind of a letdown after all the work.
Was amazed the pilsbury dough steamed well! The more pork in them the better. Some I under filled and were too doughy. I really enjoyed the flavors and putting the slaw on top. Creative dish! I would try this again. Maybe add some carrots inside the pork mix? The crunch would be good.
Definitely worked better for me doing 5 at a time instead of all 10. Doing all 10 together like in the picture kept the bottoms of the buns raw I think because they were touching one another. Once I separated them and steamed 5 at a time they were cooked completely!
