Hawaiian Style Braised Fullblood Wagyu Short Rib Steamed Buns

Directions

1. Tools - Large Stainless Steel Saute Pan, Large Stock Pot, Crock Pot, Stand Mixer, Bench Knife, Kitchen Scale, Large Bamboo Steamer, Pastry Brush, Rolling Pin, Chopstick
2. FIRST STEP Pull the Fullblood Wagyu beef short ribs from the freezer, and place them in the refrigerator 24 hours before starting this recipe.
3. PREPARING THE FULLBLOOD WAGYU SHORT RIBS Season the cut Fullblood Wagyu short ribs with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat a large stainless steel sauté pan on medium-high heat. Add enough grapeseed oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the pan and oil are hot, add 4-5 pieces of the cut and seasoned short ribs. Sear the beef on both sides for 2-3 minutes per side. The goal is to achieve a nice caramelization and crust. Remove the short ribs from the pan, and place them in a crock pot. Deglaze the pan with a 1/2 cup of beef stock, while scraping up any bits left behind. Reduce the beef stock by half, and then add it to the crock pot. Return the pan to medium-high heat, and repeat the above steps until all of the short ribs are seared and in the crock pot.
4. PREPARING THE CROCK POT Once all of the short ribs are in the crock pot, turn it on low. Add in the remaining beef stock (1 1/2 cups), low sodium soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, mirin, minced ginger root, minced garlic, and crushed pineapple. Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove the Fullblood Wagyu short ribs from the crock pot, and place them in a bowl. Shred the beef with two forks. Put the juices from the crock pot in a large pot on the stove. Reduce the liquid down to 1 1/2 cups. Once the liquid is reduced, mix it into the bowl with the shredded Fullblood Wagyu short ribs.
5. PREPARING THE PICKLED VEGETABLES Place all of the cut vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, radish, and red onion) in a large bowl or tupperware. Proceed to making the pickle brine.
6. PREPARING THE PICKLE BRINE In a large stock pot, add all of the pickle brine ingredients (distilled white vinegar, white sugar, kosher salt, rice wine vinegar, water, smashed garlic cloves, peeled and minced ginger root, and Thai chiles). Bring to a simmer, and then let cool for 20 minutes. Pour the cooled brine over the cut vegetables. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to allow the vegetables to marinate in the pickle brine.
7. PREPARING THE STEAMED BUNS Mix together the all purpose flour, sugar, instant yeast, and kosher salt in a large bowl. Add in the milk, grapeseed oil, rice vinegar, and water. Mix into a dough, adding a little extra water if needed. Mix in a stand mixer with a dough hook for 5 minutes or until smooth. Then, cover with a damp cloth, and leave the dough to rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size. Tip the dough out onto a clean work surface, and punch it down. Flatten the dough with your hands, then sprinkle1 teaspoon of baking powder over it. Knead for 5 minutes. Using a bench knife and kitchen scale, cut the dough and weigh it out to 1.7 ounce pieces. You should have 18 dough pieces total. In the palm of your hand, roll each dough piece into a round ball. Leave them to rest for 2-3 minutes. Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball, one by one, into an oval shape (about 3-4 mm thick). Rub the surface of the dough ovals with grapeseed oil. Then, brush a little oil over a chopstick. Place the oiled chopstick in the center of each oval. Fold the dough over the chopstick. Then, slowly pull out the chopstick. Cut 18 squares of baking parchment, and put a bun on each piece of parchment paper. Transfer the 18 buns to a baking tray. Cover with a clean tea towel or lightly oiled cling film. Leave in a warm place for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
8. FINAL STEPS Heat a large bamboo steamer over a medium-high heat. Steam the buns for 8 minutes until puffed up (you’ll need to do this in batches). Once steamed, open each bun and fill it with our Hawaiian style braised Fullblood Wagyu short ribs and pickled vegetables. Eat the steamed buns while they’re still warm. Enjoy!