Treat yourself to a unique fusion of Asian and American flavors: a Prime beef ribeye Cheesesteak Bao bursting with flavor! Soft and fluffy bao buns are filled with tasty ribeye and topped with Sriracha Cheese-Whiz; a truly delicious and rewarding recipe you won't want to miss.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- The bao dough gets folded, not sealed shut. Folding each disc over itself taco-style rather than pinching it closed leaves the classic open-top bao shape, so the filling stays visible and the bun steams evenly.
- A second proof happens after shaping. Letting the folded buns rise again for 30–60 minutes before steaming is what gives them their signature pillowy texture instead of a dense, tight crumb.
- The cheese sauce is built with sodium citrate, not flour. Dissolving sodium citrate into simmering water before melting in the cheddar creates a smooth, pourable sauce that won't seize or turn grainy the way a roux-based cheese sauce can.
- Beef and vegetables cook side-by-side on separate halves of the griddle. Splitting the griddle into a medium-heat side for vegetables and searing the marinated ribeye directly means both components finish with good color at the same time, ready to combine.
Cheesesteak Bao
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Main Course
Cuisine
Asian
Servings
16
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Calories
435
This Cheesesteak Bao is a brilliant fusion of Asian and American flavors. Soft, fluffy bao buns are stuffed with Prime beef ribeye and covered with a Sriracha Cheese-Whiz. If you're up to the challenge, this will be a rewarding recipe you'll want to revisit time and time again.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup (340g) warm water (110ºF)
- 2 tbsp (7g) sugar
-
2 tsp (7g) Caputo Dry Yeast
-
2 tbsp Colonial Chile Oil
- `3 1/2 cups (550g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (45g) cornstarch
-
2 tsp (8g) Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Salt
- 1/4 tsp (2g) baking soda
-
Cornhusker Kitchen Spray Duck Fat, as needed
- 12 oz ribeye, sliced thin
- 4 green onions, sliced, whites and greens separated
-
1/2 cup Bachan’s Original Japanese BBQ Sauce
-
2 tbsp Colonial Chile Crunch
- 1 cup yellow onion, sliced thin
- 1 cup red bell pepper, sliced thin
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced thin
-
Cattleman’s Grill California Tri-Tip Seasoning
-
Cornhusker Kitchen Spray Duck Fat, as needed
- 386g (~1 cup 11 tbsp) water
- 18g (4 1/2 tsp) sodium citrate
- 502g (16 oz) sharp cheddar
- 2 tbsp Yellow Bird Blue Agave Sriracha Hot Sauce
Bao Dough
Cheesesteak
Cheese Sauce
Directions
- To make the bao dough, combine the warm water, sugar and yeast in a pint sized container. Stir well, then let sit in a warm place until foamy, about 10 minutes. Dump the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the Chile Oil. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate continuer. Mix. Add to the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix on the stand mixer. Second speed (medium-low) for three minutes. Remove the dough ball from the bowl and transfer to an oiled container. Cover and place in a warm spot to proof until doubled in size.
- When the dough has doubled in size, transfer to a clean work surface. Using a dough scraper, divide the dough into 16 (2-2.5 oz) portions. Roll each portion into a ball and place on a sheet pan. Cover with plastic and let rest 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, roll each ball out into an oval shape, about 1/4” thick. Spray the top of the disc with duck fat (or other oil) and fold the dough over itself like a taco, leaving a little overlap on the bottom. Cover again and let rise until puffed a little, about 30-60 minutes.
- Meanwhile, marinate your ribeye and slice your vegetables. Place the thin sliced ribeye and white parts of the green onions in a bowl and add the Bachan’s Original Japanese BBQ Sauce. Let soak for about an hour.
- To cook the bao, fill a dutch oven with about two inches of water. Place the dutch oven on the side burner of the Napoleon Phantom 500 Gas Grill and bring to a boil. Line your bamboo steam baskets with parchment paper. Place your bao on the parchment, leaving a little space in between for the buns to puff up as they bake.
- Stack the bamboo steamers on top of the boiling water and cook for 8 minutes. Remove the bamboo steamers from the dutch oven, but leave covered for another 5 minutes before taking the lid off. Once you’ve released the steam and opened the lid, you may place the lid back on top to keep the bao warm.
- Light all four burners on the Halo 4B Griddle. Turn one half to medium heat and the other half to high heat.
- To make the Sriracha cheese sauce, place a Lodge 10” Steel Skillet on the side with high heat. Pour the water in the steel skillet, close the lid and bring to a simmer. When the water is simmering, add the sodium citrate and whisk to dissolve. Next, add the shredded cheeses, a handful at a time, whisking constantly to melt. When all cheeses are incorporated turn off the burners below the skillet and whisk in the Yellow Bird Blue Agave Sriracha Hot Sauce. Keep the sauce warm on the griddle as you cook the cheesesteak filling, whisking occasionally and removing from the heat entirely if the sauce tries to bubble over.
- To make the cheesesteak filling, spray the medium heat half of the griddle with duck fat (or other oil). Add your onions, peppers and mushrooms. Season with Cattleman’s Grill California Tri-Tip Seasoning, and toss to coat. Spread the veggies out to get some nice color.
- Next, remove the marinated beef and onions from the bowl and transfer directly to the griddle. Add the two tablespoons of Chile Crunch to the beef. Spread out to develop color and texture.
- Using spatulas, toss the filling ingredients occasionally to mix them together and cook evenly. When all veggies are softened and have nice color, and the beef is tender and crisped around the edges, remove the filling from the griddle.
- To build the Cheesesteak Bao, stuff each bao with a couple of tablespoons of the cheesesteak filling, a generous drizzle of the sriracha cheese sauce and top with the sliced green parts of the green onions.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why fold the bao dough over itself instead of sealing it shut?
Folding it taco-style, leaving a slight overlap, creates the classic open-face bao shape that shows off the filling once it's stuffed, rather than fully enclosing it like a bun.
Why let the shaped buns rise a second time before steaming?
This second proof is what gives bao their light, pillowy texture. Skipping it or rushing it results in a denser, tighter crumb once steamed.
Why use sodium citrate in the cheese sauce instead of a flour-based roux?
Sodium citrate helps the cheese proteins stay emulsified in the liquid as they melt, producing a smooth, pourable sauce that resists separating or turning grainy — something a roux-thickened sauce can struggle with under repeated reheating.
Why marinate the beef and onions together instead of seasoning them separately?
Letting the ribeye and white parts of the green onion sit together in the Bachan's sauce for about an hour lets the meat absorb flavor throughout, not just on the surface once it hits the griddle.
Why cook the vegetables and beef on separate halves of the griddle?
Splitting the heat zones lets the vegetables soften and caramelize at a gentler pace while the beef sears hot and fast on the other side, so both finish with good color at the same time.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5 — the dough, cheese sauce, and filling can all be made on a stovetop with a large skillet and a steamer basket; the two-grill setup in the recipe is a convenience, not a requirement.
Recipe Highlights
Two-stage proofing: Letting the dough rise once as a whole ball and again after shaping is what gives the bao their soft, pillowy texture rather than a dense crumb.
Sodium citrate cheese sauce: Dissolving sodium citrate before adding the cheddar keeps the sauce smooth and pourable instead of breaking or turning grainy under heat.
Pre-marinating the beef: Soaking the ribeye and onion whites in Bachan's sauce for about an hour builds flavor into the meat itself before it ever touches the griddle.
Split-zone griddle cooking: Cooking vegetables and beef on separate heat zones lets each finish properly without one overcooking while waiting on the other.
Recommended Recipes
Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 1 bao
- per serving
- Calories
- 435
- Fat
- 27 grams
- Saturated Fat
- 9 grams
- Cholesterol
- 60 milligrams
- Sodium
- 887 milligrams
- Carbs
- 41 grams
- Fiber
- 1 grams
- Sugar
- 6 grams
- Protein
- 19 grams
