Xuzhou Bashizi Braised Pork

Xuzhou Bashizi Braised Pork

　　Xuzhou Bashizi Braised Pork is one of China’s renowned local snacks and a highly distinctive dish from Xuzhou. Located at the junction of Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan, and Anhui provinces—known as the crossroads of five provinces—Xuzhou blends the flavors of Sichuan, Shandong, Cantonese, Hunan, and Huaiyang cuisines, creating a uniquely harmonious culinary atmosphere. It is a famous land of cooking and also the hometown of Peng Zu, the forefather of Chinese cuisine. Xuzhou Bashizi Braised Pork is traditionally made by bundling 15 cm long pork belly and pork ribs together using cattail leaves, hence the name "Bashizi" (meaning tied up like a bundle). The dish is known for being rich yet not greasy, bursting with complex flavors, and featuring irresistible pork color. Bashizi Braised Pork is the general name for this snack, often served with various side dishes such as four-joy meatballs, dried orchid tofu, kelp knots, wheat gluten, bean tendons, tofu skin, dried beancurd sticks, vegetarian chicken slices, crispy fried eggs, daylily buds, baby bok choy, green beans, sausages, pork ribs, pork knuckles, chicken legs, and more. This variety of meat and vegetable combinations caters to different customer preferences. Pair it with a bottle of beer and a bowl of steamed white rice drizzled with the savory, aromatic meat sauce—it’s juicy, flavorful, and leaves a lingering aftertaste.

　　Method One:

　　Ingredients:

　　Pork belly (15 cm long, 1.5 cm thick) 15 kg, four-joy meatballs (50 g each) 100 pcs, egg rolls (60 g each) 60 pcs, kelp knots (100 g each) 100 pcs, wheat gluten strips (50 g per bunch) 80 bunches, bean tendons (100 g each) 120 pcs, dried orchid tofu (70 g each) 70 pcs, vegetarian chicken slices (60 g each) 180 pcs, and appropriate amounts of various seasonings.

　　Preparation:

　　1. Cut the pork belly into chunks, marinate for 24 hours, then drain and dry. Glaze with maltose, soy sauce, and deep orange-red coloring, then set aside.

　　2. In a soup pot, add soybean sprout white broth and stock. Place the seasonings in a spice bag and add to the pot along with dried red chili peppers, scallion segments, ginger, salt, and MSG. Bring the soup to a boil, then add dried orchid tofu, kelp knots, vegetarian chicken slices, and bean tendons. Boil over high heat for 2.5 hours, then add the pork belly chunks, four-joy meatballs, egg rolls, and wheat gluten strips, and simmer for another hour before reducing the heat. Customize according to customer preferences.

　　Features: Rich pork that is not greasy, with diverse and layered flavors.

　　Method Two:

　　1. To make Bashizi Braised Pork, choose a roughly 80-jin (40 kg) white-pork pig that is neither too fatty nor too lean. Cut one jin (500 g) into eight pieces and tie them with cattail leaves. Blanch twice to remove blood and impurities. Place the meat in an earthenware jar without adding salt, relying solely on soy sauce for flavor. Boil vigorously first, then simmer gently. The resulting Bashizi is rich but not greasy, lean but not tough. It has a mellow aftertaste and is so tender it crumbles like tofu when dropped on the ground.

　　2. Jinan-style Bashizi Braised Pork selects pork with both fat and lean parts, cuts it into strips, ties it into bundles with hemp rope, boils it, and then simmers it in soy sauce.

　　3. The highlight of Bashizi Braised Pork is the presence of fat that creates its signature rich-yet-not-greasy texture. Though cooked in thick, dark soy sauce, it is not overly salty, making it perfect to eat with rice. The combination of a bite of rice and a bite of meat brings out the full aroma of both.

　　4. Northern-style “Bashizi” does not include sugar. It comes in large rectangular pieces, simply braised in soy sauce and star anise in tall clay jars. Once fully cooked, opening the jar releases a burst of fragrance. Serve it hot, pouring the meat and sauce directly over steamed white rice for an incredibly delicious meal.