Bazi Pork (Braised Pork Slabs)

Bazi pork is a Shandong classic of thick-cut pork-belly strips tied in bundles—the word "bazi" means a tied handful—slow-stewed in a master stock of soy until deep reddish-brown, rich yet not greasy and melting on the tongue.

Bazi pork is a traditional braised meat of central Shandong around Jinan and Tai'an; it is said to derive from bundles of meat once offered at rites before passing into the street and the marketplace, where the master-stock method kept it an enduring, hearty food of ordinary people.

Usually served as a generous slab in a bowl, dressed with master stock and eaten with rice or jianbing, Tai'an quick-meal shops often pair bazi pork with rice, tofu and braised egg in a set meal, the most filling and affordable way the city eats it.

Its bundled, thick-cut form, the deep colour and savour of master-stock braising, and a richness that never cloys are the clear marks of bazi pork.