Meat Tied in String: Xuzhou’s Bazi Pork Over Rice

草绳一捆酱香浓，扣在米饭上色红 Cǎoshéng yī kǔn jiàngxiāng nóng, kòu zài mǐfàn shàng sè hóng – A bundle tied in straw rope, thick with soy perfume, laid blazing red upon the rice

正文：把子肉 Bǎzǐ Ròu bazi pork is Xuzhou’s own lunchtime monument – thick slabs of pork belly, tied with straw string, braised long in a dark soy-and-spice broth until each slice holds the shape of a ribbon but yields like custard. The name is the method: the bundles keep the meat from collapsing in the pot. Served over rice with the broth poured on, it is the meal that keeps this northern Jiangsu city running between shifts – honest, glossy and enormous.

The counter tells you everything. Great trays of braised slabs sit in their broth beside rice steamers; you point, the server unties a bundle or ladles a slab straight onto the rice, then floods the bowl with the mahogany gravy. The proper cut is three fingers wide, skin on, fat rendered glassy – the chopsticks slide through without resistance.

The flavor runs deeper than sweet-soy. Star anise, cinnamon and the long braise give the broth a braise-dark warmth that soaks the rice to the last grain; a proper plate adds a braised egg, a piece of dried tofu or a pickled vegetable on the side, all from the same pot. Xuzhou eaters judge a shop by its gravy: thin gravy means a short braise, and the city can tell.

Bazi pork shops open early and run to mid-afternoon, busiest at the noon hour; counter lines move fast and prices stay at street-food level. Find the shops with the big braising trays visible from the street – around the old city lanes and the station quarter – and order the combo plate: meat, egg, rice, gravy twice.

The same district holds more flavors worth chasing: 饣它汤 Shá Tāng the morning meat broth, 徐州伏羊 Xúzhōu Fúyáng the summer lamb tradition, 地锅鸡 Dìguō Jī the iron-pot chicken, or 蜜三刀 Mìsāndāo the honey pastries – four more doors into the same 徐州市 Xúzhōu Shì Xuzhou City table.

Words and Names

What the Locals Know

flowcloud would say bazi pork is Xuzhou in a bowl: labor tied up neat, braised until it surrenders, and poured over rice like a wage paid daily. All checked November 2026.

Where to find it: Bazi pork counters serve from early morning through mid-afternoon around Xuzhou’s old city and station quarter – a loaded plate of meat, egg and rice runs street-food prices, the gravy double-pour is standard, and the noon queue is the honesty signal. All checked November 2026.