Ba Zhang Zhou Zi (Braised Pork Knuckle with Handle)
Ba Zhang Zhou Zi (Braised Pork Knuckle with Handle) is a home-style meat dish at difficulty 5/5 (Expert), about 1037 kcal. Ba Zhang Zhou Zi (Braised Pork Knuckle with Handle) is a traditional famous dish. Ingredients and step-by-step instructions are below, with notes for home cooking.
5 / 5
★★★★★
1037 kcal
Ingredients
- ### Raw Ingredients
- Pork front knuckle with hooves (tri-tip)
- Red fermented bean curd
- Sweet bean sauce
- Refined salt / Fine salt
- Dark soy sauce
- Light soy sauce
- Cooking wine
- Sliced garlic
- Ginger slices
- Star anise
- Cassia bark / Cinnamon
- Scallions / Green onions
- ### Tools
- Small hatchet / cleaver (for breaking bones)
- Sterilized gauze or cheesecloth (large enough to cover the knuckle)
Steps
- Scrape and wash the pork knuckle; place it on the cutting board with the fatty side facing outward (the lower part where the hooves attach), the skin facing down.
- Use a knife to cut through the skin along the bone from the tip toward the joint, removing the meat from both sides of the bone (leaving meat attached on three sides), keeping the bone exposed at the bottom. Then, use the back of the knife (or the hatchet) to break the two bone segments in the middle.
- Put the knuckle into a boiling pot and cook until 70% done (look normal externally, pale red internally). Remove it, wipe it dry with a clean cloth, and while it is still hot, apply dark soy sauce to the pork skin.
- Prepare a steamer. Place star anise and cassia bark at the bottom of the pot. By hand, break the joint at the knuckle handle (hoof end) without damaging the skin. Place the knuckle into the steamer skin-side down (hoof side pressed against the edge, curved to fit inside), creating a round shape that matches its size.
- Sprinkle refined salt. Cover the meat with the sterilized gauze. Mix and rub the sweet bean sauce (50g), scallions (75g), red fermented bean curd, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, ginger, and garlic evenly over the gauze. Steam over high heat for approximately three hours (until tender).
- Remove from the steamer, remove the gauze, and invert the knuckle onto a serving plate. Discard the star anise. Serve with a small side dish of chopped scallions and sweet bean sauce on the side (or rub the sweet bean sauce over the surface of the knuckle, with a small side dish of scallions).
Notes
Ba Zhang Zhou Zi (Braised Pork Knuckle with Handle) is a traditional famous dish from Daye, Shaanxi Province, named because the hooves resemble a handle. The knuckle skin is sticky and soft, the meat is tender and unctuous. Paired with sweet bean sauce and scallions, it is savory and rich. It is rich in collagen and high-quality protein, nourishing for the skin. The preparation requires deboning, shaping, and long steaming, which poses a challenge for beginners. The whole process takes about 3.5 hours.
Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★★★★
Estimated Calories: 1037 kcal
Breakdown (Serves 3):
- Pork front knuckle with hooves: 1 (approx. 2 jin 5 liang = 1250g)
- Red fermented bean curd: 1 piece = 10g
- Sweet bean sauce: 150g
- Refined salt: 15g
- Dark soy sauce: 35g
- Light soy sauce: 25g
- Cooking wine: 25g
- Sliced garlic: 50g
- Ginger: 10g
- Star anise: 3 pieces
- Cassia bark: 5g
- Scallions: 200g
- Judge whether the pork is 70% cooked (seven mature) based on actual conditions; if possible, ask an older family member.
- Keep water in the bottom half of the steamer and the knuckle in the top half. Add water promptly while steaming to prevent it from drying out.
If you encounter any issues or find areas for improvement while following this guide, please submit an Issue or Pull request.