Old Beijing's grilled meat, seared on a zhizi — a round grate of iron bars set over a fire of pine and fruitwood. Thin slices of marinated beef or lamb are laid on the slotted iron and turned with long chopsticks; fat drips through the gaps into the coals, and the rising fruitwood smoke flavors the meat. There are two ways to eat it: "civil," cooked by the chef and served, or "martial," where diners crowd round with one foot up on a bench and grill their own. It comes with sesame buns, pickled garlic, cucumber and scallion. Two old houses define it — Kaorou Wan for beef, Kaorou Ji for lamb.
Zhizi grilling traces back to the open-fire meat-roasting of the northern nomads — Manchu and Mongol — carried into Beijing with the Qing. Two Muslim-run houses set the standard. Kaorou Wan, famous for beef, is traced to the Wan family who, by tradition, began about 1686 in the Kangxi reign with a pushcart, settling into a fixed shop only generations later. Kaorou Ji, famous for lamb, was founded by Ji Decai in 1848 by the Shichahai lake, taking the formal name Kaorou Ji and growing from stall to two-storey house in 1927. The pair are known as "Wan in the south, Ji in the north." Both are time-honored brands, and Beijing's grilled-meat craft was listed as national intangible heritage in 2008.
Slices of beef or lamb, charred at the edges and still tender within, smelling of fruitwood smoke and soy. The iron grate runs blistering hot and even, so the thin meat cooks in moments, the surface taking a deep savory char while the inside stays juicy. The taste is layered — Maillard char, the sweet resin of pine and fruitwood smoke drawn up through the slots, and the savory depth of soy and brine shrimp oil. A clove of pickled garlic cuts the richness; folded into a sesame bun, it eats like the best of street food.
The slotted iron grate is the key. It holds intense, even heat, so thin slices brown fast in a strong Maillard char rather than stewing. The gaps between the bars let rendered fat fall onto the coals, and the pine and fruitwood smoke rises straight back through the slots onto the meat — that returning smoke is what sets zhizi grilling apart from a flat plate. Constant turning and basting keep the char even and the meat tender, not dry. The marinade is the Muslim grill's own: soy sauce, a little vinegar, minced ginger, cooking wine, scallion, cilantro and brine shrimp oil, the last a signature savory note. In the "martial" style the diner grills it himself, one foot on the bench, eating and drinking as he goes.
Variations
Kaorou Wan grills beef, Kaorou Ji grills lamb — the two reference houses of Beijing. The eating splits into "martial" (diners grill their own, one foot on the bench, in the old manner of carters and laborers) and "civil" (cooked by the chef and brought to a seated table). The tradition comes down from the open-fire roasting of the northern nomads; in the late Qing, houses like Kaorou Wang and Zhengyang Lou shared the trade, though most are gone now.
On the Palate
Where Zhizi Grilled Meat sits in the Chinese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 25 min active + 25 min waiting
- 110 min
Slice beef or lamb against the grain into thin, broad pieces.
- 225 min
Marinate with soy sauce, a little vinegar, ginger, cooking wine and brine shrimp oil; rest 20-30 minutes.
- 38 min
Build a fire of pine and fruitwood and set the iron zhizi grate over it until searing hot.
Watch outGet the iron grate searing-hot before the meat lands — thin slices need to brown fast, or they stew grey instead of charring.
- 42 min
Lay the marinated slices on the hot grate.
- 55 min
Turn and baste constantly with long chopsticks as the meat chars and the smoke rises through the slots.
Watch outTurn and baste constantly as the meat chars — the smoke rising back through the slots is what flavors it, so keep it moving.
- 61 min
Toss in shredded scallion and cilantro near the end.
- 73 min
Grill just until the edges char and the inside stays juicy; lift off at once.
Watch outLift the slices the instant the edges char but the inside's still juicy — a few seconds over and thin meat goes dry.
- 82 min
Serve with sesame buns, pickled garlic, cucumber and scallion.
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