Meltingly tender pork belly braised solely in Shaoxing wine and soy sauce — no water added — born in 1077 when Su Dongpo redistributed citizens' goodwill gifts back to the Xuzhou flood volunteers who had helped him save the city.
In the seventh month of 1077, the Yellow River broke its banks near Xuzhou, flooding the city. Magistrate Su Shi led the defense personally for over seventy days, directing dike construction from atop the flood wall. After the waters receded, grateful residents brought livestock to his office as thanks. Rather than accept the gifts personally, Su had the pork braised according to his own method — low heat, little water, Shaoxing wine, patience — and distributed it back to the volunteers who had fought the flood beside him. The name "Return-Gift Pork" records that act of redistribution. His braising philosophy is preserved in the verse "Ode to Pork" (《猪肉颂》, also known as 《炖肉歌》): "Low flame, little water; the firewood smolders but makes no smoke; let it be ready in its own time; when the heat is right it needs no urging" — though the poem was composed during his Huangzhou exile around 1080, some three years after the Xuzhou events; folk tradition has long linked the verse to the Xuzhou method. The dish is the most celebrated of the "Four Treasures of Dongpo" associated with his Xuzhou tenure, alongside Golden Toad Pearl, Wuguan Chicken, and Drunken Green Shrimp.
The skin trembles at the chopstick's touch and dissolves before you can decide to chew — beneath it, the layered belly is soy-dark and wine-sweet, the fat long since surrendered its grease and absorbed the braising liquor until it tastes almost of caramel.
Pork belly collagen (concentrated in the skin) hydrolyzes to gelatin above 70°C; two hours of covered braising at a barely simmering temperature allows near-complete conversion without toughening the muscle fibers. Fat cells in the adipose layers rupture gradually, releasing lipids that emulsify with the braising liquid's wine, soy sauce, and sugar to form a glossy, coating sauce. Shaoxing wine's ethanol (around 12% by volume) initially dissolves lipid-soluble flavor compounds from the meat; as temperature rises it evaporates, carrying volatile off-notes (fishy amines) with it. Rock sugar caramelizes at the pot base and contributes the characteristic mahogany color alongside Maillard pigments from the soy sauce.
Variations
The Hangzhou version — now more nationally famous — uses a larger proportion of Shaoxing wine, finishes the pork in individual clay crocks with a second steaming, and yields a silkier texture. The Xuzhou original is more savory and soy-forward, with less wine. Some cooks add a piece of fermented red tofu (南乳) for greater depth. High-end Xu-Hai cuisine restaurants serve the dish in individual clay crocks (罐焖 style).
On the Palate
Where Dongpo Gift Pork sits in the Chinese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
7 steps · 58 min active + 2 hours waiting
- 115 min
Cut pork belly with skin on into rectangular blocks of about 150 g each; blanch in boiling water for 8 minutes; scrape the skin clean with a knife, then rinse and pat dry.
Watch outScrape the blanched skin until it squeaks clean — any stubble or scum left on now sits right on the surface of the glazed finish.
- 25 min
Tie each block with kitchen twine to hold its shape during braising.
- 33 min
In a heavy clay pot or Dutch oven, lay scallion segments and ginger slices as a fragrant bed.
- 45 min
Arrange pork blocks skin-side down over the aromatics; pour in Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, and dark soy sauce; add rock sugar. Do not add water.
Watch outSkin-side down, wine and soy only, not a drop of water — the belly renders its own moisture, and water would thin the sauce so it never turns glossy and coating.
- 55 min
Bring to a boil uncovered; skim all foam; cover tightly and reduce to the lowest possible flame.
- 6120 min
Braise for 2 hours, turning the blocks once at the 1-hour mark so the skin faces up; only faint wisps of steam should escape — no vigorous boiling.
Watch outThe whole two hours you should see only faint wisps of steam, never bubbles breaking — a real simmer toughens the lean and squeezes the fat out instead of melting it soft.
- 725 min
Remove pork to serving crocks; strain the braising liquid, skim fat, reduce to a glossy sauce over medium heat; pour over the pork and steam for a final 15 minutes before serving.
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