With a bang, the hot oil exploded in the iron pan, the rock sugar melted on the tip of the spoon, and the amber syrup wrapped the fat and thin pork belly, completing the transformation from a cutting board to a delicacy in the fragrant sauce. This pot of meat is intoxicating before it is served, the sauce is mixed with the meat fragrance and goes straight to the nose, and the chopsticks have rolled before the Adam's apple is moved, which can be called the most ferocious "rice killer". As a century-old fireworks floating in the old alleys of Jinan, the meat is simmered with time to bring out the ultimate flavor, and the heat is stewed to the extreme softness, and every bite is the most vivid interpretation of the word "next rice".

First, the selection of materials determines success or failure: the university in the pork belly asks

The wind and bones of the meat are all in the selection of materials. Fresh pork belly with skin on the butcher's desk in the early morning is the most suitable, and the fat and thin lines need to be layered like ink paintings. The fat part of the high-quality pork belly is white and translucent, the lean texture is fine and weaved, and the elastic texture can be touched by finger pressing. Three fat and seven thin is the golden ratio, too fat is greasy, too thin is hard. Gourmets will deliberately choose the "Xiaxianggang" near the belly of the pig, where the meat is firmer, the fat is more evenly distributed, and the meat is cut into 8 cm square pieces, just enough to stew with a trembling gelatinous texture.

There is a hidden mystery when processing meat pieces: the aroma of the meat can only be retained without blanching. After changing the knife, the pork belly needs to be carefully brushed off the surface impurities with a bamboo brush, and then repeatedly rubbed and disinfected with high-grade liquor to remove the smell. When marinating, dark soy sauce is used as the background color, the light soy sauce is fresh, the fermented bean curd juice is colored, and finally the rock sugar is sprinkled to let the sweetness penetrate into the texture. The meat that has been processed in this way has a three-point sauce flavor before it is put into the pot.

2. The philosophy of heat in the color of fried sugar

The authentic Jinan meat pays attention to "sugar in hot oil", and the iron pot needs to be burned until the smoke rises before the rock sugar cubes are scattered in advance. Sugar undergoes a metamorphosis from golden to amber in hot oil, and veteran craftsmen can pick up strands of sugar as thin as a gossamer with the tip of a spoon. At this time, the meat is at its most thrilling, with splashes of oil wrapped in hot syrup, weaving a dangerous web around the stove. It is this momentary high-temperature Maillard reaction that gives the meat an attractive burnt undertone.

When stir-frying, pay attention to "three turns and three presses": each piece of meat needs to be evenly coated with sugar, and the iron spoon should be pressed to squeeze out the excess fat. When the skin of the meat is covered with fine bubbles, the sauce color becomes oily and shiny, and the green onions, ginger and garlic are stir-fried under the square. Star anise, cinnamon bark and bay leaves stretch out in the hot oil, intertwined with the meaty aroma to form a layered aroma network.

3. The magic of time in the soup

The real essence of the meat is all in that pot of hundred-year-old soup. The big iron pot of stewed meat in the old shop in Jinan never goes out, and the soup base has been recycled for decades, and the aroma of the sauce has long turned into an amber soul. Although it is difficult to reproduce at home, soybean paste, sweet noodle sauce and oyster sauce can be used to make a compound sauce, supplemented with stock or beer instead. The key is to "simmer the soup slowly": the soup needs to be covered by three fingers of the meat and simmered for more than two hours.

燉煮時分三個階段：初沸后撇去浮沫，轉小火加蓋焖煮一小時；開蓋翻動肉塊，補老抽調色，續煮四十分鐘；最後大火收汁，讓湯汁呈現掛勺的濃稠度。此時的把子肉早已褪去生肉的倔強，變得酥爛入味，筷子輕夾即斷，肉皮在湯汁中微微顫動，宛如凝脂。

Fourth, fairy matching: from green peppers to tiger eggs

The beauty of the meat is its versatility. Traditionally, it is served with tiger skin eggs, which are fried until wrinkled and soaked up the essence in the broth, and when you bite into it, it has a soft-hearted texture. Jinan gourmets will be accompanied by fresh green peppers, crispy and spicy and thick red sauce form a dramatic collision. More creative foodies will add tofu puffs, kelp knots, and even durian shells to make different ingredients complete the flavor nirvana in the flavor of the sauce.

Northeast pearl rice is used for rice, which is full and has good water absorption. Scoop a spoonful of gravy and pour it over the rice, and the crystal grains of rice are instantly coated in an amber coat. The meat is covered on the top of the rice, the fat but not greasy fat seeps into the gap between the rice grains, and the lean meat turns into silk fibers, blending with the sauce to form a symphony of salty and sweet. At this time, I know what "three bowls are not enough" - it is not that the wine is intoxicating, but that this thick oil red sauce is too ecstatic.

Fifth, the legend of the meat

傳說東漢末年劉備、關羽、張飛三人結拜，廚師特製大肉塊供其把盞言歡，"把子肉"由此得名。在濟南老巷，清晨五點就有食客守著肉鍋，看掌櫃用木筷插肉驗熟度。有位老師傅守著百年老湯，每天只燉三十斤肉，多一兩都不肯："火候到了，肉自然就說話。"這方寸鐵鍋間，熬煮的是匠人心，翻騰的是人間味。

When modern fast food takes the table by storm, this ancient delicacy that requires three hours of waiting is even more precious. It interprets the true meaning of "next to rice" in the most simple way: instead of stimulating the taste buds with heavy seasoning, it allows time and heat to naturally brew the true taste of food. When the sauce explodes on the tip of the tongue and the pieces of meat melt between the teeth, you will understand that some flavors are destined to linger with the rice, and some pyrotechnic gases are always worth the wait.