How Awesome Is China's Most Low-Key BBQ Province in the Northwest?

It is recommended that Gansu-style barbecue be promoted nationwide as soon as possible.

As spring draws nearer, someone’s heart is itching for late-night snacks—I won’t say who.

As the eternal king of late-night feasts, barbecue comes in endless varieties. Whether it’s the long-famous Jinzhou style or last year’s viral "Zibo craze," every corner of this vast nation has its own barbecue tradition. Among them, Gansu, though low-key, is a formidable contender.

For barbecue enthusiasts, the burning question is: What makes Gansu’s barbecue so special?

Grilled lamb is just the basic "naturalist" approach shared by the five northwestern provinces, but thinking that’s all Gansu barbecue has to offer would be a huge mistake. For Gansu locals, excellent grilled lamb is a point of pride, but their expansive barbecue universe also includes delicacies like lamb tripe, lamb skin, lamb spinal cord, grilled vegetables, flatbreads, and potatoes—each uniquely delicious and endlessly varied.

If Gansu barbecue is the glittering crown of northwestern late-night feasts, then grilled lamb is the brightest jewel on that crown.

Though Gansu’s lamb isn’t the most famous in the northwest, the province—spanning over 1,600 km east to west and covering three climate zones—is one of China’s five major pastoral regions. From the Qilian Mountains to the Loess Plateau, its unique geography breeds diverse lamb varieties: the plump and tender Dongxiang small-tailed Han sheep, the fragrant and non-gamy Jingyuan Tan sheep from Baiyin, the aromatic Wuwei nine-tailed sheep, the rich and chewy Longdong black goat, and the grassy-scented Ganjia sheep. Premium ingredients give Gansu barbecue immense creative freedom.

Stretching along the Hexi Corridor, Gansu is a narrow province spanning over 1,600 km from west to east—about the distance from Beijing to Changsha. Its varied terrain leads to distinct flavors. Broadly speaking, the most notable "schools" include Lanzhou’s chili-spiced烤肉, the intangible cultural heritage Jiayuguan烧烤, and Longnan’s salt-tendon烤肉.

In Lanzhou,烤肉 is a dual art of fire and chili. Skilled masters toss 100 skewers of fresh lamb into flames already leaping from the grill. As fat drips and flames soar, outsiders watch in alarm, but the chefs remain unfazed, flipping skewers with lightning speed. When asked, "Won’t such high flames burn the meat?" a chef might deadpan, "You would. I won’t." His earnest tone instantly dashes any urge to try it yourself.

He isn’t lying. Open-flame grilling makes Gansu烤肉 perhaps the most physically demanding in China—each batch is huge and requires constant, rapid flipping. A moment’s lapse risks charring, demanding arms of steel.

While many烧烤 shops switch to electric grills, Gansu’s charcoal-fired method preserves a pure, direct smokiness. When the meat turns a perfect golden-brown, the chef buries the skewers in a tray of coarse chili powder—yes, buries! Unlike salt or cumin, which are sprinkled during cooking, heaps of chili await post-grill rolling, turning the烤肉 fiery red.

Don’t underestimate this ubiquitous chili powder. To prove their烤肉’s authenticity, vendors proudly highlight their unique blends alongside quality lamb. Proper chili powder must be hand-crushed, retaining coarse flakes and seeds that add texture and amplify heat—far superior to machine-ground powder. Discerning shops even blend multiple chili varieties for nuanced flavors.

In Jiayuguan,烤肉 is more refined. After skewering fatty-and-lean lamb, chefs briefly grill it, then dip the entire batch into hot lamb oil—a step unique to the region. The oil seals in juices, and a final grill yields a crispy exterior dusted simply with salt and cumin, intensifying the aroma.

Beyond lamb, Jiayuguan excels at all羊 "peripheral"烧烤. While grilled ribs, trotters, kidneys, tripe, heart, tendons, liver, and intestines are standard northwestern fare, Jiayuguan’s grilled lamb skin and骨髓 are truly next-level.

Snow-white骨髓, kissed by charcoal, takes on a smoky richness. Paired with bold spices, it melts like warm, savory cream. The creativity extends to flavors—sour-spicy tripe or numbing peppercorn烤肉—often leaving outsiders speechless until they learn their first Gansu dialect phrase:

Tianshui’s salt-tendon烤肉 champions simplicity: minimal seasoning (just salt) to highlight the meat’s essence. This tests both the lamb’s quality and the chef’s skill—a second too long brings unmissable char; a second too short misses the perfect smokiness.

Across Gansu—from bustling cities to quiet towns—barbecue is a cornerstone of local life, regardless of ingredients or seasonings.

This article is original content from [地道风物].