Smoked Pork from Lixi

Smoked Pork from Lixi

　　In the northern part of Jingmen, along the foothills of the remaining ranges of the Jing Mountains—where the terrain is rugged and forests dense—rural cured meat products are especially distinctive.

　　“Smoked Pork from Lixi” is made by local families who, after slaughtering their New Year’s pig in the lunar month of December, cure the pork and then smoke it over cypress branches mixed with rice husks, along with optional additions such as walnut shells, peanut shells, and rapeseed shells. The finished product is savory, firm, and richly infused with the aroma of the smoking materials. Before eating, wash it clean with rice-washing water, and it is suitable for steaming, boiling, stir-frying, or stewing, offering a uniquely smoky flavor.