Qijia cured meat

Qijia cured meat

　　Cured meat refers to a processed product made by salting meat and then baking it (or sun-drying it). Cured meat has strong anti-corrosion properties, which extend its shelf life and impart a unique flavor, distinguishing it from salted meat. In the past, cured meat was always processed during the lunar month of La (December), hence the name "La meat" (腊肉, literally "La month meat").

　　Ingredient formula: 100 kilograms of pork ribs, 4 kilograms of sugar (±0.1 kg), 4 kilograms of soy sauce, 2 kilograms of fine salt, 2 kilograms of sorghum wine

　　Production method

　　1. Selection and preparation of raw meat: Choose fresh pork ribs, debone them, and cut them into strips about 2 cm wide and 40 cm long. Poke a small hole at the top to facilitate threading and hanging after curing. Wash off surface oil with warm water and drain.

　　2. Curing: Soak the pork rib strips in a well-mixed curing mixture for 6–8 hours, then remove and thread them onto bamboo sticks for hanging.

　　3. Drying: Hang the cured meat strips in a drying room and heat with charcoal, maintaining a temperature of 50–55°C. The wooden racks in the drying room are divided into upper, middle, and lower levels. If all the meat strips were cured on the same day, their positions should be rotated every few hours (up, down, left, right) to prevent uneven drying. After about two days of drying, the meat strips become finished cured meat. If charcoal heating is not used, the meat can be sun-dried during the day and moved indoors at night, continuing the sun-drying process until the surface begins to ooze oil.