Smoked cured pork

Smoked cured pork

　　The practice of smoking and curing pork is common throughout Pingjiang County, but the finest is said to come from the Tancen Mountain area. First, the ingredients are carefully selected—the pork must come from locally raised pigs, slaughtered in winter and fattened on cooked swill. Next, during curing, each piece of meat, cut about 2–3 inches wide, is placed in a pot where it is heated while being rubbed with salt, then layered in a clay jar and tightly packed to cure for half a month before being taken out for smoking. The third step, smoking, is the crucial phase. The pieces of meat are strung up with ropes and hung in a specially made smoking oven. It is essential to avoid cold smoke or the smell of coal smoke contaminating the meat. The resulting smoked cured pork is not only exceptional in color, aroma, and taste, but also keeps well without spoiling.