Bazhong Cured Meat

Bazhong Cured Meat

　　Bazhong cured meat is a traditional delicacy in Bazhong. After the Minor Cold solar term each year, every household begins butchering their New Year’s pig. The pork is cut into chunks, soaked in salt for about a month, then hung above the hearth to be smoked with cypress twigs. This method produces cured meat that is flavorful and delicious, and it can be preserved for one to two years without spoiling. Locals also use the fresh blood from the slaughtered pigs to make blood tofu and sticky rice balls, which are served as special dishes for guests.

　　According to records, over two thousand years ago, when Zhang Lu, who styled himself the King of Hanning, was defeated and fled south to Bazhong, the people of Hanzhong welcomed him with premium cured meat at Hongmiao Pond. Another legend says that in the 26th year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu took refuge in Xi’an. Local officials from southern Shaanxi presented cured meat as an imperial tribute, and Cixi was full of praise after tasting it. qEa

　　The tradition of curing meat is not only ancient but also widespread. During the winter months, from "Minor Snow" to just before "Lichun" (the Beginning of Spring), every household slaughters pigs and sheep. Aside from keeping enough fresh meat for the New Year, the rest is cured while still fresh. Salt is used along with a certain proportion of spices such as Sichuan pepper, star anise, cloves, cinnamon, and fennel, and the meat is pickled in vats. After seven to fifteen days, the meat is strung up with palm leaf ropes, drained of water, and prepared for curing. It is then slowly smoked over cypress branches, sugarcane peel, Chinese toon bark, or firewood. The meat may be hung above a kitchen stove that burns firewood or above a heated hearth, allowing the smoke to gradually dry it. Western China, rich in forests and grasslands, almost universally uses firewood for cooking and heating, creating ideal conditions for curing meat. Even city dwellers, though they don’t butcher animals themselves, will often go to the market during winter months to select high-quality pork, either lean or fatty, and cure and smoke it at home following the same methods to enjoy the flavor. Those who don’t have access to a wood-burning stove often ask relatives in the countryside to smoke a few pieces for them. qEa

　　The complete process of making cured meat is divided into three steps: preparing the ingredients, curing, and smoking. qEa

　　1. Preparing the Ingredients: Select fresh or frozen meat with thin skin and a balanced fat-to-lean ratio. Scrape off any dirt from the surface, then cut the meat into standardized strips weighing 0.8–1 kg and about 4–5 cm thick, with the ribs attached. For boneless cured meat, the bones are removed. To cure meat with bones, use 7 kg of salt, 0.2 kg of refined saltpeter, and 0.4 kg of Sichuan pepper. For boneless cured meat, use 2.5 kg of salt, 0.2 kg of refined saltpeter, 5 kg of sugar, 3.7 kg of liquor and soy sauce, and 3–4 kg of distilled water. Before mixing, crush the salt and saltpeter, and dry and grind the spices such as Sichuan pepper, fennel, and cinnamon. qEa

　　2. Curing: There are three methods: (1) Dry curing: Rub the cut meat strips thoroughly with dry curing ingredients, then place them in a vat with the meat side facing down, and the skin side facing up on the top layer. Cover the top layer of meat with the remaining dry curing mix, cure for three days, then flip the vat; (2) Wet curing: Place the boneless cured meat strips into a prepared curing solution and soak for 15–18 hours, flipping the vat twice during the process; (3) Mixed curing: Rub the meat strips with dry curing ingredients, place them in a vat, and pour in sterilized old curing solution to submerge the meat. In mixed curing, salt usage should not exceed 6%. qEa

　　3. Smoking: Bone-in cured meat must be rinsed and dried before smoking. Typically, 8–9 kg of charcoal and 12–14 kg of sawdust are needed per 100 kg of meat. Hang the dried meat in the smoking room, ignite the sawdust, close the door to allow the smoke to spread evenly, and maintain an initial temperature of 70°C. After 3–4 hours, gradually reduce the temperature to 50–56°C, keeping it there for 28 hours.