Baoxing Fragrant Pork Leg

Baoxing Fragrant Pork Leg

　　Baoxing Fragrant Pork Leg is one of the famous specialties of Baoxing County in Ya'an City, Sichuan Province. This product can be considered the finest among pork products. The slices of lean meat, red as roses and richly aromatic, leave a lingering fragrance in the mouth.

　　The selection of ingredients for this Ya'an specialty—Baoxing Fragrant Pork Leg—is extremely stringent, and the production process is rigorously controlled: NWg Sichuan Flavor Workshop Sichuan Food Network

　　First, in terms of ingredient selection, making fragrant pork leg requires using free-range pigs raised outdoors until they reach about 75 kilograms (in local households, these pigs are semi-wild and free-ranging). After slaughter, the four legs are taken, the skin is removed, the fat is trimmed, and then the meat is specially cured and hung in a smokehouse for smoking. Typically, fragrant pork legs are smoked for over a year before consumption. Because the pork leg meat is thick, too short a smoking time would not allow the meat to dry properly, and the resulting fragrant pork leg is easy to preserve and highly resistant to storage. NWg Sichuan Flavor Workshop Sichuan Food Network

　　When eating, simply wash, boil (or steam), and slice it for serving. Baoxing Fragrant Pork Leg is a unique type of cured meat product of the Tibetan people and is also considered a premium variety among Baoxing cured meats. Baoxing cured meats enjoy a high reputation in Sichuan and many other regions beyond. Locals don’t need to be told—the best gift to bring when visiting relatives or friends is definitely cured meat. Many tourists traveling to Ya'an go out of their way to ask where Baoxing cured meat is sold. Especially toward the end of the year, Baoxing cured meat is in extremely high demand and often sells out quickly. NWg Sichuan Flavor Workshop Sichuan Food Network

　　Because of the materials used and the production process, Baoxing Fragrant Pork Leg is slightly more expensive than regular cured meat. The local market price is 40 RMB per jin (500g), while cured meat prices range from 15 RMB to 28 RMB (depending on whether it’s aged cured meat, rib meat, second-cut, sitting meat, shoulder, etc.). Generally, one leg weighs around 10 jin, larger ones may weigh 13–14 jin, and smaller ones can be around 6 jin or more. NWg Sichuan Flavor Workshop Sichuan Food Network