Zhangjia Beef Jerky from Zhengan

Zhangjia Beef Jerky from Zhengan

　　Zhangjia Beef Jerky from Zhengan is made from premium yellow beef, using traditional craftsmanship, modern advanced equipment and techniques, and precious spices with a unique secret recipe. It boasts vibrant color, delicious aroma, distinctive flavor, pleasant texture, long-lasting taste, and an unforgettable aftertaste, renowned both in China and abroad.

　　Zhangjia Beef Jerky is also known as beef slices. With its purplish-red translucent color and deliciously savory taste, it is especially famed for its unique braised fragrance and lingering aftertaste. Originally, it was used as sacrificial food during the three major Islamic festivals of "Corban," "Eid al-Fitr," and "Sacred Sacrifice" by the Hui people. As early as the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Futong from Xumawang Village, Xuhuzhuang, Lanzhou, Gansu, along with three other Hui families—Hai, Guan, and Wan—moved to Zhengan with their families to engage in the beef trade. Before long, the Hai and Guan families relocated to Yunnan, and the Wan family switched to other businesses. Only the Zhang family continued the trade for over 200 years, hence the name Zhangjia Beef Jerky. During the Republican era, Zhang Yongtai, the fifth-generation descendant of Zhang Fu, opened a beef restaurant on South Street in Zhengan County, offering a series of Islamic-style beef dishes such as steamed beef bowls (powder-steamed beef), beef hotpot (stewed beef), beef charcuterie (braised beef), and beef jerky. These dishes were uniquely flavorful and not something ordinary households could easily prepare, leading to thriving business. In 1955, the Zhang family’s beef products were incorporated under the management of the Food and Beverage Service Company, with Zhang Yongtai’s eldest daughter-in-law joining the company and contributing the original braising broth. By 1960, due to a shortage of meat supply, the production of beef jerky came to a halt. After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee in 1978, the Zhang family applied in 1981, hoping the government would help revive their business. With approval from the county and municipal science committees, Zhangjia Beef Jerky was listed as a traditional craft food of Zhengan, and 6,000 yuan in funding was allocated to support its restoration.

　　Zhangjia Beef Jerky is made from carefully selected ingredients and crafted through meticulous processes. Healthy, disease-free yellow cattle are personally purchased and butchered. After slaughter, the bones, tendons, and membranes are removed, and the meat is cut into chunks, cleaned, and pre-boiled in a pot until semi-cooked before being drained and diced. The meat is then carefully selected again and boiled thoroughly in a pot of braising liquid—cooked enough to be tender (but not mushy), yet not overcooked (to avoid falling apart). Once drained, it is sliced or cubed according to the shape of the meat. The final step is drying it over charcoal fire. The flavor of the beef jerky largely depends on the braising liquid. After each batch of meat is braised, rock sugar, salt, soy sauce, cooking wine, ginger, five-spice powder, and other seasonings are added in specific proportions to restore the original flavor of the broth. Chicken and duck are also braised at regular intervals to enhance the overall aroma. The Zhang family has passed down the same pot of braising liquid through generations. The exact formula and key techniques remain, to this day, strictly within the family, traditionally taught only to sons and daughters-in-law—not daughters.