Bingbing Meat

Bingbing Meat

　　·Bingbing Meat· A traditional Xi’an specialty. It is a type of cured meat made from pork and offal through a smoking process. Smoking is a cooking method that can be done either raw or cooked. Typically, it involves using the thick smoke generated from the incomplete combustion of materials such as sawdust, tea leaves, wood shavings, cypress branches, and straw to infuse the meat with a unique aroma. Bingbing Meat is known for its bright red color, tender texture, rich and mellow flavor, intense smoky taste, and becomes even more delicious the more you chew.

　　Xi’an’s Bingbing Meat has a history of over 100 years. It is typically prepared using cooked-smoking methods with sawdust. It first appeared in the Dongguan and Baishulin areas of southern Xi’an. Vendors would carry oval wooden boxes and walk through the streets, knocking on wooden clappers shaped like fish while shouting out their wares—hence the name. In the 1960s, Master Yang Siyan from the Dongguan Cooperative Canteen had already 40 years of experience making this meat and enjoyed great popularity among locals. Nowadays, it is mainly sold by individual food vendors.

　　Xi’an is a city with profound cultural heritage. Locals cook pig intestines with flatbread, but instead of calling it plainly, they name it “Hulutou Soaked Bread.” On the other hand, the name “Bingbing Meat” is straightforward and clear—it originates from the image of vendors in the old days who carried shoulder poles and baskets, knocked bamboo clappers, and sold the meat along the streets.

　　But if we’re talking about “Bingbing Meat,” why start with Hulutou Soaked Bread? Don’t worry, dear reader. You should know that any vendor selling Bingbing Meat would definitely also sell Hulutou Soaked Bread... Strange? Actually, it’s not at all odd. The truth is, both Bingbing Meat and Hulutou Soaked Bread use pig intestines as their main ingredient and are smoked in a similar way. The two are actually closely related delicacies.

　　Pig intestines are not something just anyone can handle. Preparing them involves a complex and meticulous process. First, they must be repeatedly turned inside out, washed, and degreased, then rinsed and cleaned. Then they go into a pot to remove the gamey smell and excess fat. Next, another pot is used to boil a flavored broth, into which the intestines are added and gently simmered before being drained... and so on. It’s a labor-intensive process, requiring multiple rounds of rinsing. In the end, edible alkali is used to further remove greasy residue. Without these steps, it’s impossible to ensure the cleanliness and appearance of the pig intestines, let alone proceed with further cooking. The most famous Hulutou vendors in Xi’an include “Chunfasheng” (“Spring Brings Life”), “Tianfaya,” and “Chunfaya.” As for those specifically famous for Bingbing Meat, there are “Chengxinhé” in Little South Gate, “Zhu Xiuying Bingbing Meat” in Dongtingmen, and “Lao Gengjia Bingbing Meat” in Xinmin Street.

　　Bingbing Meat is a traditional snack made by smoking various pork offal. It has a history of over 100 years. Smoking is a cooking method that includes both raw and cooked smoking. It usually uses the thick smoke from the incomplete combustion of fuels such as wood nitrate, tea leaves, sawdust, cypress branches, and straw to add a distinctive aroma to the food. The final product is known for its attractive color and strong smoky flavor.

　　In the earliest days, Bingbing Meat was smoked right on the street. Cooked pig intestines were placed on a metal mesh sieve over an iron box filled with sawdust, and then covered with the white smoke from burning sawdust to smoke them thoroughly. The control of heat and the choice of smoking materials were extremely particular. However, this traditional method clearly produces a lot of smoke and is no longer feasible today. Even so, using as many natural materials as possible for smoking is essential to maintain the traditional characteristics of Bingbing Meat. Natural woods such as peachwood, pearwood, and pine or cypress remain the top choices.

　　The making of Bingbing Meat primarily uses pig intestines as the main ingredient, but also includes pork head meat, pork belly, pork heart, pork lungs, pork liver, and pig tail. These are smoked together with seasonings such as refined salt and sesame oil. The result is meat that is tender, flavorful, richly aromatic, smooth and flat in appearance, brightly colored without being dark or dull. It has a delicate and chewy texture, and leaves a lingering, fragrant aftertaste in the mouth.

　　After all this explanation, here’s the bottom line: you can’t easily make this delicious treat yourself at home. If you want to try it, head to the shops I’ve recommended. And for those of you from out of town, sorry—you’ll just have to make the trip to Xi’an in person.