Tujia Smoked Cured Pork 土家腊肉

Tujia Smoked Cured Pork (土家腊肉) is made in Zhangjiajie (张家界) during the final lunar month. Families slaughter home-raised pigs and cure much of the meat, first with salt and then with smoke from the household fire.

Salt before smoke

Yongding District (永定区) government describes cutting the pork into strips or blocks, rubbing it with salt and packing it into jars or wooden tubs. It remains there for about a week. The pieces are then hung in a ventilated place to drain and shrink before smoking. Suspended above the household fire pit, the meat takes on smoke while firewood below supplies heat for cooking and warmth.

A reunion-table dish

Steamed cured pork can be pulled apart into slices or strands. The fatty portions are translucent, with a rich flavour that Yongding’s description characterises as not greasy. A bowl of the meat belongs on the Tujia Lunar New Year’s Eve reunion table, accompanied by home-brewed rice wine.