Beichuan Smoked Cured Pork 北川腊肉
Beichuan Smoked Cured Pork is featured among the local specialties of Sichuan.
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Beichuan Smoked Cured Pork (北川腊肉) is a Qiang (羌族) cured-pork speciality documented by Mianyang (绵阳) Municipal Government. Cypress-branch smoke is part of the method it describes, producing red, glossy meat with translucent fat and lean portions that are not dry.
How it is made
The municipal account begins with locally raised mountain pigs kept for more than six months. Near the end of the year, slaughter is followed by a meal shared with relatives and friends, known as chi paotang (吃泡汤). The fresh pork is then put through the curing process.
In this documented method, the curing temperature stays between 0°C and 8°C for seven days. The meat is removed and smoked over fragrant cypress branches.
Where it comes from
The government identifies pork curing as a traditional Qiang food-preservation practice in Beichuan.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer on 2026-09-26. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.