Many people say that bacon needs to be smoked for a week before it tastes good. Is this true?

Bacon is made after normal brazing, and then the braised meat is mixed with different styles of materials such as cedar, sugar, tea, etc. as needed, and then smoked over a low fire. The most famous bacon here is probably Chaigoubao bacon. Chaigoubao is an ancient town in Huai'an County, Zhangjiakou City. Legend has it that a man named Guo Xi created this unique skill in the Qing Dynasty. It is truly authentic. It has a long history and a long-lasting reputation.

Over the years, bacon has long been no longer a unique skill, but a well-known delicacy across the country. There are well-known local bacon operators in many places. For example, here we have a specialty smoker. The bacon dealers, using only a takeout window of a few square meters, have been able to queue up almost every day for more than ten years. In addition to their craftsmanship, the people's love for bacon is also real. Of course, bacon is not only pork, but also smoked chicken, smoked rabbit, etc. It is a series of products. But today we are not discussing the cooking of pork. Let’s talk about this aromatic cubed meat first.

Ingredients:

5 pounds of pork, spice pack (8g star anise, 6.5g Amomum villosum, 3.5g Sichuan peppercorns, 2.5g cumin, 2.5g purple komong, 2 cinnamon grams, 1.5 grams of pepper, 1.5 grams of nutmeg, 1 gram of cinnamon, 0.5 grams of Angelica dahurica, 0.5 grams of Kaempferia)

Braised: Everyone is familiar with the process of braised meat. Cut the meat into 8 cm squares. It is best to tie the pieces with string, blanch them in a cold water pot, remove them and put them into a soup pot. Add 100 grams of green onions, 50 grams of ginger, 50 grams of sweet bean paste, 50 grams of red fermented bean curd, and an appropriate amount of salt. Bring the pot to a boil. Stir high for 30 minutes, simmer for 1.5 hours, and simmer for 1 hour.

After the meat is removed, drain the soup and put it on the pot. If you are making it at home, just use an iron pot with a grate. The fumigating ingredients are cedar shavings and white sugar. Sprinkle the shavings on the bottom of the pot and sprinkle the white sugar on top. , cover the pot, heat over medium heat until white smoke comes out, turn to low heat and smoke for 3-4 minutes, when yellow smoke comes out, turn off the heat and simmer for 1 minute.

The process is probably like this, but this can only be said to be a reference, because the control of the heat of bacon and judging the heat of smoking from the amount and color of smoke need to be grasped specifically in practice and written in words. I can't express it clearly, I can only explain the proportions and links clearly, and many times I need to be flexible.

Then there are a few key points:

1. When smoking, you must not use a flat pot lid, but a high pot lid, because the swirling smoke from the tall pot lid can ensure the smoking effect. The direct smoking of the pot lid will make it bitter. When I make it at home, I always use a stainless steel pot with a suitable diameter instead of the pot lid.

2. There is a little trick when marinating. You can put a little cypress wood shavings bag in addition to the spice bag. This can make the cypress aroma more intense and the taste better after smoking.

3. The main ingredients are cypress wood shavings and white sugar. There are also some smoking methods that add a little brown sugar, or a few peppercorns, etc., which can increase the compound aroma. Friends who are interested can choose this use.

4. Let’s get some dry stuff and share the ratio of aromatherapy ingredients in a Qing Dynasty recipe. This one is more professional. If you are interested, you can help yourself: cypress branches, lychee shells, pine cones, purple cane bark, four They are dried and mashed into equal parts to make smoked material.