Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People, Volume 9

The method for preparing meat is best when the meat is exceptionally fresh. If it is not fresh, it will not become tender; even if seasoned, it will not be suitable for roasting original: 炙 (zhi). To grill or roast meat over an open flame. and eating. Furthermore, pork from a two-year-old pig that has not yet reached full firmness is prone to falling apart and is unsuitable for this particular preparation.

Method for Making Meat Preserved in Distiller’s Grains

original: 作糟肉法 (zuo zaorou fa). A technique using the fermented byproduct of rice wine production to cure and flavor meat.

This method may be used during any of the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, or winter. Take water and mix it with wine lees original: 酒糟 (jiuzao). The solid mash remaining after brewing wine; it contains active cultures and alcohol which act as a preservative., kneading the mixture until it reaches the consistency of thick porridge. Add enough salt to make the mixture savory. Submerge pieces of roasted meat into the lees and store the container in a shaded, cool area of the house. Whether drinking wine or eating a meal of rice, one may take the meat out and roast it again to eat. Even during the peak of the summer heat, this meat will remain fresh and free of odor for ten days.

Method for Wrapped Meat

original: 苞肉法 (baorou fa). "Bao" refers to wrapping or bundling; this is a method for curing meat in bundles, likely using reeds or grass.

Slaughter a pig during the twelfth lunar month original: 十二月 (shiyue). The final month of the traditional calendar, prized for its cold weather which is ideal for curing meat.. Let the carcass rest overnight. When the juices have finished draining and the flesh is still slightly damp original: 浥浥 (yiyue). A state of being moist or tacky to the touch without being dripping wet., cut the meat into long strips shaped like roasting sticks. Place these into tubes made of thatch original: 茅 (mao). Likely Imperata cylindrica, a common grass used for weaving and wrapping....