How to make delicious cured mutton

Area: Shaanxi snacks

Process: Boiling, stewing, braising

Ingredients for Lamb Cured Meat:

Mutton with skin, refined salt, saltpeter, pepper, star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, etc.

Introduction of cured lamb:

Xi'an famous food. Because the cured mutton comes from a cured meat shop called Lao Tong’s, it is named Lao Tong’s cured mutton. It is said that Laotong's cured mutton has a history of more than 200 years. It is said that during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu fled to Xi'an. One day, when Cixi was out for a walk and reached the intersection of Guangji Street, she suddenly smelt a strange fragrance, so she asked her entourage to ask. When she learned that the fragrance came from Laotong's bacon shop, she tasted the shop's bacon and praised it repeatedly. Afterwards, Xing Tingwei, the teacher of the Minister of War, wrote the golden signboard of "Nianzhipo", and since then, Laotong's cured mutton has become more famous.

Features of cured mutton:

The color is rosy, the meat is crispy, the fat and meat are distinct, it is fresh and fragrant without being greasy, and it is salty, fresh, and soft.

Teach you how to make bacon mutton

1. Place the mutton skin side facing each other, fold it and place it in a large porcelain jar, pour in well water, sprinkle in refined salt and saltpeter for marinating. Turn the marinade over 1-2 times a day. Generally, marinate for 3-4 days in spring and autumn, 4-5 days in winter, and 1-2 days in summer. Marinate until the meat turns red.

2. Pour the old brine (the soup used to make bacon in the past) into the pot to cover the mutton, add the seasoning packets made of pepper, star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, etc., cover, bring to a boil over high heat, skim off the foam, then place the mutton skin side up into the pot, add fine salt after boiling, then press on wooden boards and stones, cook over high heat for 30 minutes, then switch to low heat and cook for about 4 hours, until the mutton is cooked through. After cooling, remove the meat, slice it, put it on a plate, and pour the original meat juice on it.

Tips for making cured mutton:

1. Saltpeter should not be used too much and should be strictly controlled;

2. Cook over low heat for a long time until the food is cooked thoroughly;

3. After the meat is cooked, soak it in soup for a long time.