Chapter 209: Cured Bacon
"Come and see Mian'er, the pigs you raise are really strong and healthy."
After hearing the voice, Zhao Chunhua stood up and responded, her tone full of appreciation.
Yu Dani smiled and replied, "It's all because of the good feeding by the boys. They get up early and work late every day to take care of the livestock at home and make them so strong."
To be honest, since the family split up, the mischievous figure of the second child is no longer in the family, and the daily chores have naturally decreased a lot, making life a little easier.
After chatting for a while, someone called her outside the door again, so Yu Dani got up to greet the new visitor, ensuring that every visitor could feel the warmth of this family.
In this cold winter day, a sumptuous pig-killing banquet not only warms people's stomachs, but also brings people closer together.
After dinner, in the afternoon, Shen Jiaze borrowed a cart from a neighbor and personally delivered the pork cut into appropriate sizes to Zhao Chunhua's home. A bucket of blood was left for each pig for subsequent cooking, but since several pigs had been slaughtered in the past few days, an extra bucket of blood was given to Shen Jiaze, asking him to take it back to his two uncles. Whether it was used to stew broth or make delicious blood tofu pudding, there would be no waste of food.
As night fell, the yard was gradually illuminated by the light of lit candles.
Shu Yixian and Shen Jiaze rolled up their sleeves and began one of the most difficult tasks of the night - applying the appropriate amount of salt to the precious pork to better preserve the food.
First, heat the salt in the pan. As the temperature gradually rises, slight crackling sounds can be heard.
Next, put the selected peppercorns into the pot and stir-fry quickly. Soon, the kitchen is filled with a rich aroma of peppercorns. The unique aroma of this spice is irresistible.
After the flavors of salt and peppercorns are fully blended, carefully remove the salt with a colander, and then evenly sprinkle a layer of fine peppercorn powder. Now the preparations are complete, and you can officially start marinating those carefully selected high-quality pork.
There is no need to rinse the long strips of pork, as washing will dilute the flavor of the meat and affect the subsequent marinating effect. Simply throw the meat directly into the pre-prepared seasoning, then gently knead it with your hands so that every piece of muscle and every bit of fat can fully contact and absorb the rich layers brought by the seasoning.
After making sure that the surface of the meat strips is covered with a thick enough layer of salt and pepper powder mixture, you can place them neatly in rows in a large, cleaned basin according to the pre-planned order.
According to Zhao Chunhua's personal habits and preferences, the spare ribs need to be processed separately and cannot be pickled together with the rest of the parts, because she does not like the cured meat made with bones attached, always feeling that this not only affects the appearance but also reduces the pleasure of eating.
However, she still likes authentic bacon products very much, whether it is the tempting, shiny pork belly or the gelatinous and elastic pig's feet.
As for the less popular cured pork ribs, it doesn’t matter even if you don’t eat them for several years, and you won’t feel regretful or miss them.
Shu Yixian and Shen Jiaze worked together very efficiently and before long they had successfully processed all the pork properly.
After completing this step, they did not rest, but quickly moved on to the next stage - preparing to grind soy milk.
The two of them used the stone mill to slowly grind the previously softened beans. With the dull sound of the wheel turning, the fresh slurry slowly flowed into the large barrel placed below, waiting for the next processing.
By the time the soy milk in the pot boiled and was filtered, it was already late. In order to facilitate work arrangements for the next morning, Shen Jiaze decided to temporarily follow Shu Yixian back to his old residence to rest for a night.
Before leaving home in the morning
Chunhua had already soaked the soybeans needed in advance.
At this point, after repeated filtration, the clear pulp water was separated.
Considering the nutritional balance, I poured out a small portion of the liquid and reheated it to a suitable drinking temperature, then divided it into two portions: one was left for Xiao Shitou, the child who was helping out, and the other was left for myself.
The remaining main ingredients are used as the main raw material for pig blood tofu.
In an inconspicuous corner of the kitchen, a large basin filled with freshly processed raw meat is quietly placed. Every piece of pork in it has been completely soaked in the prepared marinade, waiting for the next few days of marinating. During this period, it needs to be turned over every once in a while to allow all parts to be evenly penetrated. After reaching the ideal degree of maturity, it will be transferred to the outdoor rack to be baptized by natural smoke and fireworks, becoming a real delicacy.
While paying attention to the gradual solidification of the tofu on the stove to ensure its quality and taste, Zhao Chunhua also started to carry out more detailed operation procedures.
Carefully select the high-quality parts with thin skin, thick meat and alternating fat and lean meat from a pile of raw materials, and then remove some of the epidermal tissue containing pig hair and impurities.
Then, according to the characteristics of each part, the fat meat and lean fibrous meat are cut into strips or slices of appropriate length, striving to make the shape as regular as possible and the thickness consistent.
In order to further eliminate odor and enhance the taste, spray an appropriate amount of high-proof liquor on each piece of material after cutting to achieve the effect of removing fishy smell and enhancing flavor.
When these preparations are completed, sprinkle some special fennel powder to add aroma. In order to allow diners to better enjoy the dish without being disturbed by the numbing taste, grind the whole Sichuan peppercorns into a finer powder in advance and add it to the seasoning combination.
Finally, after ensuring that all kinds of seasonings are thoroughly mixed, the evenly mixed meat ingredients can be filled into the pig intestine pipe that has been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
After assembly, carefully tie them up section by section with cotton thread, and carefully use a thin bamboo stick to poke some small holes on the surface to help expel the air inside.
After finishing this, she looked back and found that Xiao Shitou had fallen asleep peacefully in the bamboo cart.
Fortunately, there was still a blazing fire in front of the stove, filling the whole house with a warm atmosphere, so that the little guy who was sleeping soundly would not catch a cold.
Zhao Chunhua gently carried the sleeping Little Stone back to his own room and settled him down so that he could continue to sleep. She then went to prepare two hot water bottles - one was carefully placed on Little Stone's bed, making sure it was wrapped in a layer of velvet so as not to burn the child; the other was placed in her own quilt where she was about to rest.
The water in the hot water bottle has been boiled in advance. Although it is still some heat now - about 70 or 80 degrees, it is just enough to make the body feel a long-lasting and gentle warmth, which can even last until tomorrow morning.
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