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“Waxed” meat (without wax)  by Qiu Li Min
H ow do you keep meat from going bad without refrigeration? One of the solutions devised by ethnic groups in China is to make
“waxed” meat – dried meat with a tough, glossy surface impervious to bacteria and mold. Cut into strips and cooked with rice or vegetables, it can be used to impart a unique flavor to all sorts of dishes. Contrary to its name, there is actually
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Hanging the meat.


no wax used in its preparation at all. I had never really thought about what went into making waxed meat until I found my Zhuang neighbor smoking meat right on her doorstep!

In a large wooden barrel (originally used for storing rice, I was told, but now without a base or lid), my neighbor carefully suspended large chunks of dried meat from bamboo sticks placed across the top. Some of the chunks were pigs’ heads flattened and stretched on bamboo sticks, while others were thick strips of streaky pork. They were yellow in color as they had already been smoked for a day. She told me that the pork had first to be rubbed with salt and rice wine, fried in hot salt, then immersed in salt for about three days. After that, they would be rinsed off and hung to air-dry for a few more days. The pieces would then be smoked for about a week to develop a glossy patina.

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Making the most of the space!


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Wrapping the barrel.


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Starting the fire.


After arranging the pork to her satisfaction, my neighbor also placed some home-made waxed sausages across the top to smoke. A large piece of sacking was wrapped over the top of the barrel to keep in the smoke. She set charcoal and sugarcane peel alight in a shallow pan and shoved it under the barrel. Apparently, sugarcane peel would make the waxed meat more yellow in color (preferred) and more fragrant than using charcoal and wood. The barrel was conveniently-located in front of her shop so she could tend fire through the day, but she said she would bring the meat indoors during the night in case someone helped themselves to it!

As it was only the second day of smoking, I wasn’t able to taste-test any of the meat, but she promised to give us some to try when it was finally ready. A tasty treat for the Spring Festival holiday!