Part 1

Canton Christian College

BULLETIN NO. 27

BUTCHERING AND CURING MEATS IN CHINA

BY

CARL OSCAR LEVINE

Associate Professor of Animal Husbandry

Canton, China

1921

Butchering and Curing Meats in China

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

Origin of Meat Foods

Food Animals in China Section Hogs 1 Cattle 2 Water Buffalo 3 Sheep and Goats 4 Poultry 5

Selection of Animals for Slaughter Health 6 Condition 7 Breeding 8 Feeding 9 Age and Size for Killing 10

Preparation of the Animals for Slaughter

Bleeding and Dressing Hogs Tools 11 Scalding Equipment 12 Killing the Hog 13 “Watered” Meat 14 Scalding and Scraping 15 Gutting 16 Cooling the Carcass 17 Cutting up the Carcass 18 Shoulders 19 Middle Part 20 Hams 21 Trimmings 22 Head 23 Feet 24

Killing and Dressing Beef Tools 25 Stunning 26 Bleeding 27 Skinning and Gutting 28 Treatment of Hides 29

Killing and Dressing Sheep Stunning and Bleeding 30 Skinning 31 Gutting 32

Bleeding and Dressing Poultry Bleeding and Picking 33

Keeping Meat Fresh

Curing Meats: American Methods Preparing the Meat for Curing 34 Vessels for Curing 35 Curing Agents 36

Wet and Dry Cures Compared

Recipes for Curing Meats Corned Beef 37 Dried Beef 38 Plain Salt Pork 39 Dry Cured Pork 40 Sugar Cured Pork 41 Pork Sausage 42 Mixed Meat Sausage 43 Bologna Sausage 45 Smoked, or Country Sausage 46 Frankfort, or Vienna Sausage 47 Liver Sausage 48 Summer Sausage 49 Headcheese 50 Scrapple 51 Snow Packing 52 Partial Cooking 53 Rendering Lard 54 Smoked Meats 55 The Smoke House 56 The Fuel 57 Preparing Meat for Smoking 58 The Fire 59 Keeping Smoked Meats 60 Recipe for Yellow Wash 61

Chinese Meat Recipes Bean Sauce Sausage (腊腸) 62 Pickle for Bean Sauce Sausage 63 Preparing the Meat for Sausage 64 Sausage Casing (腸衣) 65 Softening the Casing 66 Filling the Casing 67 Sunning and Drying 68 Season and Weather for Making Sausage 69 Lean Pork Sausage (瘦肉腸) 70 Liver Sausage (潤腸) 71 _Tung Koon_ Sausage (東莞腊腸) 72 Oyster Sauce Sausage (蠔油腸) 73 Catsup Sausage 74 Roast or Baked Sausage (火腸) 75 Cured Ham 76 Sun Dried Pork (瘦𦡳肉) 77 Pickled Pig’s Feet (札蹄) 78 Pickled Beef 79 Dried Rice Birds (腊禾花雀) 80 Pork Stuffed Liver (金銀潤) 81 _Lo Mei_ (鹵味) 82 Roast Meat (燒肉) 83 Dried Duck (𦡳鴨) 84 Puffed Pig Skin (豬皮) 85

Preface

This bulletin discusses the different methods, both Chinese and foreign, of butchering and curing meats. The aim has been to present the material in a practical way so as to be of value to the general public as well as of special service in connection with the courses in Meats offered at the Canton Christian College.

The writer realizes that this bulletin is not complete, in that the subject, especially in regard to curing meats in different parts of China, is far from exhausted. However, it is thought best to publish in this form, and in a later edition to include additional material which may be secured on the subject. Constructive criticism on this bulletin will be received gladly.

The writer is especially indebted to the United States Department of Agriculture for permission to use material from its publications. Special acknowledgment is also due to Mr. Taam Sik Hung and Mr. W. L. Funkhouser of the agricultural staff of the Canton Christian College, who have made valuable suggestions in the preparation of the manuscript, to agricultural students who have taken the course in Meats under the writer’s supervision and have assisted in securing the data on Chinese methods of curing meats, and to Mr. A. H. Holt, Instructor of English in Canton Christian College, for his assistance in reading the manuscript.

C. O. Levine

Butchering and Curing Meats in China

Introduction

The Chinese, like most people, are lovers of pork, beef, mutton, and poultry, and consume these meats, both fresh and cured, in large quantities each year.

Fresh meat is practically all consumed within a few miles of the locality in which it is butchered. However large quantities of cured meats, especially cured pork and duck, are shipped long distances from the localities where they are cured. Cured hams and bacon are shipped from Kuling north to Peking, and south to Canton. Yunnan exports to Canton and other parts of China, to the Philippine Islands and other countries to the south, a considerable quantity of home cured ham, which is quite popular with the Chinese in those regions. On the other hand, a good deal of cured ham and bacon is imported, chiefly from Australia and England, to the various ports of China and finds its way inland.

For a number of years Canton Christian College has been studying the butchering and curing problems as they exist in southern China, particularly in the region of Canton. Meats of various kinds have been butchered and cured by the College. Both the foreign and Chinese methods of handling the meat have been practiced and studied. In this work special attention has been given to the butchering and curing of pork.

The climate of Canton is one not especially well adapted to curing meat. This is due to the fact that the temperature never falls below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, even in the coldest winter season. Further, this low a temperature is not maintained more than a few days of the winter season, and only at night. Before noon it usually rises to 50 or 60, following even the coldest nights. In spite of the fact that the temperature never gets very low, the work at the College has demonstrated that it is possible to produce good cured meat, if done properly, even without the use of ice. However there is some risk of the meat spoiling without ice, and it is recommended, especially in curing large pieces of meat, such as hams and shoulders, that ice be used to facilitate the cooling of the meat before the cure is applied.

Origin of Meat Foods

Man uses for his meat diet almost all classes of animal life. However, the principal classes of animals that supply the human race with meat food are: cattle, hogs, sheep, poultry, and, in China and southern Europe, the buffalo. In Northern China the camel and in Western China the yak are also used to some extent for food. Such animals as birds (other than poultry), rabbits, fish and other forms of water life, while of importance, do not provide as large a supply of meat food as do the domesticated animals mentioned above.

Food Animals in China

The animals in China from which the main supply of meat comes are swine, cattle, water buffalo, and poultry (including chickens, ducks, and geese).

§ 1. Hogs

Hogs in China are of both the bacon and lard types. The lard type is the most common, except in the provinces of Yunnan, Szechwan, and some regions in central China, where the bacon type is found.

The Chinese lard hogs are characterized by their large, pendulous bellies, sway-backs, light hams, and by their slowness in maturing. They are inferior hogs when compared with the improved breeds of Europe and America, but as a rule are better than the native hogs found in other parts of the Orient. Their large bellies and low backs are largely due to the fact that from the time the pigs begin to eat until they are butchered, all concentrate feeds are given in the form of a very wet swill, and they are allowed to drink all they can hold of such feed twice a day. Such feeding stretches the digestive tract to an abnormal degree, and permanently enlarges the belly and pulls down the back. By giving less water with the feed, and not allowing the pigs to fill up with all they can possibly hold, this abnormal development can largely be prevented. Intelligent breeding for several generations, by mating animals with the most desirable conformation, such as straight backs, wide, deep hams, long, deep bodies, short heads, and short legs, should bring about further improvement. Breeding for fast growing and early maturing animals should also be practiced, as the most profitable feeding is with young animals.

It is interesting to note that years ago the native lard hog of southern China was used to secure desirable characters in two of our most important modern breeds, the Berkshire and the Poland China breeds. However, since that time these western breeds have been further greatly improved by intelligent selection and breeding, while the Chinese hogs have been very little improved, if at all. To-day, in comparing the native Chinese lard hog with the modern western breeds, there is no resemblance in the Chinese hog to the wide, slightly arched back, deep, long sides, deep, full hams, small heads, short legs, and rapid growth of these modern breeds which have, in their origin, blood of the native Chinese lard hog.

Due to slow maturity and undesirable conformation, the Chinese hog is not as economical in converting feeds into meat as is the improved western hog. However, the meat is of good flavor and can be successfully cured. An exception to this is the case of animals that have been largely fed on rice bran, which produces a soft, oily pork, although no difficulty is experienced in curing such pork. Wheat bran produces a firm flesh. If a firm flesh is desired, it is important that rice bran or polish not be fed to hogs during the last six to eight weeks of the fattening period.

§ 2. Cattle

The main source of beef in China is the native “humped” cow, called by the people of southern China _Wong Ngau_ which means “yellow cow”. This native variety of humped cattle is a good beef animal, although there is room for a great deal of improvement by breeding for early maturity, greater size, and development of a more distinctly beef type.

§ 3. Water Buffalo Beef

The water buffalo, while chiefly used for draft purposes, is an important source of beef in China. There is very little difference in quality between the Chinese buffalo beef and ordinary beef. However, the lean meat of the buffalo is considerably darker in color than the lean meat in ordinary beef.

Young stock, up to three years old, that have not been used for draft purposes, are best for beef. Beef from buffalos or cattle that have been used for work for some time before butchering is generally tough, and less palatable than beef from animals that have not been worked.

§ 4. Sheep and Goats

In northern China, especially in the provinces of Shantung and Chihli, the fat-tailed variety of sheep is raised to a considerable extent, both for mutton and for wool. The covering of wool is light, however, when compared with that of the wool breeds, and this sheep is properly classed as a mutton sheep. They are so called because of their large fat tails, which are about three to four inches thick, six to eight inches wide, and eight to ten inches long. Fat-tailed sheep are shipped by rail and by boat to many parts of China from the regions in which they are raised.

The goat, while of less importance than the sheep as a source of meat, is raised in limited numbers in many parts of China for meat purposes. Meat from the goat is considered inferior to that from sheep.

§ 5. Poultry

The most common of all animal food in China is probably poultry. Many varieties of chickens, ducks, and geese are raised. Some of the best breeds of chickens for meat are the Langshang, from the Shanghai region, of which there are two varieties, the black and the white; and the Swatow, of which there are also two varieties, the white and buff. These breeds are large and meaty, individuals weighing from five to eight pounds. There is a number of other distinct breeds and varieties of chickens, which, while they are not as good for meat as the above, due to their smaller size, are used extensively for food.

In the region of Canton, the common variety of chickens used for meat, and also for egg production, is a small buff-colored variety, generally more or less mixed with other varieties. This variety, which is called _wong kai_ (黃雞) by the Cantonese, is becoming very popular in the Philippine Islands, where it is called the “Cantonese” chicken because of its introduction from Canton.

The most common ducks of southern China are of a dark colored variety. In north China the white Peking duck is the common variety. Both are excellent for meat.

There are three varieties of Chinese geese; the grey, white, and brown. The grey variety is probably more generally used for meat than are the other two varieties. It is the only variety raised on a large scale in southern China, and its meat is of excellent quality. Chinese geese are distinguished from other breeds of geese by the fleshy protuberance at the base of the bill and front of the skull.

Selection of Animals for Slaughter

§ 6. Health

In the selection of animals for slaughter health should be given first consideration. Even though the animal has been fairly fed and carries a prime finish, the best quality of meat cannot be obtained if the animal is unhealthy. If the animal has fever or serious derangement of any kind, the meat will not be wholesome. There is little direct evidence of harmful results from the use of animals in the first stages of such diseases as tuberculosis, cholera, plague, rinderpest, and such diseases, but the only safe course is to discourage the use of any animal for food that is known to be in imperfect health. The keeping qualities of meat are always impaired by fever or other derangements of the system. Bruises, broken limbs, and like accidents all have the same effect on the meat as ill health, and unless the animal can be dressed immediately after such accidents, it is best not to use the meat for food. This is especially true if the rise in temperature, which usually results from such accidents, has been 2 degrees F. or more. A rise in temperature just before slaughtering usually results in a stringy, bluish meat, which is difficult to cure. Animals should not be butchered while in heat, as the meat of such animals will be strong, and cannot be cured, as it sours quickly.

§ 7. Condition

First class meat cannot be obtained from animals in poor flesh. The proper amount of fat must be present to give juiciness and flavor to the meat. It is more important, however, that the animal should be in good physical condition than that it should be very fat. “Never kill an animal when it is losing flesh” is a maxim followed by butchers. There is a good deal of truth in the saying. When the animal is losing in flesh, the muscle fibers are shrinking in volume and contain correspondingly less water. As a result, the meat is tougher and drier. When an animal is gaining in flesh, the opposite condition prevails, and a better quality of meat results. Also, a better quality of meat will be obtained from an animal in medium flesh, but gaining in weight, than from a very fat animal that is neither gaining nor losing in flesh.

§ 8. Breeding

Because of careless selection of breeding stock, most of the hogs in the region of Canton have low backs, large bellies, scant hams, never produce the best quality of meat, and have a low dressing percentage. The improved hog with a level or slightly arched wide back, long, deep, smooth sides, full hams, and short neck and head, has meat of the best quality, and such hogs have the highest dressing percentage. Fine bone, soft hair, and mellow flesh, qualities generally found in well bred animals, are desired in all animals used for meat, as they indicate meat of a good quality, with a minimum of waste.

§ 9. Feeding

The kind of food the hog gets during the last six or eight weeks of the fattening period largely determines the flavor and the character of the meat. During that period, it is best not to feed very much of rice bran, or peanut cake, as when such feeds are given they produce very soft, oily fat. Wheat bran and corn produce a firm fat, and one or the other, or both together, should constitute a large part of the grain ration for the fattening hog.

§ 10. Age and Size for Killing

It is a well known fact that meat from an old animal is very likely to be tough and difficult to cook sufficiently to make it tender. On the other hand, meat from very young animals is watery and often lacks flavor. An old animal in good condition is to be preferred to a young one in poor condition. Hogs can be killed for meat any time after six weeks, but the most profitable age at which to slaughter is from eight to ten months. Hogs at that age have a higher dressing percentage than when younger. Gain in weight is made at a lower cost in young animals than in older animals. For this reason, it is not advisable to keep a hog much longer than twelve months, or a beef animal more than two years, unless feed is very cheap.

If the pork is to be cured, the hogs for butchering should weigh from one hundred and thirty to two hundred pounds. Larger hogs can be butchered conveniently, although a hog much heavier will be more difficult to handle.

In southern China, where the day temperature is seldom below sixty degrees Fahrenheit during the butchering season, a difficulty in cooling the meat will be experienced, unless ice is used, and if the meat is not properly cooled it will not cure well.

Chickens have the most tender meat at the age of three to six months, depending on the variety, and at that age sell for the highest price. Poultry that have just reached maturity are best for curing.

Preparation of the Animals for Slaughter

It is important that the animal to be slaughtered should not be given food from twenty to thirty hours before slaughtering. If kept on full feed until just before it is killed the circulatory system is gorged, and the blood, loaded with assimilated nutrients is driven to the extremities of the capillaries. In such condition, it is impossible to drain the veins thoroughly, and a reddish colored, unattractive carcass will result. Food in the digestive tract decomposes very rapidly after the animal is killed, and when the dressing is slow the gases from such decomposing food are apt to flavor the meat.

Water should be given freely up to the time of slaughter, as it helps to keep the temperature normal and helps to wash the waste matter from the system, resulting in a nicely colored carcass.

The care of the animals before slaughter has considerable effect on the meat. They should not be excited in any way sufficiently to raise the body temperature. Excitement will prevent proper draining of the blood vessels, and, if extreme, will cause souring of the meat on curing. An animal should never be killed immediately after it has been heated by a hard run. It is better to let such an animal rest until the next day rather than to run the risk of the meat spoiling, as the meat of an animal that has been overheated will not keep well. Such meat is usually of pale color and very often will become sour or putrid within three or four days after it has been dressed, even though kept near the freezing point while it is being cured.

Care should be taken not to bruise the animals in handling them just before killing. Bruises cause the blood to settle in the part of the carcass affected, presenting an uninviting appearance, besides affecting the curing qualities of the meat.

Before killing, a twenty-five hour fast, plenty of clean water, careful handling and rest, are all important items in securing the best quality of meat, either for cooking fresh or for curing purposes.

Bleeding and Dressing Hogs

§ 11. Tools

The essential tools for doing good work at killing time are: A good sticking knife, a cleaver, a 14-inch steel on which to sharpen the knives, hog hooks, bell-shaped scrapers, meat saw, and gambrel. More than one of each tool is necessary if many hogs are to be butchered and handled efficiently. A block and tackle will reduce labor in hanging the hog for gutting.

§ 12. Scalding Equipment