Anyang Sanxun (the three smoked)

Anyang Sanxun (the three smoked)
  

  The Anyang Sanxun ( the three smoked) includes the smoked chicken, the smoked egg and the smoked pig’s offal, with the first two appearing earlier. Being local specialties, they are extremely well-known throughout the north of Henan Province and the south of Hebei Province.
     The “ the three smoked ” was first produced in 1922 when Shao Jinrong, a cooked meat dealer, set up a delicatessen store named “Rongqinglou” to sell smoked chicken, smoked egg, smoked rabbit meat, sausage and smoked pork joint. He employed Zhou Yucai from Cizhou city to manage the store. Eleven years later, Shao Jinrong passed away, his nephew Yan Haode succeded him as the owner of the store and changed the name to “Deqinglou”. Yan Haode retained the cooking skills of making smoked chicken and egg, but produced them on small scale. After the founding of new China in 1949, along with the improvement in the living standard of people in both rural and urban areas, they were eager for better quality and varieties in their smoked meats. Catering to their requirements, Yan Haode and other chefs developed the specialty of smoke pig’s offal; including pig’s head, tripe and tongue. This became popular with the local people. Recently, although the production has been expanded and the supply is increasing, they can not meet the demand of the customers.
     The “ the three smoked ” are made carefully with a great variety of ingredients. At first, the meat or egg to be smoked should be braised and then put on a steamer especially made for smoking. After that, the sawdust is lit (that of the pine tree is better) and mixed with a few braches and nuts of the cypress in the cooker. At the same time, they are turned over every three or four minutes, in order to make sure they are evenly heated, until the meat turns primrose yellow or yellowish-brown. The last step is to daub a little sesame oil on the skin. The “the three smoked ” is characterized by its bright color, crisp skin, aromatic flavor, and delicious taste. They are all excellent in color, flavor, taste and appearance. A special bonus of this type of meat is that it does not easily go bad in summer.