Back in the 1980s, hiking in the mountains was also a way of life

Chapter 537 Oil and Bacon
This time, Wang An and his three companions were not as meticulous in unloading the meat as they usually were when they were working in the mountains.

Normally, when we kill a wild boar or a bear, we try to separate the bones and meat, take the meat away and throw away the bones.

Of course, when there is little prey, they will also bring back some meaty bones.

Although this will waste a lot of meat on the bones, it is also a helpless move in order to reduce weight and volume.

After all, the entire skeleton of a large animal is quite heavy, which undoubtedly adds a lot of burden to the horse pulling the sled.

Besides, every time we go into the mountains, the distance is not short, and the saying "You can't carry a needle for a thousand miles" is not only applicable to humans, but also to mules and horses.

Four people worked together to remove the meat, and they just did a simple cut, so the speed was still very fast.

After unloading the entire bear, Mu Xueli said to Wang An:
"Brother-in-law, should we bring the horses over to load the meat, or just move the tent over here?"

The reason why Mu Xueli asked this was that both the gold panning site and the gold digging site were far away from the tent.

So although it is quite troublesome to move the tent, it is a one-time thing.

Wang An looked at the brown bear meat and said:

"Sharpening the knife makes the work of chopping wood easier. Leave the meat here first and move the tent."

After Wang An finished speaking, Feng Chengmin also echoed:

"Yeah, it's several miles round trip, and I wasted some time walking."

As they talked, the four of them walked towards the tent together.

There were many people, many horses, and many things, so by the time the four men had moved all the things, including the tents, to a suitable location, more than two hours had passed.

In such a deep forest, if you want to spend a night simply, just find a place sheltered from the wind.

But if you want to camp permanently, especially from this season until late autumn, it is best to find a more suitable geographical location.

It must be sheltered from the wind, have a wide view, and not be located in a place that is too low.

The most important thing is that there should be no potholes near the tent, such as places with many rat holes or rabbit holes.

Although these things are known to anyone who often goes into the mountains, they are crucial for those who have never been into the mountains or have been there very few times.

The reason why there are so many things to do when entering the mountains is actually quite simple, it can be summed up in two words: "safety".

There is only one purpose for being in a shelter from the wind, and that is to keep warm. A shelter from the wind does not mean a place without wind, as long as it is not in a place where the wind is blowing.

The purpose of having a wide field of vision is to allow people to pay attention to the surrounding situation at any time so that they can prepare or take precautions in advance.

The reason why the terrain cannot be too low is that in the mountains, any heavy rainstorm can cause flash floods.

Whenever a flash flood occurs, even if people can escape, it would be disastrous if all the supplies are washed away. The most basic problem is, what to eat?

You have to know that when facing such natural disasters, people are not powerless, but desperate.

Besides, the place where Wang An and others were located was right next to the river. As we all know, as long as there is a flood, the river will inevitably surge or even burst its banks, so the height of the terrain is very critical.

Finally, the reason why there shouldn’t be any potholes near the campsite is pretty simple.

On the one hand, it is convenient for people to enter and exit when walking, but on the other hand, there are many rat holes or rabbit holes in potholes, which can easily injure the horse's legs.

You have to know that in this deep forest of more than 200 miles, if you don't have a horse, it will be very difficult to get out. Wang An and his four companions wandered around the meat pile for a long time before they found a relatively suitable location, which was actually halfway up the mountain. Then, the four people began to set up tents and cook stoves again.

After everything was done, the four of them carried a large pile of bear meat to the vicinity of the tent.

During this period of time, although flies, mosquitoes and other insects have not yet come out, such a large amount of bear meat will definitely attract the attention of carnivores, so the four decided to process all the meat.

The simplest processing method is oil and smoke.

Both methods can cover up the bloody smell of the meat and also allow it to be stored for a long time.

The mountain animals during this time are the thinnest in the year, because this time period is commonly known as the "lean period" in the year.

Of course, this is also true for people in rural areas and even all Chinese people.

The food supply has run out, and the stored dried wild vegetables and mushrooms, as well as the cabbage, potatoes and other things in the cellar will all be eaten up.

However, the wild vegetables and delicacies that can be used to fill hunger in the mountains have not yet grown.

In other words, this period of time is truly the most difficult time.

In fact, it is precisely because of this that this big bear weighs only 1,300 to 1,400 kilograms. If it were the end of autumn, it would be normal for this big bear to weigh at least 1,500 to 1,600 kilograms.

So even though the big bear is big, it doesn't have much fat on its body. As for the oil, it is more greasy than oily.

This unexpectedly coincided with the thoughts of Wang An and others.

You know, when you are hungry, chewing a few pieces of fried dough sticks is both delicious and filling. The feeling of happiness will instantly fill you up and quickly spread to every corner of your body.

After the four men chopped a large pile of firewood, they started to work.

The four of them first cut the meat into strips together. When the large iron pot was filled with meat strips and peaked out, they added a few handfuls of salt and a little water, then built a wood fire under the iron pot.

Remember, you must add salt when frying, otherwise no matter it is greasy or oily, it will soon turn into bacon and bacon oil, commonly known as "rancid".

A wood fire does not need to be watched all the time. Just add two more logs after the first log burns out.

So after lighting the iron pot, Wang An and the other three continued to cut the meat into strips. When they had cut almost a whole pot of meat, they began to cut the meat into wide strips.

Wide strips of meat are used for smoking.

In fact, before making smoked meat, it normally needs to be marinated, but in these mountains, there are simply no conditions for that.

So Wang An and the other three simply rubbed the meat strips with salt and hung them over the fire.

Someone may ask, how to hang meat on the fire?

I have to say, this is a good question!
But this problem is not a problem at all.

Three wooden poles are placed diagonally together on each side. A rope is tied at the junction of the three wooden poles according to their height, so that a three-legged bracket is formed on each side.

Finally, place a tree trunk horizontally between the two supports. It can be dry or wet, thick or thin.

It's that simple.

(End of this chapter)