salted meat, brine from pickled meat
醓 centers on meat preserved in salt: salted meat itself, or the brine that results from pickling meat.
醓 combines 酉 (a jar for alcohol or fermentation) with 冘 and 皿 (a dish or vessel), suggesting meat preserved in a jar or vessel with brine. The exact historical development is uncertain.
The left side 酉 is a fermentation jar, and the right side shows a vessel 皿 with something inside. Picture salted meat fermenting in a jar, producing a rich brine.
For タン, imagine a tan-colored brine in the jar: tan -> タン, and the salted meat gives the brine its color.