"Oh, right, right. It’s kinda ringing a bell. I rember now."
Lin Chen silently rolled his eyes, pretending not to notice the old guy playing dumb.
With a pan blocking the middle, the temperature under the grill rack dropped significantly, almost turning the direct-fla grilling into smoke-roasting.
This was a deliberate move on Lin Chen’s part. Never mind the duck legs for now; the other skewers, the ones without skin, would easily dry out over such high heat, becoming tough and stringy. Smoke-roasting was necessary to slow down the moisture loss.
Fresh at like this didn’t need any special seasonings. A sprinkle of salt was enough to bring out its natural, delicious flavor.
When he flipped the two duck breasts for the third ti, Lin Chen moved the pan off the fire and set it aside to rest. At the sa ti, he grabbed a handful of sea salt and sprinkled it evenly over the duck breasts and at skewers.
DRIP.
A drop of fat from the duck leg’s skin fell onto the charcoal, instantly causing a large fla to flare up.
Lin Chen carefully gripped the wooden skewers, wiggling them from side to side to cleanly lift the two duck legs off the grill rack. He flipped them and set them back down.
The already slightly yellowed duck skin was instantly seared with a grid-like, charred brown pattern from the hot tal wires, imdiately looking like proper barbecue.
"Here."
Just as Andre was staring intently at the tempting duck legs, practically drooling, Lin Chen unexpectedly grabbed two skewers and handed them over.
"They’re done already?"
Taking the skewers, he saw that the pinky-fingernail-sized cubes of at were stacked neatly together. The edges were slightly charred but not completely blackened—the perfect state for charcoal-grilled at.
Looking closer, he could faintly see a hint of pink where the cubes of at pressed against each other.
’dium-well?’
Andre looked at Lin Chen in surprise.
’We’re out in the wild. Is it really okay to not cook it all the way through?’
"Don’t worry," Lin Chen said. He had kept a skewer for himself and, right in front of Andre, slid off a few pieces of duck and began chewing them heartily.
"The main concern people have is that wild animals might carry parasites or germs. But, like you said, the King’s Down Duck lives in the Arctic Circle. The cold weather itself inhibits the reproduction of most parasites."
"According to international food safety regulations, when cooking duck, the internal temperature has to exceed 70 degrees Celsius for at least one minute. I’m using a combination of smoke-roasting and direct-fla grilling. The waves of hot air and the smoke are enough to eliminate any potential risks."
"More importantly, most parasites in wild animals are found in the internal organs. There’s nothing to worry about."
After hearing his explanation, Andre was clearly much more relieved.
Besides, looking at the spot where Lin Chen had bitten, he could see the pink inside the at was extrely faint, almost imperceptible. It was definitely more cooked than the dium-well he had first thought.
The afternoon of physical labor had already depleted his energy reserves. With such a delicacy in front of him, he couldn’t be bothered with reservations. He opened his mouth wide and fiercely pulled off a few pieces of the piping-hot duck at.
Without the barrier of duck skin and with no oil brushed on, the surface of these at cubes was slightly dry and charred, the grid pattern from the grill rack clearly visible. He could distinctly taste a light smoky flavor as he chewed, yet the inside was still tender and had retained a good amount of its juices.
A hint of saltiness perfectly elevated the at’s flavor to its peak. Even though it hadn’t been treated in any way, he couldn’t taste any of the usual gaminess of duck.
If he hadn’t watched Lin Chen prepare it with his own eyes, he would have thought he was holding a skewer of pork.
The two skewers of duck at were gone in no ti. Andre licked his lips, not quite satisfied, feeling as if the appetizer had vanished just as his appetite was whetted.
"Here."
Lin Chen handed over two more skewers, this ti of charred, brown duck skin.
This ti, he didn’t waste ti with words. After blowing on it a couple of tis, he dared to pop it into his mouth.
"CRUNCH"
A distinct crispiness, carrying a rich, fatty aroma, exploded in his mouth. The duck skin in the center was soft and chewy, a stark contrast to the crunchy texture of the outer edges.
Andre’s eyes lit up. He felt like he’d just stumbled upon a hidden treasure.
’This grilled duck skin... why does it taste even better than the at?’
"What a pity."
As Andre was marveling at the deliciousness of the duck skin, Lin Chen sighed gloomily.
"It would have been perfect if I could have brushed it with a layer of sauce and sprinkled on so cumin and chili powder. Eating it plain just feels like sothing’s missing."
’This stuff is so delicious, and you’re still not satisfied??’
Andre stared intently at Lin Chen’s expression. After confirming he wasn’t just acting, a powerful urge to try authentic Great Xia barbecue welled up inside him.
"Lin, do you sell barbecue from your food truck?"
"I didn’t before, but I think I can in the future."
"Where do you set up shop?"
"Downtown Toronto, for now."
"I’ll co find you after the show is over!"
Countless loyal viewers in Lin Chen’s livestream chat had the sa idea. After hearing he had a stall in Toronto, they all started searching for information about it online.
But a food truck set up on the street rarely attracts much notice. There was very little information to be found, just a few appearances in news articles about the growing popularity of Great Xia cuisine.
However, many of Lin Chen’s forr loyal custors’ eyes lit up in eager anticipation. So of the more impatient ones even imdiately started searching to see if there was any Great Xia barbecue for sale in Chinatown.
"Alright, I’ll be waiting for you."
After finishing his own skewer of duck skin, Lin Chen flipped the duck legs again. Then, he skewered the offal—the heart, gizzard, and intestines. The thicker heart and gizzard had already been scored and sliced into appropriate sizes.
Once the offal skewers were on the grill, the pan-seared duck breast that had been resting was about ready.
His sharp military knife sliced down, evenly cutting the crisply seared duck breast into thick slices, about the width of a pinky finger.
With every slice, crystalline juices flowed from the tender white muscle fibers of the duck at, a clear sign that his control over the heat was masterful.
He arranged the sliced duck breast in an overlapping stack in the center of the small pan. Then, he fished out a few golden Elfin Saddle Mushrooms and porcini from the crab broth and scattered them around and on top. He tucked a few colorful berries into the gaps and sprinkled so chopped cilantro on as a garnish.
In less than a minute, the simple pan-seared duck breast had been transford into an exquisite dish, comparable to sothing served in a fine dining restaurant.
"I’m impressed. I’m thoroughly impressed."
Andre gave him a double thumbs-up, his face full of admiration.
’He really is a professional chef. In such a short ti, not only did he figure out several ways to cook one duck, but he’s also constantly innovating with limited ingredients. And now he’s even plating it beautifully.’
’If it were , I’d probably just grab it with my hands and start gnawing on it. I would never have thought of all this.’
Lin Chen smiled, clearly quite pleased with his own spontaneous masterpiece.
He had just opened his mouth to say sothing when a notification suddenly popped into his mind.
[Made an exquisite dish in the North Arican wilderness and received a guest’s praise. Happiness 3]
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