Culinary God in Wilderness

"Oh, right, right. It’s kinda ringing a bell. I remember 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-flame 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 meat 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 time, Lin Chen moved the pan off the fire and set it aside to rest. At the same time, he grabbed a handful of sea salt and sprinkled it evenly over the duck breasts and meat skewers. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

DRIP.

A drop of fat from the duck leg’s skin fell onto the charcoal, instantly causing a large flame 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 metal wires, immediately 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 meat were stacked neatly together. The edges were slightly charred but not completely blackened—the perfect state for charcoal-grilled meat.

Looking closer, he could faintly see a hint of pink where the cubes of meat pressed against each other.

’Medium-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-flame 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 meat was extremely faint, almost imperceptible. It was definitely more cooked than the medium-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 meat.

Without the barrier of duck skin and with no oil brushed on, the surface of these meat 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 meat’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 meat were gone in no time. 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 time of charred, brown duck skin.

This time, he didn’t waste time with words. After blowing on it a couple of times, 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 meat?’

"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 some cumin and chili powder. Eating it plain just feels like something’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 come find you after the show is over!"

Countless loyal viewers in Lin Chen’s livestream chat had the same 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 former loyal customers’ eyes lit up in eager anticipation. Some of the more impatient ones even immediately 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 meat, 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 some chopped cilantro on as a garnish.

In less than a minute, the simple pan-seared duck breast had been transformed into an exquisite dish, comparable to something 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 time, 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 me, 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 something when a notification suddenly popped into his mind.

[Made an exquisite dish in the North American wilderness and received a guest’s praise. Happiness +3]