Chapter 47 - 47 The Charm of Grilled Beef Short Ribs
At Qin Lang’s words, Dan Bao’s face lit up with joy.
After two full hours of special training, the firepower demand could finally be met!
Now, it was time for Dan Bao to show off his skills!
Seeing Qin Lang sprinkle some black pepper on the previously thawed beef short ribs before placing it on a metal grill, Dan Bao’s spirits rose in an instant. Was it time to grill the meat?
Receiving an affirmative look from Qin Lang, Dan Bao took another deep breath, then blew out a stream of fire with all his might, maintaining the stability of the flame just as he’d been trained to do.
Under the heat of the flame, the white snowflake patterns on the side of the beef short ribs in contact with the metal grill quickly melted, turning into luscious oil that glossed each texture of the meat, making a sizzling sound in a very short time.
The evenly ground sea salt and black pepper soaking into this oil was intensely activated, quickly integrating into the textures of the beef.
The meaty aroma, mixed with a slight milk fragrance, explosively burst forth from the beef short ribs on the metal grill mere seconds after being fired. The robust scent forcefully flooded into Qin Lang and Dan Bao’s nostrils.
Dan Bao was salivating. Driven by the overwhelming aroma of the meat, the flame he was breathing became somewhat unstable due to his excitement.
Upon realizing his mistake, Dan Bao quickly suppressed his cravings, refocusing his attention on controlling the heat.
He surreptitiously glanced at Qin Lang and noticed his calm demeanor, which eased his worries.
It was just a brief lapse of control; it shouldn’t affect the taste of the grilled meat…
Qin Lang reached out to pat Dan Bao’s head with one hand, while the other hand used tongs to flip the beef short ribs that had been seeping juice and shrinking at the edges due to the heat.
The side that had been grilled was no longer the blood red of raw meat but was now an attractive light brown, punctuated by intersecting deep brown sear marks slightly embedded into the meat.
This contact between the beef short ribs and the metal grill ensured even heating and enhanced the Maillard reaction, speeding up the development of the beef’s flavors.
“Sizzle…”
The sizzling sound, which had been gradually softening, sharpened once more after Qin Lang flipped the meat.
Residual oil on the metal grill accelerated the melting of the oil on the other side of the meat. A smoother grilling process following the flip made the rich aroma surge out like a torrential flood.
Both Qin Lang and Dan Bao were getting a bit fidgety amidst this intoxicating meaty aroma.
The thinly sliced beef short ribs, which didn’t need to be flipped again, could be eaten directly once the second side reached a similar level of doneness as the first.
Qin Lang used a pair of cooking scissors to cut the large beef short ribs into several small pieces, fed one to Dan Bao, who had already stopped the flames and was drooling, and then picked up another small piece to taste it himself.
The next moment, the eyes of both man and spirit radiated bright lights.
The meat juice perfectly locked in during grilling burst out instantly as they chewed. The slightly milk-scented, savoury meat taste blended perfectly with the black pepper used as a seasoning, offering their taste buds an extraordinary experience.
The original flavour of the beef and the unique taste of black pepper fused together, instantly overflowing in their mouths and amplifying the satisfaction of eating meat through their olfactory senses to an extreme degree.
The grilled beef short ribs were tender yet firm, and its chewy texture was ineffable.
If they had been cut a bit thicker, the texture would have been stodgy. If they had been cut a bit thinner, the delight of eating meat would have been compromised.
Under Qin Lang’s control, the fine detail of thickness infused soul into the grilled meat.
High-end ingredients often only require the most basic cooking methods.
These premium beef short ribs, cultivated by the Food Recommender, Fu Hang, underwent just simple seasoning and cooking but have already offered an unparalleled wonderful experience to both man and spirit.
But this wasn’t the end yet.
“Don’t rush.”
Stopping Dan Bao, who was about to snatch another piece of meat, Qin Lang smiled as he picked up a small piece of meat, dipped it in some self-made barbecue dipping sauce, wrapped it in lettuce, and then handed it over to Dan Bao.
“Aah-”
With a sparkle in its eyes, Dan Bao’s little head popped out of its body and bit the grilled meat wrapped in lettuce.
Qin Lang followed suit and shoved some into his mouth.
At first bite, there was nothing too special, but as he chewed, the roast meat wrapped inside the lettuce was revealed. When crispy, fresh lettuce mixed with roast meat, a whole new culinary experience exploded between his lips.
The freshness of the lettuce excellently neutralized the greasiness of the meat. The salty and spicy grilled meat dipping sauce moderately compensated for the blandness of the lettuce. It didn’t conflict with the flavor of the meat itself at all, instead complementing it perfectly.
It was undeniably roast meat, but with this way of eating, it had a different taste.
“Want to try this way?” Qin Lang opened a food box revealing thin-sliced melons inside. He took out a piece and stacked it with the roast meat before feeding it to Dan Bao.
“And this one.” Qin Lang opened another food box like a magician, taking out a thin piece of translucent steamed noodle skin. After brushing on some barbecue sauce and adding spicy cabbage, he wrapped the grilled meat and handed it to Dan Bao.
“And also…”
One after another, different ways of eating grilled meat were displayed in Qin Lang’s hands.
Both he and Dan Bao ate with great satisfaction.
A full kilogram of beef short ribs ended up in their stomachs.
The remaining kilogram, which he didn’t bring out of the fridge, Qin Lang planned to possibly use in the cooking contest.
If he didn’t need it there, he could have another feast.
After quickly cleaning up, Qin Lang and Dan Bao lazily leaned against a willow tree nearby.
The afternoon sunlight was just perfect. The clear water of the Yun Yue River flowed gently. The sound of it in their ears was soft, and the dancing shadows of the tree fell on Qin Lang’s handsome face and on Dan Bao in his arms.
After resting for a while, they frolicked by the river.
Until a shout came faintly from the other side of the park.
“Selling oranges-Big and sweet oranges-”
As the shout got closer, Qin Lang couldn’t help but look over.
Dongxia City didn’t produce oranges, so good quality ones were scarce.
Seeing the elderly man slowly walking towards him and the pole on his shoulders, Qin Lang’s eyes lit up.
The quality of these oranges was indeed good.
“Dan Bao, you go play first. I’m going to pick some oranges.” Qin Lang left Dan Bao and walked towards the old man, “Old man, let me check out your oranges.”
“All right, young man, feel free to choose.”
The old man stopped happily and put down his pole for Qin Lang to pick.
Left by the riverside, Dan Bao looked around and its eyes lit up.
It spotted a crab slowly climbing out of the river.
Dan Bao had never seen an animal that walked sideways before.
It couldn’t resist getting closer, trying to greet this creature with two large claws.
The crab didn’t appreciate the gesture and aimed for Dan Bao’s dangling tail with a lightning-fast grab of its claw.
Clack-
“Loo!!!”