The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

The idle grill was fired up with charcoal, and soon a worker handed over the barbecue tools.

The grill at Four Seas Banquet was much more sophisticated than the temporary setup at Qianlima.

With its own exhaust system and a wide grilling area, it can cook over a dozen lamb spines at once.

In front of the grill!

Fu Yu placed the barbecue tongs on the grill, skillfully brushed oil, and set the skewered fresh lamb spines in place.

On Master Sun’s side, he started grilling a new batch of five-spice lamb spines.

As Fu Yu began grilling, the attention of both Master Sun and Luo Rang was almost entirely on him.

Under normal circumstances, lamb spines are boiled in water before being grilled over charcoal.

This way, the grilled lamb spines come out crispy and tender, with the best flavor.

Blanching allows the addition of scallion segments and cooking wine, along with a bit of vinegar, which perfectly removes the characteristic muttony smell.

However, the middle-aged male customer’s request was for a direct fresh grill.

So Fu Yu did not blanch the meat but went straight to grilling it in its original flavor.

Unlike lamb chops, lamb spines have uneven meat distribution, making it easy to control the cooking time on the grill and ensure that every part of the meat is enveloped by the charcoal fire.

In terms of grilling, Luo Rang is somewhat of an amateur, having observed the process many times but rarely having the chance to actually do it himself.

Therefore, he didn’t understand the many cooking challenges involved in grilling fresh meat.

But Master Sun is a true expert.

He knows very well how difficult it is to grill fresh meat to perfection.

Fresh meat that’s not blanched and directly placed on the grill cannot be cooked through without a long grilling time.

But if the grilling time is too long, the meat ends up dry and tough.

If fresh meat grilling is already this difficult to master, then grilling the irregularly shaped lamb spines is even more challenging.

Achieving a crispy outside and tender inside to just the right degree is incredibly hard.

While busy with his own tasks, Master Sun couldn’t help but keep an eye on Fu Yu’s grilling.

He wanted to see how Fu Yu’s grilling skills measured up and to find out what techniques he might be using.

Even though Fu Yu looks young and not particularly formidable, appearances can be deceiving, especially given his previous success with seafood barbecue takeout.

Even though Master Sun was somewhat unwilling to accept it, he dared not underestimate Fu Yu for a second.

The lamb spines used at Four Seas Banquet are meatier, first steeped in braising brine for flavor, then grilled over high heat to achieve a crispy exterior.

Fu Yu skipped these steps while grilling and instead focused solely on controlling the heat, precisely turning the lamb spines over, moving them up, down, left, and right.

For him, this was no challenge.

Thus, he operated with a relaxed demeanor and smooth movements.

The assistant chef beside him was watching Fu Yu intently, amazed by his fluid and polished technique, his eyes full of envy and admiration!

Is this Qianlima’s head chef?

No wonder he can barbecue seafood that outshines other professional barbecue chefs, even the assistant could sense an unfamiliar vibe emanating from Fu Yu, distinguishing him from the usual kitchen staff.

Fu Yu seemed to have an indescribable aura!

Grilling is one of the more dirty and chaotic tasks among cooking techniques.

It’s smoky, tiring, and hectic.

Typically, anyone staying in the grilling zone for a short time would break into a sweat, with their chef’s attire covered in greasy stains.

But look at Fu Yu.

In the seemingly chaotic grilling zone, with Master Sun standing nearby drenched, seemingly melting away,

Fu Yu remained clean and fresh at the grill, moving quickly and wearing an easy expression as he grilled.

This isn’t entirely accurate!

Fu Yu was sweating too, with beads of sweat at his temples and forehead, yet the chef’s jacket he wore appeared as clean as new.

Standing by the grill, he didn’t seem to be working but rather putting on a perfect culinary display, exuding an effortless grace born from expertise in every move.

Unlike the assistant, Luo Rang and Master Sun focused on Fu Yu’s hand movements.

The crevices between the lamb spine bones are rugged and deep, making it hard to precisely control the angle during grilling.

Luo Rang noticed Fu Yu’s fast hands, constantly adjusting the angle of the lamb spines near the grill.

This seemed to utilize the intense heat of the charcoal in the grill to evenly dry the lamb spines’ surface quickly, achieving a crispy exterior and tender interior.

Throughout the grilling process, Fu Yu didn’t sprinkle any seasonings, as doing so wouldn’t penetrate the lamb spines entirely.

If seasoning was added just to enhance the taste of the meat’s outer layer, it might affect the final taste experience when using sauces.

Master Sun noticed that Fu Yu was indeed highly skilled in grilling.

He didn’t let the coals burn too fiercely.

This point is actually crucial.

If the coals burn too hot during grilling, it’s very easy to char the meat.

The best grilling method is to keep the coals controlled, not too vigorous, while constantly turning the meat.

Before discussing grilling techniques, Fu Yu was already perfect at temperature control.

This prompted Master Sun to take a second look at him.

Possessing such refined skills suggests at least several years of grilling experience.

Although he never asked, he estimated that Fu Yu was at most twenty-three or four years old.

It seems he must have started learning to cook at a young age.

Who was his mentor?

They certainly had an eye for talent.

After all, spotting culinary potential at such a young age can be difficult.

Being an excellent chef requires not only persistence but also strong physical stamina.

Standing at the cook station, flipping pans continuously for three to four hours isn’t something most people can endure.

Meanwhile, in a private room in the front hall, the middle-aged man was smiling as he chatted with two young companions: ”As the saying goes, pork can’t compare to beef, and beef can’t compare to lamb. And lamb spines are the quintessential part of lamb, tender yet not greasy, full of marrow but not slippery, with a rich aroma but no gamey smell.”

”For young girls concerned about keeping in shape, this is the best. Satisfies cravings without gaining weight, nutritious without increasing fat.”

The two young women laughed: ”Really, eating meat without gaining weight?”

The middle-aged man nodded seriously: ”Of course, it’s true! I’m telling you, after eating these lamb spines, having a bowl of pure lamb soup is the ultimate experience. Have you ever heard of using the original broth to enhance the original food?”

Then the middle-aged man added with some regret: ”But their lamb soup isn’t worth it, claiming to be authentic, it’s really just braising broth, not authentic at all!”

”Back in the day, I had genuine lamb spine soup in Inner Mongolia, oh my, the broth was simmered to a milky white, rich yet not greasy, with no gamey smell. The lamb spines are boiled together in a large pot to make soup, with fresh cubed lamb and cleaned lamb offal added into the pot to cook... that flavor, it’s truly, well...”