Grilled meat skewers
With the helper from Fuyun Pavilion found, Fu Zhi Qiao was completely relieved. She stopped being distracted and focused all her energy on teaching Gao Xiang Feng how to make barbecue.
After all, this matter concerns Taibailou's performance in the fourth quarter.
She needs to prepare a lot of spices for making barbecue in advance.
The cumin was bought from the Western Regions by Peng Gaofei's caravan. The most important thing for making roast meat is the seasoning. Prepare more than ten kinds of spices such as Sichuan peppercorns, cumin, dogwood, cloves, fennel, and star anise. Heat a dry pot, stir-fry over low heat, add salt and grind into powder. Finally, add an appropriate amount of five-spice powder and stir well.
You can eat it grilled or dipped in sauce.
This is a simple barbecue recipe that Fu Zhiqiao created based on his memory of the taste. The flavor can't compare to that of a professional chef, but it's enough for the people of Dawei who have never tasted the rich flavor of barbecue before.
Fu Zhiqiao spent two whole days in her own kitchen, and finally, with the help of two cooks, she made the barbecue seasoning.
As she came out of the kitchen, a servant reported that the iron frame she had ordered had been retrieved.
The iron frame is a barbecue grill.
The blacksmith shop where Sheng An had taken her to customize the barbecue grill was the one he had visited before. She just needed to give the drawings to the blacksmith and come back in three days to pick it up. Today was exactly the third day. Fu Zhi Qiao breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the barbecue grill. The grill was made in the shape of a concave charcoal trough, with charcoal at the bottom and meat directly on top. The grill was about 1.5 meters long, and it was no problem to grill dozens of skewers at a time.
The barbecue seasoning is ready, and the barbecue grill is done. Now everything is ready except for the charcoal. Oh, right, we also need bamboo skewers!
Making meat skewers requires bamboo skewers, but shaving bamboo skewers is not difficult. If the workers are skilled, they can shave hundreds of skewers in an afternoon. She asked Defu to arrange for someone to take care of shaving the bamboo skewers.
She had already handed over all the techniques for braising meat to Jiang Shun, but Gao Xiangfeng needed to master the techniques for grilling meat as soon as possible.
Fortunately, on the fourth day, Taibai Tower finally sent someone to deliver a message saying that the fruitwood charcoal had been purchased.
Yinxing stayed at the mansion to continue helping Qiuqin gain confidence, while Fu Zhiqiao asked a servant to prepare a carriage and went alone to Taibai Tower.
The smell of oil from barbecuing was very strong, so Fu Zhiqiao prepared a separate room for Gao Xiangfeng to cook the meat.
There was no beef or mutton in the kitchen of Taibailou. Pork was used for Gao Xiangfeng to practice. The pork belly was cut into thin slices, skewered on bamboo sticks, and first soaked in the braising liquid to absorb the flavor.
To ensure the flavor of the grilled meat remains consistent each time, Fu Zhiqiao plans to marinate the meat in diluted braising liquid before grilling. Marinating the meat before grilling allows it to absorb more flavor. Since the barbecue seasoning already contains salt, the braising liquid needs to be diluted before marinating, otherwise the skewers will be too salty.
In the small kitchen, Gao Xiangfeng stared at the strangely shaped iron rack in front of him, his face full of question marks.
Fu Zhiqiao asked, "Have you ever eaten barbecue?"
Gao Xiangfeng paused for a moment before replying, "If I were to go back to my employer, I used to eat barbecue all the time when I lived in the countryside."
Fu Zhiqiao immediately knew he had misunderstood, "This barbecue is not that barbecue."
The grilled meat that Gao Xiangfeng was eating was probably a common way of eating in the wild. After the prey was processed, it was grilled over a fire and then eaten. Fu Zhiqiao didn't explain anything further. She stood behind the grill and directed Gao Xiangfeng to light the charcoal fire. Then she stood in front of the grill and personally demonstrated how to do it.
The charcoal was already glowing red. She reached out to feel the temperature, picked up two skewers of marinated pork belly, and placed them on the grill. The pork belly skewers had been marinated in broth beforehand, so they already had a base flavor. The thin slices of meat instantly emitted smoke as they were grilled over the charcoal.
"Before grilling the meat, brush it with a layer of oil. You must control the heat carefully during the grilling process. If the heat is too high, the meat will burn. If the heat is too low, it will take a long time to cook. You need to pay attention to the color change of the meat all the time. When it is about 60-70% cooked, you can sprinkle on the barbecue seasoning..."
She then gave up her seat so that Gao Xiangfeng could personally experience what it was like to grill meat over charcoal.
Following her instructions, Gao Xiangfeng kept turning the meat over to prevent it from burning, the oil dripping onto the charcoal and sizzling. After a while, seeing that the skewers were almost done, he looked at Fu Zhi Qiao, waiting for her next instructions.
"Sprinkle the ingredients."
Gao Xiangfeng sprinkled on the barbecue seasoning and continued grilling for a while until the slightly charred and juicy pork belly was ready.
"Try it first."
Gao Xiangfeng picked up a skewer of meat and carefully examined it. The meat was grilled to a golden brown with a slight black tinge, and covered with a layer of barbecue powder. At first glance, it looked like it was burnt.
But the rich aroma told him that the meat was good and not burnt.
Gao Xiangfeng bit off the top piece of meat from the skewer, and his eyes narrowed sharply. The tender yet crispy texture... He found the taste quite unique at first bite, but he couldn't resist after the second bite. He quickly ate the rest of the skewer, but unfortunately, the skewer wasn't very big, and he finished it in three or four bites.
"Boss, I've never had such delicious barbecue before!"
The combination of cumin and meat flavor is simply divine.
After finishing two skewers of pork belly, Gao Xiangfeng was still somewhat unsatisfied and even a little incredulous that he had made such delicious food himself. He couldn't help but ask, "Boss, is making barbecue really that simple?"
Brush on some oil, flip it over, sprinkle some seasoning, and you're done.
Gao Xiangfeng thought the barbecue was easy because he followed Fu Zhiqiao's instructions the whole time. He hadn't even realized what was going on yet. He knew he couldn't have done it so smoothly on his own.
"Both you and Jiang Shun were promoted at the same time. Do you know why I chose you to be the barbecue chef?"
Gao Xiangfeng shook his head.
"Barbecuing is all about controlling the heat. The skewers can't be undercooked or overcooked. You've been in the kitchen for a while now, so you should know that the most important thing in judging whether a chef is qualified is his control over the heat. Both Chef Han and Chef Tang said that your basic stir-frying skills are good, which is why they recommended you to me."
Fu Zhiqiao spoke skillfully, explaining the reasons for choosing Gao Xiangfeng while also mentioning Han Rong and Tang Xingkang's names, letting him know that his promotion to sous chef was also due to the contributions of these two masters.
This way, he can feel grateful to the two chefs and not become arrogant because of his improved status, which will also help maintain the balance between the various positions in the kitchen.
This was Gao Xiangfeng's first time grilling meat, and Fu Zhiqiao only let him grill two skewers. As business grew, grilling just a few skewers at a time was far from enough. The grill was specially made to be 1.5 meters long so that it could grill 50 or 60 skewers at a time, which was the only way to meet Taibailou's food service needs.
"Grill me twenty more skewers."
The success of his first barbecue gave Gao Xiangfeng a lot of confidence. However, he knew in his heart that the thing that made the meat skewers delicious was the barbecue seasoning that his employer had brought. He didn't dare to ask too much about the secret recipe and obediently grilled more than a dozen skewers of pork belly for Fu Zhi Qiao.
"The thickness of the meat slices affects the control of the heat and time. Today I asked you to grill meat slices, tomorrow you will cut the meat into thumb-sized cubes and practice a few more times."
Fu Zhi Qiao told him all the barbecue tips she remembered, and specifically mentioned that the barbecue seasoning was a top secret, so he had to keep a close eye on it and not let anyone else get it.
Gao Xiangfeng was originally Han Rong's cooking apprentice, so he had basic cooking skills. He understood Fu Zhiqiao's guidance very quickly, and he learned the temperature and method of grilling meat very fast. He was able to master many things in just one afternoon.
Wang Qi estimated that he wouldn't be back until the end of the month. During this time, he and Jiang Shun would have plenty of time to practice and master their respective skills, and they could start working as soon as Wang Qi returned with the beef and mutton.
To better alleviate the burden on Jiang Shun and Gao Xiangfeng and allow them to focus on their own work, Fu Zhiqiao also assigned two assistants to each of them.
The first time, I only grilled two skewers, and the aroma hadn't even spread out of the room yet. This time, I grilled more than ten skewers of meat at once, and the aroma wafted into other rooms with the air.
It smells so good!
Once the barbecue seasoning is sprinkled on, the whole house is filled with the aroma of grilled meat.
All the people who were preparing food in the back kitchen rushed uncontrollably to the small kitchen.
They knew that the owner was teaching Gao Xiangfeng a new recipe in the small kitchen, but they couldn't believe how fragrant it was. The aroma was even more enticing than the braised dishes they had made a couple of days ago.
At this moment, in the kitchen of Taibai Tower, everyone was preparing dishes for the evening's business. After smelling the aroma of barbecue, everyone swallowed their saliva. Since they still had an hour before opening, there was still time. They put down their work and went to the small kitchen.
After Fu Zhiqiao left, Gao Xiangfeng savored the taste of the barbecue and grilled a few more skewers for himself. Just as he was about to eat, he saw the people in the kitchen.
Tang Xingkang saw the bamboo skewers in Gao Xiangfeng's hand and asked with a smile, "Little Gao, what are you holding in your hand?"
"Barbecued meat."
"Huh?" Many people have eaten barbecue, but this is the first time I've seen meat skewers cut into such small pieces.
"The owner said it's barbecue, but not your average barbecue."
No one doubted his words, after all, they could already smell the aroma of the roasted meat.
Tang Xingkang asked without any hesitation, "Xiao Gao, do you have any more? Can you grill some more for me?"
You can bake it, but...
Seeing Gao Xiangfeng's hesitant look, Han Rong immediately reacted, took a step forward and closed the door, saying, "Xiao Gao, you can grill inside, we won't peek."
Upon hearing Han Rong's words, everyone realized that this was a secret recipe that the master had taught Gao Xiangfeng, and only he was qualified to learn it; no one else was even qualified to take a look.
Moreover, Taibai Tower has a rule that strangers are not allowed to enter the kitchen, and the small kitchen is no exception. Last time they were able to enter the small kitchen because the owner allowed it. Now that the owner is not here, they cannot break this rule.
The group tactfully stood at the door and waited.
With the door closed, Gao Xiangfeng had no more worries and quickly finished grilling the remaining dozen or so skewers of meat.
And so, all the pork belly that Fu Zhi Qiao had prepared for Gao Xiang Feng to use as practice ended up in the stomachs of the kitchen staff.
*
At 3:15 PM, everyone in Taibai Tower was busy preparing to welcome guests for dinner.
Half an hour had passed since Gao Xiangfeng grilled meat skewers for the people in the kitchen, but the faint aroma of grilled meat skewers could still be smelled in the air.
Some customers have a very sensitive nose and can smell the lingering aroma of grilled meat in the air, asking, "What's that smell? It smells so good!"
The waiter sniffed, realizing what was going on: "Our boss is developing new dishes! We'll be able to eat them at Taibai Tower soon."
Defu had already informed everyone at Taibailou about the upcoming winter limited-edition menu. The waiters had been instructed beforehand: "Our boss said that this dish is very rare and will be offered only during the winter."
"Oh?" Just how rare is it? The customer was clearly intrigued. "When will it go on sale?"
"This?" The owner only mentioned that there would be new dishes, but hadn't said when they would be available. It took the waiter a few moments to process what was going on before he replied, "We'll post notices when the new menu is available. Just keep an eye out for news from Taibai Restaurant."
The guest nodded to indicate that he understood, and then took the menu to order.
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