lcionline Chapter 25 One cut, 999! This knife skill stunned the Michelin chef.
Chapter 25 One cut, 999! This knife skill stunned the Michelin chef.
There was no cracking sound of bones breaking, only a smooth "rustling" sound like silk being torn.
The knife in Lin Zhou's hand seemed to have eyes, or even a life of its own. It wasn't cutting; instead, it moved and danced along the grain of the pork. Wherever the blade passed, the once tightly connected bone and flesh seemed to hear some command, instantly disintegrating.
"Clatter".
A complete leg bone, cleaned out without a single scrap of meat, landed lightly on the cutting board.
The entire room fell silent.
Even Lu Ming, who was playing the violin, froze in mid-air with his bow, emitting a piercing "sizzle" sound that completely ruined the "elegant" atmosphere he had created. But he couldn't care less about being embarrassed at this moment; his mouth was agape, wide enough to fit an egg, and his eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets.
Is this some kind of pig slaughter?
Who can slaughter a pig with such artistry?
"Holy crap! Am I seeing things?"
In the live stream, the dense barrage of sarcastic comments was instantly cleared out, replaced by a screen full of exclamation marks.
"That knife skill... was it sped up?"
"I can't even kill a fish that easily, and he's deboning it? And it's a whole carcass of pork?"
"Who said it was gory? This is a visual treat! The stress relief is comparable to trimming a donkey's hooves!"
However, the shock was only just beginning.
Deboning is just a warm-up; the real skill show is about to begin.
Lin Zhou flicked his wrist, the heavy cleaver spinning in his palm before he gripped it in a reverse grip. He didn't even look down at the meat; his gaze remained fixed on Su Qingge not far away, a signature roguish smile playing on his lips.
"Boom boom boom boom—!"
A sudden burst of rapid chopping sounds erupted, like raindrops pounding on banana leaves, creating a continuous wave of sound.
The whole piece of pork belly, under the afterimage of the knife, was transformed into slices of even thickness and alternating layers of fat and lean meat at a speed visible to the naked eye. Each slice was measured with millimeter-level precision, as if measured with calipers.
"Stop! Stop right now!"
On the judges' panel, a middle-aged man wearing a white chef's uniform with a "Michelin three-star chef" badge embroidered on his chest suddenly stood up.
His name is Liu Yishou, a top master of state banquets in China. He was originally invited by the program team to do food tasting. He had been sitting there dozing off and even scoffed at Lu Ming's steak.
But at this moment, his serious face was filled with horror. He even rushed to the cutting board without regard for his image, picked up a piece of meat, and examined it carefully in the sunlight.
"Incredible...absolutely incredible!"
Liu Yishou's fingers were trembling, his face flushed with excitement, and he turned to shout at the camera:
"This is 'blind cutting'! And it's a 'flexible cutting' technique that follows the muscle fibers! This kind of knife skill is impossible to achieve without thirty years of rigorous training! Every cut precisely severs the fascia without damaging the meat fibers... Genius! This is absolute genius!"
He abruptly turned to look at Lin Zhou, his eyes burning with the fervor of someone seeing their long-lost father:
"Young man, who did you learn this skill from? There are probably no more than three people in the country today who can perform this 'Butcher Ding's Skill of Carving an Ox'!"
Lin Zhou casually twirled the knife, then slammed it onto the cutting board with a "thud," his expression indifferent.
"I'm self-taught, just some random chopping, please excuse my amateurish attempt."
"Self-taught?"
Liu Yishou nearly choked. You call this haphazard chopping? How are we chefs who've practiced knife skills our whole lives supposed to survive?
Su Qingge stood to the side, completely bewildered, watching the man being praised by the master of state banquets.
She felt as if she had never known Lin Zhou before.
The man who couldn't even peel an apple properly at home was actually a hidden master of knife skills? How many other things was he hiding from me?
"How is it, Queen Su?"
Lin Zhou wiped his hands, walked up to Su Qingge, raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Does this 'talent' meet your standards?"
Su Qingge snapped out of her daze and looked at his praise-seeking demeanor. Although she was shocked, she didn't want him to get too cocky, so she gave a soft snort:
"It's... alright, I guess. What's the use of good knife skills? You can't eat them."
"Who says it can't be eaten?"
Lin Zhou snapped his fingers and turned to look at the director Yan Min, who was completely dumbfounded:
"Director Yan, did I win the talent show just now?"
Yan Min swallowed hard, glanced at the overwhelming popularity of the live stream that was practically crashing the server, then looked at Lu Ming's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot, and could only nod helplessly.
"Fine...you win. You can choose your ingredients first."
"No need to choose."
Lin Zhou waved his hand, pointing at the pile of freshly sliced pork belly, exuding an air of dominance:
"I'll take this pile of meat. You can keep the rest of the lobster and abalone for yourselves."
Everyone was taken aback.
Why would someone choose pork over an Australian lobster worth thousands of dollars? Is this person stupid?
Lu Ming seized the opportunity to mock him sarcastically, "Brother Lin really has 'unique taste,' huh? He'd rather eat this greasy, fatty meat than go to such delicacies. Well, he's a 'working class,' after all, so his tastes are a bit heavy."
Lin Zhou glanced at him, his eyes filled with compassion for the mentally challenged.
"Lu Da, a top celebrity, what do you know?"
As he spoke, he skillfully set up the large iron pot, lit the fire, and poured in the oil.
"High-end ingredients often require only the simplest cooking methods, but true culinary masters can bring out the most exquisite flavors from the simplest ingredients."
"Sizzle—"
A few rock sugar pieces were tossed into the oil, quickly melting into a dark reddish-brown syrup as the oil heated up. Lin Zhou flicked his wrist, pouring the pile of pork belly into the pot.
The caramel color instantly coats every slice of meat, turning the originally pale fat into a translucent, reddish-brown color that looks incredibly tempting.
Next, scallions, ginger, star anise, and cinnamon are added to the pot, cooking wine brings out the savory aroma of the meat, and soy sauce gives it its soul.
Stir-fry over high heat, then simmer over low heat.
In just a few minutes, an extremely domineering, rich and mellow meaty aroma, like a biological weapon that had been detonated, instantly swept across the entire threshing ground.
That smell was absolutely awful!
Lu Ming, who had been mocking Lin Zhou, suddenly twitched his nose twice and his stomach let out a grumbling sound.
The surrounding villagers, staff, and even Master Liu Yishou, who had just been looking serious, couldn't help but crane their necks and their Adam's apples bobbed wildly.
So delicious!
This is no ordinary braised pork; this is braised pork with magic on it!
Lin Zhou stirred the pot with a large ladle, the thick broth clinging to the meat chunks, their reddish-brown color trembling as if beckoning to everyone: Come eat me! Come eat me!
He ladled out a small bowl, placed it in front of Su Qingge, and smiled like a big bad wolf trying to lure Little Red Riding Hood:
"Honey, want to try this? This is a special 'beauty and nourishing' braised pork belly I made just for you. It's fatty but not greasy, and it melts in your mouth!"