HUN Chapter 24: Simple Smokehouse

Returning to the warm stone shelter, Lin Yu'an first found a well-ventilated and shady spot outside the shelter for the two beaver pelts, propping them open with wooden sticks. He hung them up for initial drying, awaiting subsequent scraping and tanning. Then, he began processing today's main ingredient: beaver meat.

"To ensure food safety, I plan to first boil all the meat from these two beavers to thoroughly kill any possible parasites," Lin Yu'an said while dragging out from the corner the large clay pot he had previously painstakingly fired, which didn't look very good.

This clay pot was much larger than the clay pot he usually used for cooking, large enough to boil quite a lot of meat at once.

He placed the clay pot steadily on the stove opening, then fetched clean water from the stream and poured it into the clay pot until it was more than half full.

Next, he placed the cut beaver meat pieces one by one into the clay pot. The meat from two beavers almost filled this large clay pot to about seventy or eighty percent capacity.

Lin Yu'an added plenty of dry firewood to the stove's combustion chamber. The flames soon blazed up vigorously, licking at the bottom of the clay pot.

While waiting for the water to boil and the meat to cook, Lin Yu'an didn't idle. He began building a simple smokehouse outside the shelter.

He found several relatively thick branches and, about ten meters downwind from the shelter, built a triangular frame resembling an Indian tepee, about one meter in height.

Then at the top of the frame, he horizontally fixed several thinner branches, preparing to use them for hanging meat pieces.

Lin Yu'an explained, "A smokehouse doesn't need to be completely sealed, but it can't be open on all sides either. As long as it can gather smoke while allowing a small amount of air circulation, then it's a successful smokehouse."

He took out spare waterproof tarp to cover the triangular frame, securing it with paracord and stones, leaving only some gaps at the bottom near the ground and a small opening convenient for him to enter and exit and control the smoking fire source. A simple but practical smokehouse had taken initial shape!

After about an hour, the water in the large clay pot was fully boiling, with the beaver meat tumbling in the rolling water and white foam constantly rising.

Lin Yu'an used a wooden spoon to skim off the foam. He continued cooking on high heat for a while longer, ensuring all the meat pieces were thoroughly cooked.

Then he carefully lifted the scalding large clay pot from the stove using two thick wooden sticks and set it aside to cool.

The cooked beaver meat appeared grayish-white, emitting a rich meaty aroma. After the temperature dropped slightly, he used homemade wooden chopsticks to fish out the meat pieces from the clay pot, draining the water.

He strung these cooked meat pieces with steel wire, then carefully carried them into the simple smokehouse, hanging them on the horizontal bars at the top.

Lin Yu'an used stones to build up a small fire pit in the center of the smokehouse floor.

He lit some slightly moist birch wood and added some wet pine needles and oak leaves to produce large amounts of thick smoke.

He controlled the fire, maintaining it in a smoldering state without producing open flames, with only continuous thick smoke rising upward, completely enveloping the hanging meat pieces.

"The smoking process is quite lengthy, possibly requiring a day or even longer to completely dehydrate the jerky and fully absorb the smoky flavor," Lin Yu'an said as he closed the small door of the smokehouse, leaving only a few ventilation openings at the bottom.

While waiting for the smoking process, Lin Yu'an returned to the fire stove in the shelter and began preparing today's dinner: cooking the two sets of fresh beaver organs.

He set up the stainless steel pot on the stove in the shelter. After it heated up, he added a small piece of previously rendered fat to melt.

Then he put the sliced portions of beaver heart and liver into the pot to stir-fry.

Soon it was done. After displaying it to the camera and eating it, he turned off the camera and began another version of stir-fried beaver liver!

He put the remaining majority of the organs into the pot, waiting until the surface slightly changed color.

He secretly added a piece of hotpot base, and the spicy and numbing aroma was instantly released, permeating the air.

Then he added a small amount of water, covered the pot, and slowly stewed on medium-low heat. During the stewing process, he added a little coarse salt for seasoning.

After just a few minutes, a pot of fragrant hotpot beaver heart and liver was complete!

The freshness of the organs perfectly merged with the spicy and numbing flavor of the hotpot base, making Lin Yu'an's mouth water.

The unique hotpot flavor of China comforted his lonely emotions from many days, making his heart more determined!

Paired with a few roasted Jerusalem artichokes just pulled from the stove's embers, he sat by the fire and beautifully enjoyed this hearty and spicy dinner.

Unfortunately, this segment of footage was destined not to be shown under the camera.

After eating his fill, night had deepened, but Lin Yu'an couldn't sleep at all.

He kept reminiscing about the hotpot flavor, and at this moment, homesickness was gradually amplified! Although the hotpot had briefly driven away his lonely emotions, afterward it unconsciously made him feel nostalgic, beginning to miss everything about civilized society! Family, delicious food, hot showers, supermarkets.

Lin Yu'an immediately became alert! He secretly warned himself in his heart that he must never use these products of modern civilization again. These things would continuously erode his mindset!

In the wilderness, food might not be the biggest challenge, but psychological state is definitely the final challenge!

He sat by the warm fire, set up the camera, and began taking inventory of his current food reserves.

"Tonight is another torturous night. Let's take a look at our current assets," he said as he opened a simple pouch sewn from a half-sleeve, taking out the contents one by one to show the camera.

"First, we have our previously smoked rainbow trout jerky. There are still four complete pieces here, enough for us to supplement high-quality protein."

He pointed to the wicker basket piled with Jerusalem artichokes in the corner.

"Then there are these Jerusalem artichokes, at least nearly forty pounds remaining. This will be our main source of carbohydrates for the coming period."

"Of course, there's also today's biggest harvest: two beavers! After smoking into jerky, they'll probably weigh over twenty pounds and can be preserved for a long time."

He poured out some items from another small bag.

"Here are also some previously gathered nuts, mainly pine nuts and hazelnuts. The quantity isn't much, but they can provide extra calories."

"And these dried berries, which can be soaked in water to drink or eaten as snacks to supplement vitamins."

"Overall, our current food reserves are quite sufficient. With these, I won't have to worry about food for the next half month!"

Outside the shelter in the smokehouse, those twenty-plus pounds of beaver meat were undergoing the baptism of smoke.

This process required his constant attention to the fire control, ensuring the quality and safety of the smoking while preventing other animals from coming to cause damage.

Lin Yu'an periodically walked out of the shelter to check the burning condition of the fire pit at the bottom of the smokehouse.

Thus, the night passed without incident.

Lin Yu'an hardly closed his eyes because he had to watch the smokehouse.

This warm smoking method required at least twenty hours or more, going back and forth between the shelter and smokehouse.

When the horizon gradually showed fish-belly white, after a night of smoking, the meat pieces inside should have undergone significant changes.

As soon as he approached the smokehouse, a rich and unique smoky aroma hit him in the face, mixed with the special scent of burning wood and meat fat that made one's mouth water!

Lifting a corner of the waterproof tarp, the beaver meat pieces hanging on the horizontal bars had already taken on a beautiful deep reddish-brown color.

The surface was also drier and harder, capable of producing sounds similar to tapping hardwood. Each piece of jerky emitted the unique smell of smoke and meat.

This was the result of phenolic compounds in the smoke reacting with meat proteins and fats. The surface had become dry and firm, and he could feel that the internal moisture had basically disappeared.

He completely removed the waterproof tarp and took down all the hanging meat pieces.

Lin Yu'an picked up a piece, cut off a small slice with his multi-tool, and put it in his mouth to chew.

"Mmm!" Lin Yu'an's eyes instantly lit up, and his face showed an extremely enjoyable expression!

"Excellent! This flavor! The smoky taste has completely penetrated, the meat is firm and chewy, and it gets more fragrant the more you chew!"

"And because it was boiled first then smoked, the texture isn't overly dry and hard, but instead retains a trace of the meat's natural freshness."

"This jerky can not only be eaten directly but can also be soaked in water and re-cooked, and it can be preserved for a long time."

"Now I can explore more distant areas with greater confidence, or undertake some more time-consuming major projects!"

[NEXT CHAPTER]