Chapter 161: Chapter 153: The Hunter’s Choice, Part 2

He picked it up, shook off the excess flour, dipped it in water a second time, and then proceeded to dredge it again.

The second dredging required him to constantly press down on the steak with his fingers. This rubbing motion helped the coating form into strands, which would create the familiar fish-scale-like crispy crust after frying.

He was not stingy with the beef tallow, tossing large chunks into the stockpot to melt. Once it was hot enough that a stick poked into it produced a steady stream of bubbles, he gently laid the dredged steak against the surface of the oil and lowered it in.

"S-S-S-SHHHHH"

A swarm of large, golden bubbles rushed forth, instantly submerging the entire steak. The rolling heat carried with it the rich aroma of beef tallow, which began to spread.

Andre never imagined he would see deep-fried food during a wilderness survival challenge—and deep-fried filet mignon, no less. He couldn’t help but smile wryly.

"If the other contestants saw your quality of life, they’d probably have a complete breakdown on the spot, wouldn’t they?"

"I’d actually love for them to come and have a look. If they quit early, it’d save me the worry."

The steak, pounded from 2 cm down to 1.5 cm thick, didn’t need to be fried for long. Since it was the filet, medium-rare was optimal. Any more cooked, and the texture would become tough and dry.

The crispy fried filet, just lifted from the hot oil, was covered in layers of an alluring, fish-scale crust. Tiny oil bubbles were still popping in every crevice.

Compared to all the other food Lin Chen had made before, this creation was, without a doubt, in a league of its own—in terms of appearance, ingredients, and even cooking method.

While others were still struggling to chisel through river ice, trying to catch King Salmon just to get some fat, Lin Chen was already eating deep-fried steak. Was he even human?

Although Andre had also hunted a Musk Ox, it had never occurred to him that the fat from its body could be rendered, let alone used to fry the Musk Ox’s own meat in its own tallow.

It was truly a bit outrageous.

He sprinkled some chili powder on it while it was still hot. The residual heat would slowly release the chili’s aroma; a spicy and savory flavor profile is one of the world’s most classic for fried meat.

The tip of a sharp knife scraped across the steak’s surface, making a crisp ’CRACKLE’ sound. The oil temperature had been controlled perfectly.

He sliced it open with one cut. A few wisps of white steam scrambled to rise from the incision.

Under the golden, fish-scale crust, the filet was cooked to perfection. The edges were fried to a light brown, while the center remained a tender pink. The flawless gradient was comparable to something served in a high-end restaurant.

"Back when I worked in a kitchen, there was a period where my only job was to sear all kinds of meat. I had to handle over a hundred steaks a day alone. I can control the doneness with my eyes closed. If you want to try this back home, I suggest you buy a thermometer probe and a temperature gun to monitor the oil and internal meat temperatures in real time."

Andre nodded and, not standing on ceremony, grabbed a palm-sized beef tart and took a huge bite.

Crumbs flaked off the crispy tart crust. The tender, juicy beef slices inside, mixed with a sauce of cumin and soy, gave him the illusion of eating a two-or-three-dollar Indian beef pie from a roadside convenience store.

Before he had even swallowed the food in his mouth, he eagerly grabbed a piece of the crispy fried filet.

"CRUNCH"

The perfect crust delivered the same powerful crunch he had imagined. The crispy coating itself was simply seasoned, making it addictive enough to eat on its own. The faint spicy flavor mixed with the sharp bite of pepper, combined with the melt-in-your-mouth filet mignon... that faint, sweet, metallic taste of blood captivated him. He closed his eyes in ecstasy, shaking his head in enjoyment.

Even though it was still morning, many viewers—some just waking up, others still in bed—lay or sat up, watching dumbfounded as the two men ate deep-fried, crispy filet mignon in a warm cabin amidst a world of ice and snow.

Previously, many of the Great Xia dishes Lin Chen had made were somewhat different from what was sold in Chinatown. Many viewers couldn’t imagine what they tasted like, so their reactions were relatively calm.

But when the fried steak appeared, the livestream chat instantly exploded.

"No way, I just opened my eyes, and this is what you show me, dude?"

"Can one of you who stayed up all night give a quick explanation? Where did that pot of oil come from? I just tuned in."

"It’s incredible! Lin actually rendered a whole pot of tallow from the Musk Ox’s fat. How is that any different from a magic trick?"

"He rendered that days ago, bro. How long has it been since you last watched? If you miss even one day of Lin’s stream, you’ll fall behind the rest of us."

"I’m a chef. This method isn’t common, at least not in North America. But when I think about it, it’s something I encounter every day. For example, when our restaurant bakes bacon in the morning, we collect the excess bacon grease from the pan and add it to our African chicken stew for extra flavor."

"I’ve also worked in a restaurant, though just as a server. I remember the kitchen mostly used extra virgin olive oil and butter."

"I can’t take it, this is making me starve. I’m ordering some Popeyes to scratch this itch... wait, what? They’re closed today???"

"Haha, the Jollibee near me is open. Going to buy some juicy fried chicken legs~"

"Frying steak in tallow, and filet mignon at that... what kind of high-class dish is this? Is this something I’m supposed to be seeing on a starvation show like Wild Survival? Oh my God, I must still be dreaming."

"I’ve had a similar fried steak sandwich at a Michelin-starred restaurant before. It used Australian Wagyu, I forget which M-grade... but anyway, it was also melt-in-your-mouth. I’ll remember that incredible taste for the rest of my life!"

"Yes, yes, yes! I’ve had it at an omakase Japanese restaurant too. It was only available on the highest-end course. It was delicious. I think Lin must be referencing that kind of technique. But to pull it off in the wild is just fucking incredible. I can’t even hate on that."