American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 30 Wilderness Beggar's Chicken

Then they began to prepare the second, plumper grouse.

"This is just to try a unique cooking method - earthen charcoal grilling, which we call 'beggar's chicken' in China."

Lin Yu-an found some fine-textured yellow clay near the shelter, added an appropriate amount of stream water, and kneaded it into a mud ball of moderate softness and firmness.

The tin foil I found by the lake when I first grilled fish came in handy again, wrapping the whole grouse in it, as if I were putting it in a silvery-white coat.

After wrapping the tin foil, Lin Yu'an evenly and thickly applied the prepared yellow mud to the outside of the tin foil.

Until a very rough, airtight mud shell forms, completely enclosing the grouse inside, like an oval-shaped mud egg.

"The clay shell must be thick and without cracks so that it can be heated evenly in the charcoal fire and form a natural 'oven'."

He placed the giant "mud chicken" into the fire pit, which had been burning for some time and had accumulated a lot of hot coals.

Then, most of it was buried with hot ash and charcoal, leaving only a small portion of the mud shell exposed.

"Next, it's just a matter of waiting patiently, which usually takes several hours for the charcoal fire to slowly roast the chicken until it's cooked through."

Grouse wrapped in mud emitted a unique aroma over charcoal fire, a blend of earthy smokiness and the simmering flavor of meat.

Meanwhile, in the earthenware pot, the pine grouse soup was bubbling away, and the delicious aroma of chicken rose gently into the air.

Lin Yu'an used a wooden spoon to skim off the grayish-white foam that floated on the surface. This was blood and impurities from the meat. Removing them would make the soup clearer and reduce the fishy smell.

He kept an eye on the fire of the beggar's chicken from time to time to make sure the charcoal fire didn't go out.

After a while, the "muddy chicken" in the charcoal fire needs to be turned over to ensure even heating.

Time seemed to drag on endlessly as they waited, the increasingly rich aroma constantly tantalizing Lin Yu'an's rumbling stomach.

Finally, judging from the degree of cracking on the surface of the mud shell and the aroma of burning, the "mud-egg chicken" should be almost ready.

Use two thick wooden sticks to poke the scalding hot "mud ball" out of the charcoal fire.

"Guys, I'm going to crack this mud egg open!"

He picked up his logging axe and gently tapped the dried, hardened, and charred clay shell with the back of the axe.

"Crack, crack..." The mud shell cracked open, revealing the slightly charred tin foil inside.

He tore open the tin foil, and a rich aroma, almost tangible, instantly filled the entire stone house!
After the mud shell and tin foil were completely peeled off, a golden-yellow roast chicken with an enticing sheen was revealed in its entirety!
Thanks to the foil, the chicken skin didn't burn at all; instead, it was baked to perfection, resulting in a mouthwatering caramel color.

He first took a deep breath of the enticing aroma, a look of extreme satisfaction on his face, and then eagerly tore off a chicken leg with his hand.

“Hiss—it’s so hot!”

He grimaced from the heat, but didn't care. He quickly flipped the chicken leg between his hands a few times, blew on it, and then took a big bite!

"Well--!"

Lin Yu'an's eyes widened instantly, as if he was so shocked by the exquisite taste that he couldn't speak.

The chicken inside was incredibly tender; it fell off the bone with just a gentle bite. The juicy meat burst in his mouth, and the complex aroma of the marinade instantly won over his taste buds!
"It's so...so delicious!"

Lin Yu'an mumbled his praises, his lips glistening with oil, making his eating somewhat messy. But the genuine enjoyment he felt was impossible to hide.

He quickly devoured a chicken leg, leaving not even the bones untouched, carefully sucking out the remaining juices and aroma.

"You absolutely cannot imagine how tender and flavorful this chicken is!"

After finishing most of the "beggar's chicken," Lin Yu'an reluctantly turned his attention to the grouse and Jerusalem artichoke soup that had been simmering on the stove for a long time.

He scooped up a spoonful with a wooden ladle; golden chicken oil floated on top of the soup, exuding the savory flavor of chicken and the unique sweetness of Jerusalem artichoke.

He blew on it and carefully took a sip.

"Um--!"

The soup has a rich and sweet flavor, with the essence of the chicken fully infused into it. The Jerusalem artichoke, after being stewed for a long time, becomes soft, sweet, and melts in your mouth, perfectly balancing the greasiness of the chicken soup!

Although there is still a slight gamey smell, apart from this one drawback, the soup has no other flaws in flavor!

Scoop up a piece of stewed chicken until it's tender and melts in your mouth with barely any chewing, leaving only a mouthful of fresh and delicious flavor.

After enjoying the sumptuous meal to his heart's content, Lin Yu'an did not rest immediately.

The remaining beggar's chicken and grouse soup were carefully covered with an earthenware pot and placed in the space, ready to be eaten tomorrow.

Then, his gaze fell on the internal organs that he had deliberately left behind when processing the grouse—mainly the liver, gizzard, and heart, as well as some scraps of the skeleton with a small amount of meat still attached.

"These good things can't be wasted."

Lin Yu-an picked up the cleaned internal organs and showed them to the camera.

"Although some people in civilized society may not like animal offal, in the wilderness, it is a valuable source of protein and fat. However, I have already eaten my fill today, and I have other plans for these offal."

He didn't intend to cook and eat these entrails directly. Instead, he planned to use them as bait in a trap.

He first used a multi-functional knife to cut the chicken liver, chicken heart and other tender internal organs into small pieces.

"These fresh offal naturally have a strong fishy smell, which is quite attractive to many small carnivorous or omnivorous animals."

"To enhance the allure of these baits, a small modification was made."

Lin Yu'an took out a small amount of beaver fat, placed it on a small ceramic plate, and slowly heated it with the embers of the fire pit until it melted into clear oil.

The chopped chicken giblets were poured into the melted beaver fat and gently stirred with a wooden stick to coat each piece of giblet and bone evenly with the fat.

"Wrapping the bait in animal fat makes its scent stronger and travels farther. It also forms a protective film that slows down the rate of internal organ decay."

"Fats themselves are also a high-energy substance that many animals crave."

He placed the prepared bait into the space to prevent the smell from being too strong and affecting himself, and also to avoid attracting unnecessary visitors too early.

After doing all that, I quickly cleaned up the shelter, then crawled into my sleeping bag and fell asleep peacefully.

Beggar's Chicken is not for beginners!
It's very difficult to ripen! Very, very difficult!
Don't ask me how I know.

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(End of this chapter)