American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 56 Wilderness Stir-fried Deer Stomach
Day 49.

Lin Yu'an got up early and added the last batch of pine needles to the fire in the smoking room.

He has spent the last two and a half days observing the venison hanging in the thick smoke.

Starting from the evening of the forty-seventh day, this long and meticulous fumigation process has lasted for nearly two days and two nights.

He estimated that, based on the smoking intensity and the size of the meat strips, they should reach the ideal preservation state by noon today.

While waiting for the smoked meat to finish, he began preparing breakfast.

That piece of deer stomach, which he had been soaking for a long time, was today's main ingredient.

Lin Yu-an carefully scooped the deer's belly out of the murky wood ash water while explaining to the camera.

"Wood ash water is alkaline and can effectively remove most of the odors, making it easier to achieve that crisp and tender texture during subsequent cooking."

After cleaning the deer's stomach, Lin Yu'an prepared to proceed with the next step of meticulous processing.

"Although deer tripe does not have a distinct black inner membrane like cow tripe, its inner wall is covered with a rough mucous membrane, which must be carefully scraped off to obtain a clean, crisp, and tender tripe."

He turned the inside of the deer's belly inside out and, with the blade close to the base of the belly plate, scraped off the thin, slightly tough inner membrane piece by piece.

As the blade moved, he casually discarded the scraped-off mucous membranes aside.

The exposed belly is a very clean off-white color, and feels smooth and elastic to the touch.

Lin Yu'an nodded in satisfaction after the entire inside of the deer's stomach had been cleaned until it was spotless.

"Alright, this piece of deer stomach is now very clean. Next, we need to cut it into strips suitable for stir-frying."

He used a multi-tool to quickly slice it into thin slices about two or three millimeters thick, then stacked these slices together and cut them into thin strips about half a centimeter wide.

"The cooking time for tripe is extremely demanding, requiring 'high heat and quick stir-frying'. If it's cooked for even a second longer, it will become tough and lose its unique crispness."

"Therefore, all preparations must be done in advance, and once it's in the pot, it must be done in one go."

Scrape off a piece of milky white grease about the size of a thumb and put it into a regular stainless steel pot.

Deer fat melts almost instantly at high temperatures, making a loud sizzling sound.

Just as the deer fat had completely melted and the temperature had risen to an extremely high level, the oil at the bottom of the pot began to emit a faint, clearly visible wisp of smoke.

"Now's the time! Put them in the pot!"

Lin Yu'an grabbed the pile of shredded white tripe on the stone slab and poured it all into the boiling venison without hesitation!
"Thorn--!"

The moment the tripe touched the hot deer fat, a deafening, firecracker-like sound erupted!
At the same time, a thick plume of white steam rose up, almost obscuring the view inside the pot.

Lin Yu'an grabbed the handle of the pot and, in an almost flipping motion, quickly and dramatically shook and tossed the tripe strips in the pot to ensure that each strip was heated evenly in the shortest possible time.

The stir-frying process was incredibly fast, lasting only a few seconds!
He quickly scooped the stir-fried tripe into a plate made of birch bark.

At this moment, the tripe strands are distinct, white with a slight golden-brown tinge, glossy and shiny, and exuding a rich aroma of deer oil!
He sprinkled the chopped wild onions and a little salt on the hot, steaming tripe, and then quickly mixed it with chopsticks.

"Alright, the wilderness version of venison tripe is complete!"

He couldn't wait to pick up a small handful of tripe strips, which were slightly curled up from the heat and covered with glistening deer fat and chopped onions.

Lin Yu'an first took a deep breath, smelled it, and savored the aroma that hit her taste buds. Then she blew on the hot air and carefully put it into her mouth.

"Well--!"

Lin Yu'an's eyes lit up instantly, and his chewing became exceptionally enjoyable.

"Mmm, this isn't just good, this is really delicious! The tripe is so crispy and fragrant!"

"It's delicious! It would be even better with a hot pot broth made with beef tallow!"

After Lin Yu-an finished eating the deer fat tripe, he continued to take care of the 'smoked meat project'. He would occasionally observe the changes in the meat strips in the swirling smoke.

The once bright red and moist venison has now completely changed its appearance!

It has a glossy, tempting deep brownish-red color, and its surface has become firm due to dehydration.

It exudes an extremely complex aroma, with the smoky scent of wood, the fresh fragrance of pine needles, the distinctive tarry aroma of birch bark, and the natural aroma of venison.

As the sun gradually rose to the zenith of the sky, it was noon on the forty-ninth day.

Lin Yu-an judged that the smoking of this batch of venison was now complete.

Instead of adding new smoke, he opened the door of the smokehouse completely, allowing the thick smoke that had accumulated inside to dissipate slowly.

At the same time, the still-warm dried meat undergoes final drying and "aging" in the circulating air.

He took a strip of smoked venison hind leg meat that was evenly colored and firm in texture, and carefully displayed it in front of the camera.

Sunlight streamed in through the doorway, reflecting an enticing sheen onto the deep brown-red surface of the dried meat.

"After nearly two full days of smoking and grilling, my venison jerky is finally done!"

"Look at this color, this hardness, and this enticing aroma... This is definitely the key to winning the championship!"

He used the sharp blade of the multi-tool to slice a thin piece of smoked venison from the strip of meat.

The cut surface reveals a consistent deep red color inside and out, with clearly visible, tightly bound meat fibers.

The edge is a darker area, translucent from the smoke, exuding a strong smoky aroma.

He put the thin slice of jerky into his mouth, closed his eyes, and chewed carefully.

"Hmm—!" Lin Yu'an's eyebrows instantly rose, and a look of surprise and delight appeared on his face.

Smoked venison has a firm and chewy texture, but it is never dry or tough.

The rich smoky flavor first assaults the taste buds, followed by the unique meaty aroma of venison slowly released in the mouth.

Although the meat is firm, it retains a suitable amount of fat inside, making it juicy and sweet when chewed, and the more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes.

He carefully removed all the dried venison from the smoking room and sorted it according to different parts and sizes.

These carefully smoked jerky pieces are at least a third lighter than before, but each one is imbued with a unique wild flavor.

He carefully wrapped most of the smoked venison jerky in large, clean sheets of birch bark that he had previously peeled off and dried.

"Birch bark can not only prevent dried meat from sticking together and absorbing flavors, but also play a role in preventing moisture to a certain extent."

He then neatly packed the wrapped jerky into his large waterproof hiking backpack.

He kept only a small portion for immediate consumption, intending to "taste" and showcase it properly in front of the camera.

The rest were placed back into space outside the camera's view.

It was noon by the time all the smoked venison was processed.

The gentle breeze that had been blowing along the shores of Lake Chirko all morning was now gradually subsiding.

The lake, which had been rippling slightly, returned to its mirror-like calm, clearly reflecting the distant snow-capped mountains and the coniferous forests on the shore, creating a magnificent and picturesque scene.

Looking at the lake in front of him, Lin Yu'an knew it was time to go to that small island again.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

(Has everyone had dinner yet? We can have some spicy blood curd for dinner.)
(End of this chapter)