Across Ranch Story: Friends of Mineral Town

After hearing Lin Xia's question, Brandon and Gotz immediately stared at Lin Xia with painful expressions: "How can you be so wasteful? Such good wood, you use it for charcoal burning?"

"Go play somewhere else, these woods are ours now, you can't touch them!"

Lin Xia: ... Are you turning against me so quickly?

"No, I just want to consult, is that not okay? Besides, you guys always have some unusable scraps of wood, right? Can't you use these to burn?"

"These fragrant woods are definitely not suitable for smoking meat. As for the wood that can be used for smoking meat, it is better to ask a professional chef!"

Looking at these two carpenters, Lin Xia could only compromise and go back to ask Dart. Really, he had to find these woods by himself!

After finishing the wood work, Lin Xia pulled Goetz aside and said, "Goetz, do you have time recently? I want to build a waterfowl house. Next spring, I want to raise some ducks and geese!"

"Hey, Lin Xia, I may not be free recently. My recent work schedule is full. You have to wait for a while?"

"Ah? Have many people built houses recently?"

"Yes! As you know, the town will start to develop tourism next spring, so the Dart family's hotel and grocery store will be expanded. The mayor also asked me to plan out the land on the commercial street. I heard that someone has claimed it to build a shop! So I guess it will be very busy throughout the winter."

"Okay, I'll come find you when you're done here!"

"Okay~"

After leaving the logging cabin, Lin Xia ran to Dart's house again. It was still afternoon, which was the quiet time in the hotel, but Dart had just obtained so many ingredients, so he probably wouldn't be idle.

Sure enough, she found Dutt in the kitchen.

"Hey? Lin Xia, why are you here to see me? Is there something urgent?"

"It's not an urgent matter, but I still want to ask you something." Lin Xia looked at Dart who was carefully processing the venison, so she stood aside and said.

At this time, Dart was applying a layer of fine salt to a few deer legs. Lin Xia couldn't help but ask, "Are you planning to pickle the deer meat?"

"Yes, I plan to smoke these legs and make roasted venison in winter. I will slice them into thin slices, roast them on an iron plate, sprinkle them with seasonings, and eat them right after they are roasted. It will be delicious. But before smoking, it needs to be salted and marinated."

After Dart finished processing the deer leg, he led Lin Xia to the rest area, poured Lin Xia a glass of juice, and asked cheerfully, "Tell me, what do you want to ask me?"

"I want to ask you, what kind of charcoal is better for smoking meat?"

"Generally speaking, fruit wood and hardwood are the most suitable charcoal for smoking meat." Dart thought for a moment and said, "For example, apple wood, cherry wood or peach wood belong to the fruit wood category. When they burn, they will produce a unique fruity aroma, which can add a unique flavor to meat products. This type of charcoal is especially suitable for smoking chicken and fish."

Lin Xia nodded, "I see, then what is hardwood?"

"Hardwoods include oak, maple, hickory, etc. They burn for a long time and have stable heat, which can make the smoking process more even." Dart continued to answer, "And they will produce a strong smoky aroma after burning, which is more suitable for smoking large pieces of meat such as beef and lamb."

“Since there is hardwood, is there also softwood?”

“Yes. Pine and cypress are softwoods. The smoky smell produced by burning these charcoal is lighter, which is suitable for smoking pork, duck, etc.

In addition to the woods mentioned above that are suitable for smoking, there are some woods that cannot be used for smoking. You must remember this. For example, woods containing resin or oil will release harmful substances after burning, which will harm human health. In addition, you should avoid using toxic woods, such as hemlock and yew, which will affect food safety. "

"Thank you, Dart. This information is very useful. No wonder Goetz and Brandon asked me to ask you. You know a lot!"

"Haha~ I just pay more attention to things related to cooking."

Lin Xia thought for a moment and asked, "How long does the smoking process take?"

"It depends on the degree of smoke you want to achieve and the size of the meat. Usually it can be smoked at a low temperature for a few hours to a whole day." Dart explained, "Also, the humidity and storage method of the wood used for smoking meat should be considered. Dry wood will produce a purer smoke after burning, while damp or moldy wood will affect the taste and quality of the smoked meat."

"I see." Lin Xia thought for a moment, "It seems that smoking meat requires a lot of skills and experience."

Dart smiled and said, "Don't worry, you can try slowly. If you don't succeed the first time, just consider it as a chance to gain experience. By the way, why do you suddenly want to smoke meat?"

Lin Xia chuckled, "I want to diversify the ways of eating and preserving food. Smoked meat can be stored longer and is more convenient to transport and store. I'm also thinking of mailing some smoked meat to my friends."

Dat nodded in agreement. "It's a good idea. However, remember to control the heat and time to ensure that the smoked meat is delicious. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

"Of course I will." Lin Xia was not polite in this regard. Professional matters must be consulted with professionals. "By the way, Dart, do you want some wolf meat? I have a spare wolf here."

"Huh? Why didn't you tell me yesterday?" Dart asked in surprise.

"Originally I wanted to see if Dort wanted wolves for medical research. You know, as a doctor, he always said he lacked research materials. Since I got these medicinal things from the mountains, I wanted to give them to him first. You won't blame me, right?"

"Of course not!" Dart said cheerfully, "I admire this kid Dot very much. Such a young and talented person is willing to be trapped in our small mining town and does not give up any opportunity to learn and explore. It's amazing. Then why didn't you give him the wolf?"

"He said that the most medicinally valuable part of the wolf is wolf meat, which is good for nourishing the five internal organs, protecting against wind and cold, warming the stomach, strengthening the yang and filling the marrow. But the best way to use it is for cooking, that is, cooking. The hospital does not need to use it to make medicine. So I didn't collect it! I was thinking, do you want it here? We can also add a new variety for winter!"

"Yes! Yes! Wolf meat is something you can only encounter by chance!" Dart laughed happily, "But wolves are very ferocious animals, why would you provoke them?"

"I didn't provoke them. They were chasing prey at night and ran into the electric fence outside my tent and were electrocuted to death. That's why the surface of the wolf skin is charred black. Do you mind?"

"What's there to worry about? We want the meat, not the skin."

"Just your words are enough!" Lin Xia immediately picked out a bigger black wolf from the space and gave it to Dart. He ran a shop and his demand was greater than hers.

"This wolf is quite big. How much is it?"

"Give me 5! The fur is damaged after all, and Huo An also offered this price!"

"Okay, I'll take it!" After the payment was made, Dart asked casually, "Come to the store for dinner tonight, or I'll send it to your home. You didn't have lunch at the store today, so I'll postpone it for you!"

"Please postpone it. Please send me home in the evening. I have some things to do right now, so I won't come over!"

After the deal was settled, Lin Xia rushed back to the ranch again. The reason why she was in such a hurry to come back was that the seedlings of the mihu tree that had been planted in the seedling pots had finally grown to a height that could be transplanted.

After inspecting her ranch, she finally chose the right place to transplant the seeds, which is near the chicken and rabbit hut at the back door of the ranch. If the miku tree can really glow in the future, it can also serve as a natural light source for the ranch! Haha~

The waterfowl hut is planned to be built on the east side of the hub tree, next to the ditch, which will also make it convenient for ducks and geese to swim and forage in the river at any time!