Chapter 87 - Chapter 87: Fire and Pig (2)

Coming up with an 8-point dish wasn’t particularly surprising. After all, there were only two conditions for the recipe. Use pork and fire. Considering there wasn’t a single pork dish that didn’t use heat, he just had to come up with any pork dish that existed.

And during his time at the Grand Chef house, he had seen over 100 different pork dishes. Thye were all the top amateur chefs of North America. They might have been amateurs, but he still had a thing or two to learn from them. With such knowledge accumulated inside his head, it was a given that he came up with an 8-point dish.

But just because his recipe was 8 points didn’t mean that was the end of it. For just the recipe, he could come up with one that was worth 10 points if he just heard about it from someone else, but whether he could recreate those flavors 100% was another thing. Three dishes in 2 hours. He had to plan his cooking process in detail if he didn’t want to make any mistakes.

He had to complete all of them at the same time. That wasn’t all that difficult. The pork ribs just had to be marinated, and the meatballs didn’t require very much preparation time. The most time would be spent on the fried pork belly in soy sauce.

“… Did you come up with it already?”

Kaya glanced over at him with a frown and asked. Cho Min Joon answered casually, “It’s not even that hard.”

“… You’re so cocky.”

Kaya went back to thinking. He asked, “You can’t think of a recipe?”

“No, I can think of lots, but I can’t pick.”

“No talking, you two.”

Emily shot them a serious look. Kaya went back to her thoughts. She wasn’t particularly slow. The other contestants were all still coming up with their recipes.

‘Was I too fast…?’

He wasn’t this fast at first. It might have had to do with certainty. The others might have thought of good recipes, but they had a hard time deciding if it was right or not. After all, they didn’t have a system that scored their dishes, but Cho Min Joon didn’t have to think about such matters. That’s why he was so laid back. So much that the judges looked concerned.

“Min Joon, have you decided already?”

“Yes.”

“Maybe you should think it over. You might think it’s perfect now, but it could turn out differently later on. Just like how strange dishes can turn out very well.”

“Yes, I’m checking over it now.”

Cho Min Joon replied with a calm smile. Allan was about to say something before he shut his mouth. If he thought about it, Cho Min Joon had never come up with a bad recipe, so there was no reason why he would today.

“… I’ll trust you.”

That was all Allan could say. Cho Min Joon loosened up his fingers. The fact that the cooking score was high meant that it was quite difficult. If he zoned out for just a second, he could miss the crucial timing.

The fried pork belly in soy sauce needed to be fried, and the meatball and pork ribs weren’t going to be easy either. After all, he was thinking of grilling the pork ribs. Compared to Kaya’s grilled eel, it was a little easier, but he wasn’t quite familiar with using direct fire like Kaya. He had to focus hard on this mission.

Time passed. Joseph quietly watched the clock before announcing the start of the mission.

“You may begin!”

The contestants headed to the pantry. Cho Min Joon grabbed the pork first. The pork belly for the Hong Kong dish, the shoulder region for the meatball, and the ribs for the pork ribs. Other than that, he just had to bring red wine, onions, potatoes, and herbs. There were many ingredients for the 3 dishes, but Cho Min Joon didn’t spend much time on gathering his materials.

‘Freshness: 73%, 81%, 91%… Oh, here it is. 97%. But the quality is average.’

Even the way he picked his potatoes was different. The others had to look at the outer appearance, but Cho Min Joon used his system to know the exact quality. That was where the difference lied. Not even Anderson or Kaya could compare the ingredients in such a way. By the time the two of their baskets were half full, Cho Min Joon was already at his cooking station.

The judges came to take a look at his ingredients, and they couldn’t hide their surprise. Joseph looked at his potatoes and onions and said,

“I thought you just had good sense, but you actually know how to pick the right materials. All of your materials are of high quality. Fresh and well-grown. Is there a know how?”

“Not really. I just have an eye for these things.”

“… I’m jealous. I don’t think I can pick those so quickly either.”

Considering these words came from Joseph, this was high praise. Cho Min Joon smiled and put three pots on top of the gas range. He put onions, green onions, cinnamon, ginger, garlic, salt, and rice wine into the first pot. He would boil the pork belly in it, and he put pumpkin, onion, carrot, and green onions in the second pot. This was the broth for the meatballs. On the last pan, he poured canola oil where he would fry the pork belly. Hong Kong-style pork belly was known to be fried before boiling.

Cho Min Joon reached for the pork ribs first. Since the meat was on the bone, he had to separate the bone without damaging the meat. Cho Min Joon sliced around the bone in a careful manner. It didn’t look difficult but it was. After all, he had to make sure the thickness was uniform all around.

The cutting process was responsible for 70% of the final result. If this process was not properly done, one part would be raw while the other part was overcooked. For that reason, Cho Min Joon had his eyes open wider than usual.

His knife sliced into the meat calmly but quickly. Not much force was put into the knife. He was cutting into the meat in a soft manner as if he was being affectionate with a lover, and when he did, the meat fell off naturally. Not a single person at this place wasn’t unaware that this took a great amount of concentration.

‘He’s grown so much.’

Joseph thought as he watched Cho Min Joon use his knife. Only 2 months had passed since the preliminaries, and in that time, Cho Min Joon improved many of his weak points. He did it quickly at that.

‘He’s definitely talented.’

Cho Min Joon was so blinded by his system that he couldn’t see himself, but the others saw just how talented a chef he really was. Using the knife wasn’t just about moving one’s hands while holding a knife. One had to understand and feel the ingredients. That was a vague description, but that was the only way to put it.

And Joseph saw it. Cho Min Joon had a very high level of understanding of cooking. He clearly understood recipes, using the knife, and the order of cooking, but it was also the situation. These chefs had to constantly battle each other in weekly missions, so it was natural that they got better, but even so, Cho Min Joon’s growth was particularly fast.

But it was hard to call him a genius. That applied more to Kaya, and Joseph didn’t like to label any chef as a genius in the first place… because that felt like betrayal toward their lifelong effort, but it was inevitable for some to just be born with it, and Cho Min Joon certainly had it. Even if he didn’t have a perfect palate.

Joseph had already heard from Allan that Emily offered him a way to becoming a food critic. Joseph thought that was a horrible idea. Cho Min Joon was suited to becoming a chef. He felt it was a waste of talent for him to give up cooking and simply taste other people’s dishes.

Although Joseph was staring intensely, Cho Min Joon didn’t notice. He made a sauce with garlic, ginger, barbecue sauce, red wine, sugar, and lemon juice, and marinated the pork ribs.

After that, he had to fry the pork belly. After just cooking the outside, he would then boil it then cook it in a sauce. That would be the end of the Hong Kong fried pork belly in soy sauce. Cho Min Joon put the meat in the oil and then began mincing the meat to be used for the meatballs.

The shoulder area. This area contained lots of muscle and fiber, meaning it had a great texture. It was normally boiled for a long time or was used for pork chops, but it was also a great ingredient to be used for meatballs. After all, meatballs were best when less fat was added.

Without sufficient experience in mincing meat, it was quite a difficult task. Some thought that it just needed to be cut into small pieces, but fibers were not that easy to cut through. Without using the right angles, it could take a long time.

But Cho Min Joon worked quickly. Once the pork belly cooked just right, the minced meat was already ready. There wasn’t very much of it, but it was impressive that he had already finished the batter before the pork belly finished cooking. Cho Min Joon put the pork belly into the boiling pot. At that moment, the judges came to Cho Min Joon’s cooking station and asked, “Min Joon, you only have half the time left. Can you complete everything?”

“Yes, I can.”

“I saw that you fried the pork belly and then boiled it… Do you think you can make the outer texture come alive still?”

“I’m making it in a Hong Kong style. I’m thinking of making it so that both the outside and inside is chewy and soft.”

“… Hong Kong-style, huh? Sounds interesting. Good luck.”

Cho Min Joon didn’t look at the judges even once while they spoke. That was just how focused he was, and he was also nervous, but he was having fun. He felt like times like this made him feel like a real chef…

Cho Min Joon smiled. He added onions, oyster sauce, cooking alcohol, and soy sauce into the oil that cooked in garlic, pepper, and ginger. He sliced the boiled pork belly into thin slices and then put the green onions in between. On top of that, he poured the sauce, wrapped it, and then put it in the steamer.

He had 40 minutes left. He threw paprika into the flame. He mixed the meat batter with bread crumbs and cream and then sprinkled salt and pepper on top. Once he made them into balls, he felt something different. Thanks to his breadmaking practice, he was able to make the shape more easily than before.

‘… I didn’t think it’d be this easy.’

That was what he thought, but he had no time to think further. Cho Min Joon added oil to the pan and fried the meatballs. Once it was seared on the outside, he added the vegetable broth. Cho Min Joon added the broth into the pan. He put on the lid and then caught his breath.

After that was simple. He would peel off the outer layer of the burnt paprika, slice it up, and then place it on top. Once the vegetable broth was boiled down, he flambéed it and placed the completed meatballs on top of the paprika.

The sauce was simple. After turning off the frypan that cooked the meatballs, he added sugar, wine, vinegar, and cooked it down. Once he sprinkled it on top of the meatballs, he was done. The score was…

‘8 points.’

Cho Min Joon smiled. It was a hard process, but he felt rewarded.

He felt happy that he was actually able to recreate the 8-point dish.

Cho Min Joon took a break. For the best results, he had to complete the ribs right before the time was up. Once 10 minutes remained, Cho Min Joon steamed the pork belly and plated it. The fried pork belly was also as expected in terms of score. Cho Min Joon almost smiled before it stiffened up again.

All that remained was the pork ribs, and it was the most simple yet the most difficult dish out of the 3. The other dishes were complicated, but he couldn’t show any lacking in the way he used the flames in making the pork ribs. Whether he could score 8 points for this dish depended on this part.

Cho Min Joon placed the ribs on the grate. Direct flames. It was the hardest method of cooking. It wasn’t hard if he used low-intensity heat, but cooking the marinated meat with high heat was a difficult thing to do. He also had to make sure it remained juicy inside.

But this situation was easier than the eel that Kaya made. After all, pork was less sensitive to work with than fish. But…

The flames on the burner were red at times and blue at other times. Cho Min Joon bit down on his lip. His hands were sweaty. If he failed this, the other dishes didn’t matter, but he had to win this mission. The grate was placed on top of the flames.

The flames were alive. They were truly alive. It tried to chase away all the juices and sauce of the meat, and every time that happened, Cho Min Joon had to move the grate accordingly. Strong smoke came from it, making him want to cough, but he held it down. He felt suffocated.

What helped him in that state were two things. The scent of the meat being grilled along with the sauce, and the way it grilled without leaving a single burnt mark. Cho Min Joon endured the hardship with the emotions of a mother giving birth. He withstood the smoke, heat, and fear.

And the result that returned from the grate was direct.

[You’ve perfectly grilled the pork ribs with your perfect recipe and skills.]

[As a result of your focus, skill, experience, and sense, your cooking score has been changed!]

[Your cooking level has increased!]