HPDBC Chapter 488 - 400 Juicy Bite, Improved Beef Burger
Chapter 488 - 400 Juicy Bite, Improved Beef Burger
Although she was scalded, her eyes glimmered with brilliant light, her entire little face full of surprise, even more pronounced than her previous reaction to the chicken fillet sandwich.
This delicious??
Helena was truly craving it, swallowing several mouthfuls of saliva in succession.
She also loved eating fried chicken, but she had to maintain her figure and dared not eat much, plus she was busy with work, so she indeed hardly had the chance to eat.
Especially after coming to Dieppe, she had been so busy, finding even a decent fried chicken shop was almost impossible, and the few that existed didn’t taste good.
Now seeing her daughter’s instantly conquered expression, she couldn’t help but want to snatch that unique hamburger and shove it into her own mouth.
Just as she thought this, Zhao Shun handed over a plate of already prepared burgers, at least five or six of them.
She blinked her eyes, not yet reacting, only to find that somehow she had a burger in her hand, just half a centimeter from her mouth, ready to enjoy the deliciousness whenever she opened her mouth.
She had eaten Lin Chen’s fried Chicken Fillet before, naturally knowing how skilled the Great Xia People were at making fried chicken dishes.
Even chicken breast could be made so tender and juicy, how delicious could the already tasty chicken leg meat be?
Thinking of this, she could no longer suppress the eagerness in her heart, she didn’t care about the many people watching, moving her jaw a few times, she opened her mouth wide and bit down hard.
"Crunch"
Just as imagined, the crispy coating instantly shattered, and the steaming chicken began to burst with juice under pressure.
The chicken itself had been marinated to perfection, a mild spiciness just right, with a noticeable aroma, perhaps garlic powder or onion powder, the proportions mixed flawlessly, aromatic but not overpowering.
With each chew, a juicy burst of succulent juice streamed from the tender chicken thigh meat.
Not only that, the chicken thigh meat itself was tender beyond reason, with a subtle blush, one shade more would be overcooked, one shade less would be underdone.
Through the bitten portion, it was clear to see streams of glistening juice seep through the crevices, steaming up.
The freshly fried chicken didn’t have any greasy feeling, only the joy of a big bite of meat, complemented by slight spiciness and crisp, refreshing lettuce and cabbage shreds, with sweet, not overwhelming mayonnaise, the overall flavor was simply perfect.
The most important was the outer two layers of bun, the texture so special, making one unable to resist taking big bites.
The three Head Chefs didn’t stand on ceremony, each grabbing a hamburger to eat, nodding as they did, they were evidently impressed by this familiar yet unique pairing.
While enjoying the deliciousness, Zhao Shun opened the oven door again, waves of scorching heat gushed out, followed by a rich beef aroma.
Patties of beef were sizzling on the grill, the surface browned to perfection, the ideal doneness.
The same buns, the same mayonnaise and lettuce, but this time there was no cabbage, instead, there was a layer of mushroom slices stir-fried in black pepper sauce placed on top before covering with the freshly grilled beef patty.
Although this beef burger used domestic flavor inspiration, the most important beef patty preparation method was entirely different.
Here, you couldn’t find those ultra-soft beef patties without meat texture, they preferred pure meat patties pressed into form.
Following Lin Chen’s advice, Zhao Shun added starch and water to the beef patty, using a Chinese marinating method to tenderize the meat mixture, essentially combining Western and Chinese flavors to find a middle ground.
If one had to describe the taste, it was somewhat reminiscent of the meaty and granular sensation of lion’s head.
"Beef burger?"
The appearance of this surprised everyone a bit.
Aside from the different ingredient pairing, it seemed there was no noticeable difference from the hamburgers made in regular burger shops?
Did the Great Xia People originally eat Western beef burgers too?
Luckily these hamburgers were not big, a small one, even women could easily eat two without feeling overly stuffed.
However, Lisa now felt a bit conflicted.
She glanced twice at her fried chicken burger, and then twice at the freshly baked, steaming beef burger, momentarily indecisive.
Thinking for a moment, she handed her half-eaten fried chicken burger to her dad.
"Daddy, help me hold this one, I want to try the beef one first, in case it’s not my favorite flavor, we can switch, okay?"
The man had no dissatisfaction about being treated as a trash can, nodded with a doting smile: "Sure, of course."
Five seconds later.
Having taken a bite of the beef burger, Lisa seemed to forget all about the arrangement, holding the burger in both hands she devoured it in huge chunks, visibly more juice than the previous fried chicken burger flowed from the burger edges, dripping all over her hands.
She even didn’t want to waste that bit of juice, leaning over to lick it clean.
This was a beef patty made with minced meat, according to normal restaurant standards, it should have been grilled to show grill marks and then baked in an oven to cook thoroughly, normally it wouldn’t contain much juice.
Some restaurants, especially to enhance the smoky flavor, will press the beef patties very thin, grill them directly, and then stack two patties together to add texture.
This kind of patty has even less juice because it’s thin, and during grilling, all the juice drips onto the grill.
However, the beef patty burger made by Zhao Shun is completely different.
Even without tasting it, just by looking at the packaging in Lisa’s hand, which is crazily dripping juice, everyone can already imagine how tender and juicy the patty inside really is.
Making burger patties to this level is a skill they have never witnessed before.
Such explosive juice-filled meat is something only at the level of American barbecue can achieve.
Before serving, it needs to be smoked and roasted in the oven for at least ten to twenty hours, wrapped in aluminum foil to prevent juice loss, and the temperature must be tightly controlled until finally achieving the effect of explosive juice upon biting.
Just at a glance, the three head chefs seem to realize something, and very tacitly quicken their steps together towards the bowl of minced meat.
This is the raw material that’s already marinated but hasn’t been made into patties yet.
They don’t even need to touch it; just by visually inspecting its state, a flash of understanding crosses their eyes.
Great Xia People excel in using unique marinating methods to make the meat tender and juicy. This method they have witnessed not once or twice, and have even tried themselves, indeed proving very effective.
Unexpectedly, it can be used inside minced meat!
Does that mean that in all dishes related to minced meat, like dumpling fillings or bun fillings, similar methods are used to achieve juicy results?
Apart from that, there’s also the little cheat trick Lin Chen used before, adding pork skin jelly to the minced meat to enhance moisture.
The few chefs quickly pull out their notebooks carried with them, writing diligently to record all the ideas flooding their minds at the moment.
If they can extend recipes using this method, they could almost update all recipes related to meatballs, hamburger patties.
"I can’t eat anymore, ooo..."
At this time, Lisa handed the remaining half of her beef burger to her father with teary eyes, filled with reluctance, her originally flat belly puffed out like a balloon, paired with her angelic face, it was adorably cute.
When she got up in the morning she had made a plan, no matter how good the sandwich tasted, she would only try two bites of each, not a bite more, so she could taste all flavors.
But reality was harsh; the four types of sandwiches Lin Chen released had flavors she had never tasted before.
Even the relatively familiar fried chicken burger and beef burger underwent revolutionary innovation in the meat part, thoroughly surpassing all the burgers she’d eaten before.
The one-bite explosion of juice paired with the piping hot, tender texture mesmerized her, leaving her unable to stop eating bite after bite; when she finally realized, her stomach was already bursting, unable to take another bite.
She now feels that if she walks fast, she might even throw up.
Helena glanced at the time.
Sixteen past six.
The battle ended in mere minutes?
Originally, she thought it would take at least twenty or thirty minutes to eat, assuming the sandwiches were made and grilled on the spot, not expecting the serving speed to be so fast.
Pre-toasting the bread might be expected, but why does the burger bun only need a short two or three minutes?
She watched Zhao Shun throw the fried chicken into the oil pot after they came in, and after seeing his daughter eat the sandwich, put the hamburger bun dough into the oven.
Clearly the last step, but it was the first to be done; this point left her completely baffled.
Moreover, the shape of the oven was very strange; it was open like an airport x-ray machine, with a roller-type rotation shaft at the bottom.
The dough would heat up after being placed on one end, and when it came out from the other end, it had already turned into swelling little balloons.
Such a magical and efficient machine was not only new to her but to everyone present.
Lin Chen previously ordered this machine mainly out of curiosity; besides its peculiar look, its name was quite attractive.
Burger machine.
From the name, it’s known to be for making burgers, very appealing to foreigners, so he ordered it to see how it would be used.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Shun knew how to use it, a pleasant surprise indeed.
"Because it was a spontaneous idea, there aren’t many flavors prepared today, just these four kinds; some flavors can be made too but are either too common or aren’t Great Xia flavors, like Japanese or Korean styles."
"Since it’s the first time making sandwiches, I plan to see the customers’ reactions first, then consider whether to add other flavors later."
Lin Chen introduced briefly, nodded to Old Chen and Zhao Shun, who immediately started making preparations for later business.
Sliced bread sandwiches can be prepared and packed in advance and displayed for customers to choose autonomously, whereas Chinese-style burgers need to be baked and made on the spot, but steps like fried chicken and beef patty preparation can be pre-done.