I'm the Culinary God

Arriving upstairs, the black-brown geese had already been delivered.

This type of black-brown goose is considered relatively small among geese, with a standard weight of about six to seven pounds, similar to an average duck, and even smaller than the Muscovy Ducks which can weigh over ten pounds.

But compared to ducks, black-brown geese have smaller bones with thicker meat, rich fat, tender meat, and overall taste better than ducks.

This is also why roasted duck in the Lingnan Region is much cheaper than roasted goose.

The feathers on the surface of the geese have been cleaned, with only the internal organs left inside.

Lin Xu changed clothes, washed his hands thoroughly, while Zeng Xiaoqi and Shen Jiayue set up the filming equipment in the kitchen to start shooting.

After a simple introduction, Lin Xu picked up a sharp knife and began to remove the internal organs of the goose.

He made a cut about four centimeters below the goose’s anus and reached inside to carefully remove all the internal organs, including the esophagus and trachea, making sure not to miss anything.

After extracting all the organs, he had to remove the excess fat inside the goose’s belly.

This fat can prevent the sauce from seeping into the meat and may also melt under heat, risking bursting the belly, so some need to be torn out.

But it doesn’t need to be torn out completely, leaving some to enhance the flavor.

With all ten geese cleaned up, Lin Xu placed all the internal organs in a bowl and asked a helper to take them away:

"Clean these up, we’ll have goose offal for lunch."

The goose intestines will be made into Clay Pot Stew, the goose liver will be braised then sliced, the goose gizzard and goose heart will be stir-fried, enough for a staff meal from the internal organs of ten geese.

Nearby, Zeng Xiaoqi, filming close-ups, smiled and said:

"I must come over for lunch, such delicious goose offal, can’t miss it."

Besides the internal organs, the goose feet and goose wings also need to be chopped off, and these can also be turned into dishes.

Lin Xu took a cleaver and began chopping the goose feet and wings. The cut should not be made at the joint, but about two centimeters below, leaving the joint on the body to prevent the skin from tearing during inflation.

Once all the geese were prepared, Lin Xu started adding powdered seasonings into the goose cavity.

These seasonings were mainly salt and sugar, intended to enhance the flavor and aroma of the goose.

They included salt, sugar, sand ginger powder, cinnamon powder, Star Anise powder, Clove Powder, Five-Spice Powder, licorice powder, bay leaf powder, and thirteen incense mix.

Star Anise and cinnamon were primarily for aroma, while licorice added sweetness.

He mixed these powders evenly, grabbed a handful, and spread it evenly inside the goose cavity.

Next, he prepared the sauces, including seafood sauce, Mashed Bean Sauce, peanut butter, sesame sauce, Red Fermented Tofu, and soy sauce; he mixed them together, then spooned them into the goose cavity, massaging thoroughly.

The powders and sauces were generally applied separately to ensure even distribution during rubbing.

After spreading the sauce evenly, Lin Xu took a short break to allow the sauce to better penetrate the goose meat.

Next, he picked up the prepared Roasted Goose Needle and sewed up the opening on the goose’s rear, as if sewing clothing, minding the spacing to keep it within half a centimeter, or else it could burst open.

When finishing, the Roasted Goose Needle should be fully inserted into the goose cavity.

This not only secures the closure but also reduces the risk of being pricked by the needle.

"Lin Xu is like a tailor, amazing at sewing."

Nearby, Zeng Xiaoqi joked:

"Remember to cut this part out during video editing, otherwise viewers might spin it into something else."

Shen Jiayue then recalled similar gags and playfully stuck her tongue out.

Lin Xu, after finishing this, set a large pot on the nearby stove, filled it with water, added some baking soda, ready to scald the goose skin.

But before this step, the geese also needed inflating.

Whether making Northern Roast Duck or Southern Roasted Goose, inflating is a crucial step.

It allows the duck and goose skin to separate from the meat, resulting in crispier skin while keeping the meat tender, as the skin takes all the heat.

Lin Xu brought out a small kitchen air pump, connected it with a nozzle.

He inserted the nozzle into the opening on the goose’s neck skin, holding it tight with one hand, while pressing the sewn area on the rear with the other.

He began pumping air in.

As the air flowed in, the black-brown goose’s skin quickly inflated, turning from deflated to balloon-like.

Once inflated, he quickly moved on to inflate the second goose.

Since the air doesn’t stay inside the goose for long, the skin must be scalded right after inflating each one, fixing the separation from the meat.

Once the water in the pot boiled, Lin Xu held the goose by the beak with one hand, while using a spoon with the other to ladle the boiling water over the goose’s body.

After scalding, the goose skin stabilized and would not bind back to the meat.

Zeng Xiaoqi, observing this step, whispered to Shen Jiayue:

"Roasted goose tastes divine, but the process is so complicated."

"Yeah, such a hassle... But if Lin Xu can roast goose, he must be able to roast duck too, right?"

Lin Xu laughed and replied:

"I definitely can, but still need practice. If I don’t do well in Beijing, where roast ducks are everywhere, it could easily be criticized."

He repeatedly ladled hot water over the goose, then placed the plump white bird into cold water to cool it down, preventing the skin from overheating and tearing.

Going through this for all ten geese, he then started to hook them.

Roasted goose needs to be hung on specially designed hooks for roasting. These hooks have two prongs, just right for hanging from the base of the wings.

The hooks also have a metal ring on top; when hanging, the goose’s head must pass through it, with the neck twisted once to prevent it from sticking to the body.

During the roasting process, the goose skin and meat should not overlap, or it will affect the crispiness or coloring unevenly.

With all ten geese hung, Lin Xu moved them to the drying room, activated the air blower, and started the first drying stage.

Shen Jiayue followed inside to film, and curiously asked:

"When does the Crispy Skin Water get applied, Lin Xu?"

"Once it dries this time, Crispy Skin Water is applied, followed by drying and applying Crispy Skin Paste, drying again, then a layer of oil, and only then do they go into the oven for roasting."

Shen Jiayue: ?????

This is too complicated, isn’t it?

Initially wanting to learn, she now realized roasting goose is indeed beyond her culinary skills, deciding to head back to her air fryer recipes.

Leaving the drying room, she saw the helper pushing pigeons for Steamed Pigeon, eyes lighting up immediately.

If I can’t make roasted goose, perhaps I can handle Crispy Pigeon?

Thinking of this, she cheerfully approached Lin Xu and asked:

"Lin Xu, can you teach me to make Crispy Pigeon?"

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I took a nap in the afternoon, feeling slightly better, but my nose is still really sore, like someone punched me. This Chapter is 5200 words, if you have votes, remember to reserve them for the end of the month, double vote time then!