As the crowd dispersed, Ray began to pack up his stall.
The charcoal fire on the grill gradually died down, though a faint aroma of meat still lingered in the air.
He counted the thick wad of cash in his hands—a full two million yen.
Although he had anticipated a good turnout, holding this much money still felt somewhat surreal.
Since when was making money this easy?
He could only attribute it to the sheer absurdity of the ingredients from the world of Toriko.
But Ray quickly snapped back to reality.
Considering he could travel to another world, making money quickly was hardly a big deal.
Besides, now wasn't the time to obsess over cash.
After packing up his things, Ray didn't hesitate. He took the money straight to a nearby appliance store, picked out two maximum-capacity freezers, paid, and had the staff deliver them to his home.
Once the two massive freezers were moved into his room, Ray immediately cut the remaining Regal Mammoth meat into smaller portions, bagged them, and neatly arranged them inside.
Looking at the two freezers packed full of meat, Ray finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However, he knew that even when frozen, the meat couldn't be stored indefinitely without its flavor degrading.
For long-term preservation, it was best to process it properly.
Methods like air-drying, smoking, or curing...
All of these required a certain level of culinary experience.
Fortunately, he knew a few simple techniques.
He just didn't have enough supplies at home and needed to buy a few things.
Early the next morning, just as the sky began to lighten, Ray headed out with his money.
By the time the sun climbed to its peak, he stepped back through his front door carrying heavy shopping bags.
He immediately threw himself into the kitchen and got to work.
When it came to preserving meat, the first thing that came to Ray's mind was naturally cured meat.
In a clean enamel basin, he sprinkled white sugar, poured in half a bottle of white liquor, drizzled soy sauce, and tossed in crushed Sichuan peppercorns, broken star anise, and crumbled dried tangerine peel.
Next, Ray sliced a few evenly thick pieces of Regal Mammoth meat. He carefully rubbed Salt Orange all over them, massaging the meat for two minutes to ensure the savory, citrusy flavor penetrated the grain.
He placed the massaged Regal Mammoth meat into the marinade basin, gently flipping the slices so each piece was evenly coated in the mixture.
Following that, he poured the meat and marinade into food storage bags, squeezed out the air, and sealed them tight. After double-checking the seals, he placed them in the refrigerator to cure.
Now, he just had to wait patiently for a few days. Once the marinade fully infused the meat, he would take it out and hang it in a well-ventilated area to air-dry, completing the cured Regal Mammoth meat.
Having finished the initial prep for the cured meat, Ray showed no signs of stopping. He turned around and began working on other preservation methods.
He sliced a few more pieces of Regal Mammoth meat and tossed them into a pot of rolling boiling water. After blanching them briefly, he quickly scooped them out, drained the water, and set them aside to cool.
Once the meat had cooled down, he grabbed some Salt Orange and rubbed it evenly over the surface. Then, he found a clean cotton string, threaded the meat, and hung it under the eaves in a cool, well-ventilated spot.
This curing method would allow the meat to be stored for a very long time.
Finally, Ray tried preserving the meat with honey.
He cut the Regal Mammoth meat into uniform cubes, then used a brush dipped in honey to meticulously coat every side. Once the meat was fully encased in honey, he hung the cubes up one by one.
Meat treated this way would not only last a long time but also become even more tender.
After finishing all this, Ray began preparing his late lunch, carving off a piece of Jewel Meat.
He minced the Jewel Meat, placed it in a pot, poured in aged rice wine, and added Salt Orange and dried tangerine peel, letting it simmer slowly over low heat.
Soon, the kitchen was filled with an intoxicating aroma.
When the stewing was complete, he ladled out a bowl and took a sip. The exquisite flavor of the Jewel Meat bloomed in his mouth.
However, despite the broth being delicious, Ray was quite dissatisfied.
Aside from the Salt Orange, the flavors of all the other seasonings had been completely overpowered by the rich aroma of the Jewel Meat.
Fortunately, the Jewel Meat was delicious enough on its own, so Ray didn't mind too much. By the end of his meal, only a tiny bit of broth remained in the pot.
After finishing lunch, Ray checked the time. It was already past three in the afternoon.
So, after resting for a short while, he got back to work.
Ray cut off a large chunk of Regal Mammoth meat and, following yesterday's process, diced it into small pieces and skewered them.
He then used the seasonings he bought earlier to whip up some barbecue sauce.
Once the preparations were complete, Ray gathered his equipment and headed to the entrance of the shopping district.
He had barely set up his grill when a crowd swarmed around him.
"Boss, you're finally here! I missed out yesterday and have been waiting all night!"
"Yeah, exactly!"
"Boss, grill some more! I want ten skewers!"
The crowd was loud and rowdy. Most were returning customers who had tasted the goods yesterday, while many others had come specifically to see what the fuss was about after hearing recommendations.
Looking at the tightly packed crowd, the corners of Ray's mouth curled up as he spoke in a slow, deliberate tone.
"I prepared something a little different today, so the price has gone up. It's twenty thousand yen per skewer."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the crowd fell silent for a few seconds.
But soon enough, someone shouted.
"Twenty thousand it is! As long as it tastes like yesterday, it's worth it!"
The speaker was the young man who had bought fourteen skewers in one go the day before.
He had arrived bright and early today, terrified that he would miss out if he was even a little late.
With the first person taking the lead, the others quickly chimed in their agreement.
Yesterday's flavor had been far too enticing. That single bite was like fireworks exploding on the tip of their tongues. After going home, everything else they ate tasted completely bland.
Let alone twenty thousand yen, even if it were thirty thousand... they would still be willing to pay.
Ray smiled and said nothing more. He lit the charcoal and placed the meat skewers on the grill.
Fat dripped down, causing the charcoal fire to sizzle, and the rich aroma of meat once again filled the air.
This time, Ray didn't sprinkle Salt Orange. Instead, he waited until the exterior of the meat skewers was grilled to a golden, crispy perfection.
He pulled out a small jar containing his homemade sauce. The ingredients were ordinary, but Ray had mixed in a little bit of the leftover Jewel Meat broth from lunch.
After all, since he had raised the price, he had to make sure people felt they were getting their money's worth.
And even though he was only using a tiny bit of leftover broth, it still carried a hint of the Jewel Meat's flavor.
He dipped a brush into the sauce and brushed it evenly over the meat skewers.
The moment the sauce touched the scorching hot meat, it let out a sharp sizzle, and the aroma instantly became even more intense.
"Whoa—this smells even better than yesterday!"
"Boss, did you add some secret recipe? It smells amazing!"
"What is this scent! It's absolutely delicious."
The chatter in the crowd grew louder. Many people stared blankly, their eyes glued to the meat skewers on the grill as they swallowed hard.
Just smelling the aroma was enough to make one feel euphoric.
If they actually ate it...
At this moment, even those who had secretly harbored complaints about Ray's price increase no longer felt it was too expensive.