As the crowd dispersed, Haruto began packing up his stall.
The charcoal on the grill gradually died out, leaving a faint aroma of meat lingering in the air.
He counted the money in his hand—a thick stack totaling over two million yen.
Although he had expected it, having this much cash in hand still felt somewhat surreal to Haruto.
When did money become so easy to earn?
He could only say that the ingredients from the Toriko world were truly ridiculous.
But Haruto quickly snapped out of it.
He could travel to another world, so what was wrong with making money a bit faster?
Besides, now was not the time to dwell on money.
After packing up, Haruto didn’t hesitate.
He headed straight to a nearby appliance city with the cash, picked out two of the largest capacity freezers, paid for them, and had the staff deliver them to his home.
Once the two massive freezers were moved into the room, Haruto immediately cut the remaining Regal Mammoth meat into pieces, packaged them into small portions, and arranged them neatly inside.
Looking at the two freezers full of meat, Haruto finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However, Haruto also knew that even if kept in a freezer, this meat couldn’t be stored for too long, or the flavor would deteriorate.
For long-term preservation, it would be best to perform some processing.
For example, air-drying, smoking, or curing… these all required a certain amount of culinary experience.
Fortunately, he still knew some simple processing methods.
It was just that he didn’t have enough supplies at home and needed to buy some…
Early the next morning, as dawn was just breaking, Haruto left the house with his money.
By the time the sun had gradually climbed overhead, Haruto stepped through the door carrying heavy bags.
He immediately dove into the kitchen and began to get busy.
When it came to preserving meat, the first thing Haruto thought of was naturally cured meat.
In a cleaned enamel basin, he sprinkled in white sugar, poured in half a bottle of white liquor, drizzled in light soy sauce, and then dumped in crushed Sichuan peppercorns, star anise broken into small pieces, and crumbled dried orange peel.
Next, Haruto cut several thick, even slices of Regal Mammoth meat, coated them thoroughly with orange salt, and rubbed them repeatedly for two minutes to ensure the salty fragrance of the orange salt penetrated the grain of the meat.
He placed the rubbed Regal Mammoth meat into the marinade basin and gently turned it over, making sure every slice was evenly coated with the sauce.
Immediately after, he poured the meat and marinade into a food bag, squeezed out the air, sealed it tight, and checked it once more before placing it in the refrigerator’s cold storage compartment.
Now he just had to wait patiently for a few days for the marinade to soak in, then take it out and hang it in a ventilated place to air-dry, and the Regal Mammoth cured meat would be finished.
He cut a few slices of Regal Mammoth meat, threw them into rolling boiling water to blanch for a moment, then quickly scooped them out, drained the water, and set them aside to cool.
Once the meat had cooled slightly, he took some orange salt and applied it evenly.
Then, he found a clean cotton thread, threaded the meat, and hung it in a cool, ventilated spot under the eaves.
This curing method could preserve the meat for a very long time.
Finally, Haruto tried the honey-cured preservation method.
He cut the Regal Mammoth meat into uniform cubes, then used a brush dipped in honey to meticulously coat every side.
Once the honey enveloped the meat, he hung the pieces up one by one.
Meat treated this way not only lasts a long time but also becomes more tender…
After finishing all this, Haruto began preparing his late lunch, cutting off a piece of Jewel Meat.
He minced the Jewel Meat, put it in a pot, poured in aged rice wine, added orange salt and Dried Tangerine Peel, and slowly simmered it over a low fire.
Soon, the kitchen was filled with an intoxicating aroma.
When the simmering was done, he ladled out a bowl and took a sip; the deliciousness of the Jewel Meat blossomed in his mouth.
Though the broth was delicious, Haruto was quite dissatisfied.
Except for the orange salt, the flavors of the other seasonings were completely suppressed by the meat aroma of the Jewel Meat.
Fortunately, the Jewel Meat was delicious enough that Haruto didn’t mind, and only a little bit of the pot of broth remained at the end.
After finishing lunch, Haruto checked the time; it was already past three in the afternoon.
So after resting for a while,
Haruto cut off a large piece of Regal Mammoth meat and, following yesterday’s procedure, cut it into small pieces and skewered them.
He then used the seasonings he had bought earlier to make some BBQ sauce.
Once preparations were complete, Haruto brought his tools to the entrance of the Shopping Street.
As soon as he set up the grill, a crowd gathered around.
“Boss, you’re finally here! I didn’t get to eat any yesterday, I’ve been waiting all night!”
“Exactly, exactly!”
“Boss, grill more! I want ten skewers!”
“…”
The crowd was clamorous, mostly repeat customers who had a taste yesterday, and many who came specifically to join the fun after hearing recommendations…
“I’ve prepared some other things today, so the price has gone up. It’s twenty thousand yen per skewer.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd went silent for a few seconds.
But soon, someone started shouting.
“Twenty thousand it is! As long as it still tastes like yesterday, it’s worth it!”
The speaker was the young man who was the first to buy fourteen skewers at once yesterday.
He had arrived early today, fearing he wouldn’t get any if he came late.
With the first person taking the lead, others followed suit.
Yesterday’s flavor was simply too alluring; that one bite felt like fireworks exploding on the tip of the tongue.
After going back, everything else they ate felt bland and tasteless.
Never mind twenty thousand yen, even if it were thirty thousand… they would be willing to pay.
Haruto smiled and said no more, lighting the charcoal and placing the skewers on the rack.
Fat dripped down, the charcoal made a sizzling sound, and the rich meat aroma permeated the air once again.
This time, Haruto didn’t sprinkle orange salt, but waited until the skewers were grilled to a golden, crispy exterior.
He took out a small jar containing the sauce he had prepared.
The ingredients were ordinary, but Haruto had added a bit of the leftover Jewel Meat broth from lunch.
Since the price had gone up, he had to make people feel it was worth the money.
And although he only used a bit of leftover Jewel Meat broth, it still carried the flavor of Jewel Meat.
He used a brush to dab a bit of sauce and spread it evenly over the skewers.
As soon as the sauce touched the piping hot skewers, it immediately made a ‘psst’ sound, and the fragrance instantly became even richer.
“Wow—this scent smells even better than yesterday!”
“Boss, did you add some secret recipe? It’s too fragrant!”
“What is this flavor! It’s absolutely delicious.”
“…”
The chatter in the crowd grew louder.
Many people’s eyes were fixed, staring intently at the skewers on the grill, their Adam’s apples bobbing constantly.
Just smelling the fragrance gave one a celestial, floating sensation.
If they were to eat it…
At this moment, those who originally had some objections to Haruto’s price hike no longer felt it was expensive.