Food Stall: Customers Chase Me across the Country-Chapter 383 - 384: Wang Fan’s Whole Roasted Lamb

In Great Border, roasting whole lamb is almost always done in a nang pit.

After rubbing the lamb with a secret marinade, put charcoal in the heated nang pit, hang the lamb inside, and finally seal the mouth of the nang pit, allowing the high temperature within to cook the lamb through roasting.

Since he was already in Great Border, naturally he had to adapt to local customs and use the nang pit.

In fact, the high temperature generated by the well-sealed nang pit is incomparable to open-air roasting.

The huge iron rack had already been cleaned, and the marinated lamb was spread flat on the rack, with each part firmly fixed with thin iron wires.

Generally, in Great Border, roasting whole lamb doesn’t require binding it to an iron rack, but this lamb was really too big, and without binding it to the rack, it might break under its own weight. This way is safer.

The most important thing is that Wang Fan didn’t plan on roasting in the nang pit the whole time.

Mr. Zhuo had a nang pit ready, cleaned it up in the afternoon, and laid a layer of well-burning charcoal at the bottom.

Mr. Zhuo looked at Wang Fan and asked suspiciously, "Do you know how to use this?"

Wang Fan picked up a nearby water ladle, scooped half a ladle of water, and, with a sweeping motion, poured it along the walls inside the nang pit. The clear water traced a beautiful arc and splashed onto the pit with a "sizzle," releasing a cloud of steam.

"Of course I do."

Wang Fan’s actions showed Mr. Zhuo that he not only knew how to use it but was also quite skilled.

Mr. Zhuo watched in amazement as Wang Fan’s adept moves, unable to figure out where the young man learned such a skill.

He glanced at his own daughter, thinking how his somewhat clumsy apprentice couldn’t possibly have trained such a competent disciple.

Even Zhuo Qianqian was looking at Wang Fan with surprise.

A nang pit is something generally unique to Great Border. They hadn’t seen him practice along the way, so how did he seem more proficient at it than her own father?

Wang Fan had already hung the rack with the roasting lamb on the horizontal bars of the nang pit. The lamb meat sagged naturally, with marinade droplets occasionally dripping slowly onto the bottom of the pit.

He took a nearby plank, set it up to block the mouth of the nang pit, covered it with a layer of lotus leaves, and then buried the mouth completely with soil.

Finally, he sprinkled some clear water on the soil covering the nang pit, clapped his hands, and jumped down from the pit.

Zhuo Qianqian handed him a towel while exclaiming, "Boss, when did you learn to use a nang pit? It seems more... cough cough..."

Seeing her father’s eyes suddenly become sharp, Zhuo Qianqian promptly stopped her words.

Knowing how to act sensibly is the mark of a wise person; she couldn’t give her father a chance to put her in a difficult position.

Mr. Zhuo snorted, "Using the nang pit is just so-so, nothing exceptional. When did you learn?"

Wang Fan replied while wiping his hands, "When I was eating at a food street before, I saw someone using it, so I just noted it down in passing."

Remembering mathematical, physical, and chemical formulas was as difficult as climbing the sky for him, but remembering culinary-related things was almost like a photographic memory, allowing him to understand and master them very quickly.

How quick?

By the time you asked the question, he could already replicate it.

"In about an hour, I’ll take out the meat, and by then, you can tell the town folks, and we can start the evening festivities," he said.

In an hour, the lamb meat would be at most seventy percent cooked; he usually aimed for eighty percent. For the final ten percent, he wanted to use traditional grilling methods for different degrees of flexibility depending on the parts.

Moreover, a rotating roasted whole lamb on the grill has a more striking visual impact than one hanging alone in a nang pit.

"Alright, I’ll inform them," Mr. Zhuo said, slightly hesitant, lips moving as if he had something to say.

Wang Fan looked at him puzzled, but eventually, Mr. Zhuo walked away without saying anything.

Zhuo Qianqian giggled and whispered to Wang Fan, "My dad definitely wants to thank you for helping promote the town but he’s too shy to say it, hehe."

Wang Fan smiled without saying anything. He had already guessed what Mr. Zhuo wanted to say, which definitely wasn’t just thanking him for helping sell shrimp.

The townspeople were naturally overjoyed to hear Mr. Zhuo’s words: "Yuanshan Brother, thank you so much! With your son-in-law’s reputation, we can really make a big move with this opportunity. Who knows, maybe we’ll become a tourist hotspot in the future, hahaha."

Mr. Zhuo chided, "If you’re going to use his name, you’ll need to ensure everything else is in order. Don’t let any scams happen, or I’ll personally skin you!"

"Hahaha, you say no, but Yuanshan Brother, your body language is honest, isn’t it? Starting to defend him already? Rest assured, rest assured, we aren’t just looking to exploit this one wave, long-term development depends on reputation. We guarantee there won’t be any problems, and if there are, we’ll solve them immediately."

Mr. Zhuo spat, "Alright then, I’m not going to argue more, I’ll leave it at that."

...

No one was happier than the children at that moment.

A bonfire party!

They could sing and dance, play to their heart’s content, and have all the delicious food they wanted. They couldn’t believe there was anything more fun in the world than a bonfire party.

The pace in the town was fast. People had already started setting up the venue even before the time, stacking huge piles of wood together, and just the height alone made it clear the fire would be astonishingly brilliant when lit.

Wang Fan dug a charcoal pit on the side, laid a layer of black applewood charcoal at the bottom, and above it were fallen yellowish needles from Snow Ridge spruce.

The needles caught fire easily, emitting a unique fragrance that simple alcohol ignition couldn’t compare to.

The charcoal gradually flamed up, and when it was at its peak, Wang Fan, together with Mr. Zhuo, carried the roasted whole lamb out of the nang pit and placed it on the rack above the charcoal pit.

The enormous roasted lamb, which had transformed from a mixture of red and white to a pure soy-red hue, exuded an inviting aroma that wafted about as they moved. Even the town workers couldn’t help but swallow in hunger, not to mention the children who couldn’t even remember when they last had lamb.

And several campers, who coincidentally planned to camp nearby, recognized that this setup promised a fun evening. Before they could join in, Wang Fan had some students invite them over.

Shen Teng followed Wang Fan ardently, anticipating the unlocking of exclusive delicacies today. This man was always generous, and as soon as the kids invited him, he brought out everything edible and drinkable from his tent.

He carried one full bag, and even two children had a hard time managing the other.

The other invitees were similarly enthusiastic, promising to attend and bringing their own delicious snacks and drinks. Quickly, the tables at the venue were stacked full.

But these couldn’t catch anyone’s eye, as the roasted whole lamb not far from the bonfire was irresistibly captivating!