King of the Wilderness-Chapter 59: Making Blood Bait and Rendering Oil
On the fiftieth day, Lin Yu’an got up early and started preparing the tanning solution.
Soon, after most of the tree bark had been processed into small fragments of various sizes, Lin Yu’an took out the largest ceramic pot he had previously made.
Lin Yu’an layered these processed bark fragments into the ceramic pot, using a thick wooden stick to tamp them down occasionally, filling the pot to the brim.
"Extracting tannic acid, the more finely the bark is processed, the greater the contact area with water, and the higher the extraction efficiency of tannins."
"Then comes the long simmering process."
He moved the heavy ceramic pot to the mouth of the furnace and added enough hardwood kindling to the combustion chamber below.
"I need to boil as much tannic acid out of the bark into the water as possible, forming a concentrated tanning solution."
"This process usually requires several hours, during which the water must remain boiling."
Time slowly passed amid the bubbling sound of boiling water and the crackling of burning firewood.
The liquid in the ceramic pot started to change its color remarkably and wonderfully; it had turned into a deep, rich red-brown liquid.
"The tannic acid should be maximally dissolved in the water by now; this concentration is definitely enough for me to tan this large deer hide!"
Then, he brought out another ceramic basin of the same size, preparing for filtration.
He unearthed a cotton short-sleeve shirt - the same one he used to store dried beaver meat earlier - and fashioned it into a simple yet effective filter.
Using a makeshift scoop made from large pieces of birch bark, he ladled the concentrated solution from the ceramic pot into the fabric filter bag.
While filtering, Lin Yu’an explained to the camera.
"Vegetable tanning is quite different from the brain-tanning method I used on beaver hides previously,"
"It requires a much longer period and needs to soak in this tannin-rich solution for several days."
"During this long soaking process, the tannin molecules from the bark chemically react with the proteins in the leather."
Lin Yu’an made quite a bit of the tanning solution in the morning and poured the filtered and cooled vegetable tanning liquid into the tanning pool, basin by basin.
The deep red-brown liquid gathered at the bottom of the pool, quickly accumulating to a depth of about ten centimeters.
He then retrieved the deer hide, which had been soaking in the creek water overnight and had absorbed enough water to swell. He removed most of the excess water.
Then slowly fully spread it out, laying it flat in the tanning pool, preparing to soak it for several days.
During the long wait for the tanning solution to soak into the deer hide, Lin Yu’an decided to render the fat into oil for easier long-term storage.
Lin Yu’an collected the large slabs of board-like fat he had intentionally trimmed from the abdomen, back, and around the organs when butchering the deer.
All gathered in a temporary container made of birch bark, these fat chunks were milky white and had begun to solidify in the cool air.
"These are high-quality animal fat."
He picked up a chunk and displayed it in front of the camera, feeling its solid and greasy texture with his fingers.
"They’ve started to harden, so I must render them into pure deer oil; this would not only greatly extend the preservation time."
"It can also add precious energy to food when cooking."
"If given the choice between ten pounds of fat and twenty pounds of pure meat, always choose fat! In the cold wilderness, fat is life."
He first laid these fat chunks on a clean stone slab, carefully removing any remaining blood traces, fascia, and small bits of meat.
"These impurities tend to char when rendering the oil, affecting the final quality of the oil; for purer deer oil, they must be removed as thoroughly as possible."
After cleaning, he cut each large chunk of fat into smaller pieces about four to five centimeters each.
Then he thoroughly washed the largest ceramic pot with clean water and fine sand, ensuring no impurities were left inside.
He then stably placed it atop the circular opening of the stone house furnace.
All the cut deer fat was put into the dry ceramic pot, stacking a thick layer at the bottom.
Without using high heat, he applied medium-low heat to gradually warm the ceramic pot.
As the temperature of the ceramic pot gradually increased, the fat chunks at the bottom began to change first.
Their milky white surfaces started to become translucent, exuding drops of glistening oil.
"Sizzle... sizzle..."
The pot began to emit a slight and dense sound; it was the sound of fat melting and the evaporation of minute amounts of water within.
A unique aroma of meat and fat began to rise from the pot, filling the entire stone house!
Lin Yu’an held a wooden stick, gently stirring occasionally in the pot so that the pieces of fat were heated evenly and prevented from sticking to the bottom.
As the temperature continued to rise, more and more fat pieces began to melt, and the liquid fats in the pot increased.
The originally solid pieces of fat rolled and shrank in the boiling oil, their color gradually changing from milky white to enticing golden!
Meanwhile, the liquid oils in the pot accumulated into a clear, transparent, golden liquid.
This oil-rendering process lasted for more than an hour.
When most of the fat pieces in the pot had shrunk into small bits, he judged that the oil rendering was almost complete.
"Alright, the oil has mostly been extracted."
He used a wooden spoon to scoop out the golden oil residues floating on the surface of the oil.
After draining the excess oil, he placed them on a clean piece of birch bark.
"These oil residues are a superb delicacy!"
He picked up a piece of still-warm oil residue, sprinkled some salt on it, then put it in his mouth to chew.
With a "crunch," the rich, crispy aroma of oil exploded in his mouth, both satisfying the craving and replenishing energy.
He wrapped the remaining oil residues in birch bark, preparing them as emergency rations for future actions.
He then cautiously removed the pot filled with boiling deer oil from the stove.
Using a wooden spoon, he carefully scooped the boiling deer oil into another clean, small clay pot.
As for why he didn’t let it cool directly in the original clay pot: it was to filter it again during this pouring process, ensuring better oil quality and longer storage.
He covered this clay pot filled with hot deer oil with a piece of clean birch bark, allowing it to cool naturally.
"Now, wait for it to cool and solidify slowly."
"After a night’s slow cooling, the liquid deer oil in the pot will fully solidify into a jar of fine solid fat."
"Today, there is one more thing to do; I plan to make full use of the remaining parts from the previous deer processing."
He picked up the deer lung and several pieces of coagulated deer blood.
"For instance, this deer lung and these coagulated deer blood pieces are going to make some potent fish bait!"
"It’s said that blood bait is banned in many fishing competitions due to its strong effects, not sure if it’s true."
"Deer lung, with its porous structure, can perfectly wrap and merge with deer blood while emitting a scent."
"And the rich scent of deer blood is an irresistible lure for most fish species."
He placed the deer lung on a clean slate, using a finely sharpened stone knife to carefully cut it into irregular small pieces.
"Handling this soft tissue only requires a sharp stone knife."
He also cut open the coagulated deer blood chunks, resembling dark red jellies.
On the slate, he mixed the cut deer lung pieces with deer blood chunks. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
Next, he took some of the suet scraped from the inside of the deer hide and added it to the mix.
"Adding animal fat can prolong the presence of blood bait in the water, allowing the scent to spread farther."
"The fat itself is a high-energy material that many fish desire."
He picked up a sturdy wooden stick, added a little water, and began to vigorously and repeatedly stir and mash it on the stone board.
Under pressure, the deer lung squeezed out more fluid, and the deer blood chunks were crushed finer, mixed with melted deer oil.
It gradually formed a deep red, viscous paste that emitted a strong, fishy smell.
"Alright, the super blood bait is done; wrap it in birch bark to ferment overnight and test its power tomorrow!"
Lin Yu’an tightly wrapped the pot with appropriately sized birch bark and placed it in a cool corner of the shelter.
On this day, Lin Yu’an barely left the camp, yet work was exceedingly enriching.
Making the tannin solution, preparing blood bait, rendering deer oil... these seemingly tedious tasks were all preparations for longer survival.
He maximized the benefits of a successful hunt into resources for sustained use whenever possible.
