The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 573 Pork Cooking Master
A whole pig feast, as the name suggests, is a banquet made with a whole pig.

Qin Huai had never eaten a complete whole pig feast before, and he didn't know how sumptuous the 36 dishes Jiang Weiguo mentioned were. When he walked into the dining room in the backyard and saw the table full of 18 dishes, he already felt that it was very sumptuous.

It's safe to say that Qin Huai had never seen so much pork in a single meal.

Jiang Wei's country is quite large, and even for a self-built house in the countryside, it's considered large. Qin Huai and the other two had been spending time in the front hall, which is a dedicated reception area. Neither the living room nor the front room showed many signs of daily life.

The dining room is at the back, right next to the backyard. The pig was slaughtered there that morning. Now, there's no trace of the slaughter in the backyard anymore; it's been cleaned very thoroughly. Only the freshly processed pork strips hanging under the eaves showcase Jiang Weiguo's excellent pig-raising skills.

Qin Huai noticed that the Jiang family's dining table was very large, larger than a typical 14-person table in a restaurant.

On the large round table were large bowls and plates, filled with generous portions of food, yet the proportions seemed perfectly normal. If it weren't for the plate containing the braised pork knuckle being so large that it could fit two Dongpo pork knuckles with room to spare, Qin Huai wouldn't have realized that everything on the table, from the tableware to the portions, was exceptionally large.

Jiang Jiankang stood beaming by the table, his face radiating the joy of an upcoming feast. He didn't dare to sit down, and instead bowed humbly, asking Jiang Weiguo in a fawning manner, "Dad, where shall we sit?"

Jiang Weiguo didn't even give his third son a second glance. He pointed to the seats, indicating that An Youyou should sit in front of him, and then pointed to the seats next to him, indicating that Qin Huai and Shi Dadan should sit wherever they wanted. Then he sat down directly next to An Youyou.

An Youyou had been starving all day, and could only fill her stomach with gossip. Now, seeing this table of food, she couldn't wait to sit down and gnaw on the braised pork knuckle. Of course, she sat down wherever Jiang Weiguo pointed, and happily did so.

As soon as I sat down, I instinctively picked up my chopsticks.

Qin Huai sat next to An Youyou, and Shi Dadan sat next to Qin Huai. Seeing this, Jiang Jiankang quickly sat down next to Shi Dadan. Grandma Jiang sat next to Jiang Weiguo, Wang Xiulian sat next to her mother-in-law, and Jiang Feng, who was the slowest, could only sit next to Wang Xiulian.

Logically, this was a round table, and Jiang Feng should have been seated between Wang Xiulian and Jiang Jiankang. However, the table was too big and there weren't enough people. After everyone was seated, Jiang Feng appeared isolated. In addition, most of the main dishes were placed in front of An Youyou, while Jiang Feng was left with mostly cold dishes, making the youngest grandson in terms of seniority seem particularly forlorn.

Of course, Sunzi himself didn't think so. Qin Huai saw Jiang Feng excitedly grabbing his chopsticks and thought he was quite happy.

Qin Huai glanced at the dishes on the table; he recognized almost all of them.

The cold dishes include: garlic-flavored pork belly, spicy pork ear, chrysanthemum-shaped pork kidney slices, and mustard-flavored pork heart.

Hot dishes include: braised pork intestines, Dongpo pork knuckle, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, braised pork ribs, braised pork belly, four-happiness meatballs, braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens, stir-fried tripe with coriander, deep-fried meatballs, braised pig tail in soy sauce, stir-fried pork skin in soy sauce, stir-fried liver tips, and three white dishes in a casserole.

The soup was seemingly ordinary, but it was a huge portion of winter melon, meatball, and pork rib soup.

A proper whole pig feast consists entirely of pork dishes; there isn't a single vegetable dish to be seen.

Qin Huai swallowed hard.

He didn't know why, but when he ate the braised pork Jiang Weiguo made yesterday, Qin Huai felt that Jiang Weiguo's cooking skills weren't top-notch, only excellent. If Qin Huai were to rate that braised pork, it would be between B and B+.

But the dishes on this table look especially delicious today.

Jiang Weiguo's overall cooking style is simple and unpretentious, like home cooking. Even a dish like Dongpo pork knuckle, which is a standard dish that can only be eaten in restaurants, looks very homey because two pork knuckles are squeezed into a large plate.

Moreover, this plating style, which can definitely fit everything in a squeeze, is not only seen in Dongpo Pork Knuckle. Take Four Happiness Meatballs as an example. Qin Huai knows that this dish should theoretically be called Four Happiness Meatballs, but it contains 8 meatballs.

Its real name should be Eight Happiness Meatballs.

The sweet and sour pork was also beautifully presented. The pork was fried to perfection, and the syrup coating it made it look crystal clear, like amber from afar. Such a beautiful plate of sweet and sour pork, if plated properly, could definitely sell for 98-168 yuan at Huang Ji Restaurant.

But the sweet and sour pork on the table was piled up like a small mountain, a small mountain in the physical sense. From the composition of this small mountain of sweet and sour pork, Qin Huai could tell that Jiang Weiguo was definitely skilled at plating. It was impossible for an ordinary person to pile up the sweet and sour pork so high without it falling down.

Needless to say, the braised pork was served in a soup bowl.

Jiang Weiguo also realized that he might have accidentally cooked a little too much food today, and before the meal, he simply explained, "The kids at home can eat it, they're used to it."

Jiang Jiankang couldn't wait any longer: "Dad, is dinner ready?"

Jiang Weiguo nodded slightly, while giving Jiang Jiankang a look that said, "If you dare to steal food from a customer today, you'll be eating sweet potatoes in the pigsty tomorrow." Jiang Jiankang was so frightened that he quickly turned his chopsticks, which were reaching for the pork knuckle, towards the deep-fried meatballs.

Unaware of anything amiss, An Youyou excitedly reached for the braised pork knuckle with her chopsticks, picking up a large piece of skin-wrapped meat for herself. She even dipped it in the broth, then swallowed it in one bite, making a satisfied sound.

"Ugh, ugh ugh ugh ugh!"

Qin Huai understood An Youyou's implication: Wow, it's been 50 years since I last saw you, Thirteen, your braised pork knuckle is even more delicious now!
An Youyou then picked up a large piece of lean pork knuckle, wrapped it up in one bite, and ate with great relish.

"Try the braised pork and see if you like it," Jiang Weiguo said.

An Youyou quickly grabbed a piece of braised pork, took a bite, and nodded frantically, chewing it as she did so to make sure the jerk ate it quickly.

Shi Dadan, with his steady pace, devoured the food, shoveling rice into his mouth like a whirlwind. Grandma Jiang, smiling, ate her sweet and sour pork slowly and deliberately, focusing on her meal while keeping an eye on her grandson in the distance. She subtly moved the braised pork towards him, signaling him to stop staring at the garlic-infused pork belly and eat something hot instead.

Wang Xiulian and Jiang Jiankang, husband and wife, each fought their own battle, their chopsticks flying across the table, creating a sense of fierce competition, urgency, and encirclement, as if many invisible enemies were vying for their food.

Everyone eats differently.

Qin Huai didn't touch his chopsticks.

For some reason, he found it quite interesting; the dishes on the table looked very tempting, and the way everyone ate was also quite interesting.

An Youyou appeared to be eating voraciously, wolfing down the Dongpo pork knuckle in front of her, but in reality, after eating so much, she only suffered minor injuries. Shi Dadan, on the other hand, seemed to be eating slowly and methodically, but in fact, he devoured the food quickly and efficiently, ensuring that everyone else at the table also had food while he was enjoying his meal.

They even managed to get four extra servings of rice without alerting anyone.

Jiang Weiguo and Grandma Jiang only touched their chopsticks a few times and didn't eat much, probably because the elderly people don't eat much due to their age.

Jiang Jiankang and Wang Xiulian ate heartily, displaying an imposing and unrestrained spirit, seemingly the biggest eaters at the table, but in reality, they were slightly inferior to Shi Dadan.

As for Jiang Feng...

Although he had a small appetite and there weren't many good dishes in front of him, he seemed to be the happiest person eating. He would pick at this dish and that dish, as if being able to eat whatever he wanted was the happiest thing in the world.

Students' happiness is indeed very simple.

"Boss, aren't you going to eat? This braised pork knuckle is so delicious, and there's also braised pork belly, braised pork with preserved mustard greens, four-happiness meatballs, and..." An Youyou stuffed a piece of braised pork belly into her mouth to shut herself up, and continued indistinctly, "Boss, are you too hungry to be hungry anymore? You'll be hungry again after just one bite!"

Qin Huai then picked up his chopsticks and took the first piece of meat.

Braised pork.

Large chunks of braised pork belly, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, are evenly coated with a deep brown color. From the side, you can see the beautiful marbling of the pork belly. The skin is chewy but not loose, and the surface of the meat has a beautiful sheen without being greasy.

This is a braised pork belly that scores at least 90 points!
Guaranteed Grade A!
Qin Huai took a bite of the meat.

Well.

The rich flavor of meat and fat explodes in your mouth with a unique umami taste. With just a slight sip, you can feel the fat melting on your tongue, while after chewing carefully, you can taste the tender texture of the lean meat.

Good meat!

Qin Huai had already begun to imagine in his mind what such delicious pork would taste like if it were used to make three-ingredient buns and five-ingredient buns.

Jiang Weiguo's skill in making braised meat may be above average, but when it comes to making a large pork dish like this with fresh pork, his skill is absolutely top-notch.

"Grandpa Jiang," Qin Huai instantly switched to a humble and inquiring tone, "how did you process this pork? If I were to use this kind of pork belly as filling for steamed buns, how would I stew it to achieve the same tender and soft texture?"

Jiang Weiguo: ?

Jiang Jiankang: ?

Jiang Feng:?
An Youyou: ! As expected of the boss!

Shi Dadan silently placed a piece of pork knuckle skin on Qin Huai's plate.

Jiang Weiguo: "Are you a chef?"

"Pastry chef".

Jiang Weiguo immediately understood and began to teach Qin Huai his pork cooking experience.

Two hours later——

Qin Huai, feeling so full he was burping and having learned a great deal about cooking pork, excitedly messaged Zhao Cheng'an:

Chef Jiang Weiguo is simply a master of pork cooking!!!

Upon receiving the message, Zhao Cheng'an was: ? ? ?
Didn't you go to eat pork stew?

(End of this chapter)