American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 227 Planning for the Future (Multiple Images, Requesting Monthly Tickets)
The most precious parts were the pure white subcutaneous fat that he peeled off piece by piece. He carefully wrapped these energy blocks in a large piece of birch bark, intending to take them back to the shelter and slowly render them into precious porcupine oil.

He then dragged the intact porcupine hide, still covered in thorns, to a leeward spot away from the camp and temporarily buried it in snow. He needed time to figure out how to safely handle and utilize this "thorny cloak."

Lin Yu'an did not linger outdoors any longer and returned to the shelter against the cold, leaving only the campfire still leaping in the wind outside.

As soon as the door was opened, a warm atmosphere mixed with the faint milky scent emanating from December wafted in, instantly shutting out the cold and bloodshed outside.

December was still lying on the wolfskin bed, looking at him curiously.

"I'm back, little one." Lin Yu'an's voice carried a hint of fatigue, but more so a sense of satisfaction from returning home with a full load.

He walked over to December, squatted down, and gently rubbed its little head with the back of his clean hand. Only after confirming that Lin Yu'an was not in danger did December relax and affectionately nuzzle against him.

After calming down December, Lin Yu'an's stomach began to rumble in protest. He couldn't wait to savor his spoils.

He selected the two deep red tenderloins from the pieces of meat he had brought back.

"The tenderloin of a porcupine is the most tender part of its entire body."

He explained to the camera, "For such top-quality ingredients, you only need to use the simplest methods to present their most original flavor."

"The two hind legs, with their fascia inside, are perfect for slow grilling over charcoal, allowing the heat to slowly penetrate and tenderize the meat, while also bringing out the richest caramelized aroma. This will be my main dish."

He pointed to the remaining foreleg, ribs, and spine, "Finally, these are the parts. These have less meat and more bone, making them excellent for making stock. I'll use them all to make a pot of rich bone broth."

Lin Yu'an's cooking method was indeed extremely simple. He first heated the iron pot until it was scorching hot, then cut off a small piece of freshly peeled porcupine fat and threw it into the pot.

"Zi la——!"

The fat melted rapidly in the scorching iron pot, and the clear oil instantly covered the bottom of the pot. A rich aroma of meat fat, incomparable to any vegetable oil, suddenly rose up and filled the entire shelter.

He placed the two whole pork tenderloins directly into the fragrant hot oil, and the moment the meat came into contact with the hot oil, it produced a pleasant sizzling sound.

The surface of the pork tenderloin shrinks rapidly under high temperature, quickly changing from its original deep red to an enticing dark brown.

He didn't flip it too much, but patiently waited until one side was fried with a perfect caramelized crust before flipping it over with chopsticks.

While frying the other side, he took a few grains of coarse salt from his small salt bag and sprinkled them evenly on the already fried side.

He shared his cooking tips: "Salt should only be added after a caramelized crust has formed on the surface of the meat."

"Adding salt too early will cause the meat to release its moisture prematurely, making it tough and dry. Adding it just before taking it out of the pot will prevent it from absorbing the flavor. Only by adding salt at this time can the salt penetrate the surface without destroying the juices inside the meat."

He took the fried pork tenderloin out of the pan and placed it on a clean piece of birch bark.

Next, he began to process a piece of hind leg meat with the leg bone still attached, firmly skewering it with a sharpened birch stick, and then placing it directly next to the embers in the fireplace to slowly roast it using radiant heat.

Finally, there was the soup. He didn't waste the hot porcupine oil mixed with meat juices left in the pot. He chopped the thinly sliced ​​ribs, as well as the forelegs and spine with bits of meat, into small pieces with an axe and threw them directly into the oil to stir-fry.

"The bones should be fried in oil first, then water should be added and simmered. This will make the soup a rich, milky white color and have a more mellow flavor."

Only when the surface of the bones turned golden brown did he add a large amount of water to the pot, put the iron pot back over the flame, and begin a long stewing process.

At this point, the feast of fat, consisting of "pan-fried pork tenderloin as an appetizer," "slow-roasted pork leg as the main course," and "essential bone broth," has all its components in place, beginning to brew its final flavor under the catalysis of flame and time.

He first picked up the pan-fried pork tenderloin, which had already been rested and was exuding a wonderful aroma. He sliced ​​it into thick pieces with a hunting knife, revealing a tender, juicy, and finely textured core beneath the brownish-red exterior.

I picked up the largest piece, but instead of putting it in my mouth immediately, I brought it to my nose and sniffed it carefully.

"That's the unique smell of porcupine meat."

"Many people think that all wild game is pretty much the same, but that's not true. In addition to the aroma of meat, this flavor also has a very strong grassy and woody scent, similar to pine needles and birch bark."

"This is because it has long fed on plant roots and bark, and the aromatic hydrocarbons in these plants have been deeply integrated into its fat and muscle fibers. This flavor is the porcupine's identity card, and also the reason why many people cannot accept it."

He took a deep breath, as if preparing his taste buds, before putting the piece of meat into his mouth.

The moment his teeth broke through the caramelized crust, a burst of hot, rich meat juice, mixed with the unique wild aroma of porcupine fat, exploded in his mouth!
His eyebrows twitched slightly, as if out of control.

The first thing that struck his taste buds was the unique, wild flavor of porcupine fat. It wasn't as mellow as lard, nor as creamy as butter, but rather a rich, oily aroma full of pine resin and herbal notes.

This smell might even seem pungent and strange to modern people who are used to raising livestock in captivity.

But Lin Yu'an's palate had long been honed by this wilderness to be incredibly tolerant and sensitive. He could taste deeper layers of flavor beneath the domineering wildness.

As he expected, the tenderloin was indeed exceptionally tender, but in terms of texture, it was "leaner" or "firmer" than any other meat he had ever eaten, with a kind of toughness that belonged to wild animals.

The simple saltiness brings out a hint of sweetness in the meat itself, but the strong herbal aroma lingers throughout the entire chewing process.

After chewing, he gave a professional assessment: "A very strong flavor. It's definitely not the kind of flavor that everyone will like. It's very primal, with that grassy taste, like it's reminding you that you're not eating an ordinary piece of meat, but part of the forest."

He picked up the second piece of meat and put it in his mouth without hesitation. "But for me now, this taste, full of strength and vitality, is exactly what my body craves most."

After finishing the tenderloin as an "appetizer," the huge roasted leg was almost done. Under the patient roasting over a slow fire, the outer layer of fat on the leg meat had melted and seeped into the entire piece of meat, forming a golden and crispy crust on the surface.

He grabbed the scorching hot wooden stick with his bare hands, brought the roasted leg meat to his face, and used a hunting knife to cut off a piece of the crispy on the outside and tender on the inside meat, chewing it heartily.

Compared to tenderloin, leg meat has a richer flavor. The fascia and muscle clinging to the bone become tender and elastic after being slowly roasted over a low flame. Some of the wild, herbaceous flavor is neutralized and transformed into a complex aroma closer to nuts and roasted meat.

It's chewier and gives you a better sense of the primal pleasure of tearing flesh. Finally, I served myself a large bowl of piping hot bone broth that had been simmering until it turned milky white.

This soup is a perfect culinary refinement of porcupine flavor. The long stewing process allows the fat and collagen in the bone marrow, as well as the complex precursor flavor substances in the meat, to fully dissolve.

His meticulous blanching and stir-frying process successfully removed most of the off-flavors, making the broth exceptionally clean.

Take a sip, and the aroma of herbs and plants is still there, but it is no longer jarring. Instead, it blends perfectly with the rich broth, creating a unique "forest broth" that can only be tasted in this wilderness.

Lin Yu'an thoroughly enjoyed the meal; it wasn't just about filling his stomach, but more like an adventure and exploration for his taste buds.

Lin Yu-an used her experience and skills to successfully "interpret" and master a challenging ingredient, transforming it into an energy that could infuse her with vitality.

And finally, my body received the most crucial and abundant fat replenishment.

Outside, the cold wind, which had just stopped for a moment, started howling again, swirling up the loose snow on the ground and making a rustling sound.

After finishing all this, Lin Yu'an glanced at the sky and the marks on the wall, estimating the time. It was almost December, time for its bedtime milk again. He skillfully prepared a slightly thicker formula than during the day, watching it drink it contentedly on the wolfskin bed, and then, as usual, waddled over, crawled into his warm sleeping bag, and drifted off to sleep.

Lin Yu'an finally enjoyed a completely peaceful night that belonged to him.

He didn't lie down to rest immediately. After the large meal, his blood flowed faster, and the high-calorie fat and protein made his brain unusually clear and active.

A few pieces of the most durable hardwood were added to the fireplace, and the orange-red flames leaped and danced once more, illuminating the entire shelter with warmth and brightness. Leaning against the warm stone wall, I felt the steady heat emanating from behind me.

He didn't turn on the GoPro to record. After such a tense yet rewarding day, he needed a space that was entirely his own, a space where he wouldn't be scrutinized.

He simply stared silently at the flames before him, as if talking to a silent friend, sorting out his chaotic thoughts in a soliloquy.

"Today, after I successfully hunted down that porcupine and confirmed that my energy source was secured for the next ten days or so, an idea popped into my head uncontrollably—go home."

His voice was soft, carrying a hint of weariness and longing that he himself was unaware of.

"Although the challenge is far from over, and Dr. McCormick is still ten days away from arriving, the success of this hunt is like a significant turning point. It's like winning a crucial battle in a long war."

"It gave me a precious spare energy to switch from a constantly tense survival mode where I only dared to think about what to eat for the next meal to a future mode where I could think about what to do after I got home."

"First and foremost, I need to recover properly. During these 30-plus days of intense survival, I lost over 20 kilograms, and my body was at a critical point. I was losing muscle and almost completely depleting my fat... It felt like my body had been hollowed out."

"After I get back, I won't think about anything. I'll spend a month eating well and sleeping well to make up for all the damage to my body."

"Then, it's about spending time with family." As he said this, the sharp lines on his face, weathered by time and smoke, softened instantly.

“I will go back before Christmas. My family and I have planned to go back to our farm in Montana this year to spend Christmas with my parents. Winter there has fireplaces, pine trees, roast turkey, and... family.”

He closed his eyes, as if he could see that scene, and a gentle smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

"For the past few dozen days, I have been deliberately hiding my longing and dare not think about it. Because I know that in a place like this, longing is a kind of 'poison' that will consume willpower."

"But now, I can't hold back... I miss my wife, I miss the coffee she makes, I miss her whispers in my ear before bed. And my two little ones..."

His voice lowered, filled with guilt and love: "They've only just learned to crawl, the time when they need their father the most. And I've missed so much… I wonder if my son has grown taller, and if my daughter has learned to call me 'Dad' yet."

"I probably won't go anywhere for a while after I go back; I'll just stay home and spend time with them."

He opened his eyes, his gaze returning to the recorder, his thoughts shifting from the emotional family matter to the rational work matter.

"And the film I participated in, 'Life Below Zero,' should be broadcast simultaneously on video websites around the world by now, based on the timeline. This is good news for me."

"This also means that the large amount of personal material that I have been accumulating on my hard drive can finally be released."

He calmly analyzed, "Especially YouTube, I have to start focusing on operating it. The audience in Europe and America is much larger, and they are more willing to pay, so the revenue should be much higher than Bilibili."

"Moreover, with the airing of the show, this is the golden period for me to enhance my personal commercial value in the international market."

He began to mentally review the precious footage that had been filmed but had not yet had time to edit.

"For the past year or so, due to various reasons, I have been updating my videos very infrequently, and I feel quite sorry for the fans who have always supported me. When I get back, I have to bring out all these 'stockpiled' videos."

“First, there’s the complete construction record of the Alaskan log cabin.” His thoughts returned to that familiar land.

"What airs on the show is definitely a condensed version. But I have over a hundred hours of first-person perspective footage. I can edit it into a super long, hardcore building series that will definitely attract a lot of infrastructure enthusiasts."

"Then, there was the video of the Dol goat hunt." He recalled the thrilling cliff chase.

"That was my biggest adventure in Alaska, tracking for several days on a ridge thousands of meters above sea level. The footage was spectacular, and the process was thrilling enough. This video will definitely go viral."

“And… there’s a record of hunting moose with old John and his neighbors.” A warm smile appeared on his face.

“That hunt was more like a community event, with everyone working together. It was full of teamwork and the atmosphere of Alaskan community life. This kind of down-to-earth hunt is completely different from the feeling of surviving alone, and fans will definitely love it.”

"This material is enough for me to update steadily for several months. I can add Chinese and English subtitles to it and distribute it on all major video platforms around the world, including Bilibili, Xigua Video, YouTube... I can't leave any of them out."

He seemed to have an idea. "I feel like people might not just want to see me surviving in the wilderness. Maybe I could update more videos about everyday life in America."

"For example, what is the cost of living for the average American? What are the real expenses of a middle-class family? What are people concerned about? These kinds of questions may resonate more with domestic fans than simply outdoor adventures."

"After all, adventures in distant places are exciting, but the real battlefield that most people face every day is the life around them."

He stopped, looked at the flickering flames, and said with some emotion, "Although only thirty-three days have passed, it feels like a year. The outside world must have changed a lot."

"Oh, and there's also the 'Arc's' brand ambassador bonus. According to the contract, the settlement date is at the end of the year, and it's expected to be $50."

"With the airing of 'Living Alone in the Wild,' I wore their full gear and tested it in such an extreme environment. It was like giving them another round of hardcore global advertising. I wonder if I'll get an extra bonus."

He smiled and shook his head. "I don't want to think about it too much. I haven't figured out how to spend the money yet, but I must prepare a huge Christmas gift for my wife and children and buy them everything they want."

His thoughts drifted to another area that excited him even more.

"And the most important thing is old George's promise."

A flame of craftsmanship ignited in his eyes: "When I get back, I must go to his forge and make him keep his promise and teach me how to forge a real Damascus hunting knife."

"I want to use the finest steel to personally fold, forge, quench, and sharpen... to forge a perfect Damascus steel sword. When the time comes, I'll give it away as a prize to my fans through a raffle, that would be really cool."

His thoughts drifted further and further away, and he even came up with a bolder plan to combine his hobby with his career.

“I could even sign up for the ‘Sword Forging Competition’ program. It seems like no real Chinese person has ever participated before.”

"Fans in China have long hoped that Chinese knifemakers could go to that 'battle of the gods' arena and compete with those top American knifemakers."

"Although I'm just an enthusiast, I think it would be a lot of fun to give it a try. Losing isn't shameful, but winning... that would be so much fun."

He meticulously planned out his future blueprint in his mind, and these concrete ideas for the future acted like a powerful stimulant, injecting the strongest motivation for him to persevere.

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(The list of winners for August has been compiled and will be sent by express delivery soon.)
(End of this chapter)