Chapter 111 – A Zombie’s Bacon Experiment
After a satisfying breakfast, I leaned back in the chair, gazing at the half-open window. The morning sunlight lit up the wooden floor, casting a warm glow on the bags of ingredients I’d just bought. On the table, the neatly wrapped giant boar belly looked mouthwatering. Beside it sat coarse salt, black pepper, and the ridiculously expensive sugar like a trio of miniature treasures.
"All right," I murmured, patting my cheeks. "Let’s begin this bacon experiment."
I stood up and began arranging the ingredients on the table. No modern stove or refrigerator like back in my old world, but at least the small kitchen corner in this inn room had a prep table, a stone cutting board, a sharp knife, and a simple hearth in the corner. Well, this is a fantasy world no point hoping for high-tech stuff.
Step one: inspect the meat.
I unwrapped it carefully. The giant boar belly was dark red with thick layers of white fat. It smelled fresh and strong not fishy, just rich with the aroma of wild meat. Its texture was firm and elastic, a sign of quality.
"Hmm, good."
I placed the large cut on the stone board and grabbed the knife, slicing it into thin strips. Not easy the boar’s muscles were dense, and I had to press the blade down with considerable force to cut through the fibers. But after a few minutes, I had about twelve fatty slices ready for curing.
Step two: mixing the curing rub.
In my old world, bacon was typically soaked in a mix of salt, sugar, and spices before being smoked or dried. I didn’t have all those spices here, but I did have the basics: salt, pepper, and sugar. That should do.
I grabbed a small wooden bowl and mixed about two handfuls of coarse salt, a small spoonful of freshly ground black pepper, and a big spoonful of white sugar. The ratio leaned heavily on salt to draw moisture out of the meat, sugar to balance the flavor, and pepper for aroma.
"If it’s too salty, I can fix it later," I said to myself as I stirred the mix.