Putting Aside Nationalistic Bias, It’s Really Delicious

22 – Charcoal-Grilled Tauro Omakase

Soyoungju Henry of the Britten family has never tasted Tauro before, but he had met several people who described it.

-Although Tauro is known as a delicacy among nobles and knights, I think differently. Isn’t there only a small amount of flesh on the back that can be eaten from that huge frame?

-I agree. The only edible tenderloin is so tough it’s hard to eat. Unless it’s a really skilled chef, grilling it is nearly impossible.

-However, those who can overcome that tough meat can be called knights. So, isn’t it a delicacy?

-I’d rather grill a tender Meat Cow.

Though expensive among nobles, opinions on Tauro meat were divided.

But everyone had one thing to say.

Tauro meat is too tough to cook.

Some said they could only taste the mild flavor of the tender flesh by boiling or stewing it.

That’s why it was called a knight’s delicacy.

It was food that could only be eaten after defeating a Tauro in battle.

Some even claimed that the charm of Tauro meat was in tearing off its tough flesh while remembering the fight and gaining enlightenment.

Of course, Henry couldn’t understand that.

But, he couldn’t stand his curiosity.

He, too, was a boy who wanted to become a great lord and knight in the future.

He dreamed of becoming the best knight, like Lancelot, who protected this domain.

He followed along to help with the knight’s dining duties because of that.

Throughout the journey, curiosity only grew as the other knights, excluding Lancelot, clamored with excitement.

“I can’t wait to find out how tender it is!”

“They say it has a rich flavor. Aren’t you all curious? I’m determined to try at least one piece.”

“Do you think Sir Lucas will share some with us?”

“If he says it’s not allowed, I’ll pay for it myself. We can’t miss out on a knight’s meal here.”

They worried about how tender it would be and felt uneasy.

Of course, when they actually saw Lucas eating the raw meat, they couldn’t help but be shocked.

Eating meat raw?

Why?

For heaven’s sake, why?

It was even more incomprehensible.

Yet they say it’s delicious.

At first, they thought the knights might be teasing them.

But the reactions of the knights were exactly the same as their own.

The what-is-that look in their eyes.

Heimer and Lancelot looked at him as if to say it was amazing.

As long as they weren’t being mocked by Lady Soyung, it must be true.

Everyone refused to try it, so Henry stepped forward.

Although scared, he knew that demonstrating a good example in front of the territory’s people was a virtue of a lord.

The moment he dipped the raw meat into the seasoning sauce and ate it—

‘Can it be this tender?’

It was chewy and incredibly tender at the same time.

Two words they thought could never go together were now harmoniously dancing with each other.

The tangy texture set their tongues and taste buds in motion, and as they chewed the meat, the taste of it spread.

The lightness of the bull meat and the richness of the fat enveloped their tongues.

The worry Henry had felt was nowhere to be found.

A rich, savory aroma danced on his palate, and then the sauce added an extra layer of flavor to the already tantalizing taste of the meat.

Is it too delicious?

Wow.

It’s incredible.

“It just melts in your mouth, doesn’t it?”

Profound.

The depth of flavor was different.

Even amidst the tangy kick of the sauce, the deep essence of the main ingredient stimulated Henry’s taste buds.

After chewing a couple more times, the sauce began to enhance the natural essence of the ingredients.

The more he chewed, the more he noticed a different taste than when he first put it in his mouth.

His apprehension about it being tough gradually dissipated as he savored the exquisite taste of the beef.

His eyes widened as his pupils dilated.

Henry’s nostrils flared, and saliva rapidly filled his mouth as he chewed.

The tender, melting meat effortlessly slid down his esophagus like a gentle stream.

The time spent savoring the profound flavor of the beef passed all too quickly.

With a tinge of regret in his appetite, Henry soon turned to Lucas.

Lucas was smiling as he picked up a piece of the rare meat and took a bite.

“The beef is delicious, isn’t it? Normally, the best way to enjoy meat is when it’s grilled, but freshly caught beef has its own charm. It’s fresh, and the juicy tenderness in your mouth, along with the richness of the fat. What do you think?”

“It’s exquisite. Truly delicious.”

Henry picked up another piece.

For the knights and attendants nearby who had never experienced this taste, even one more bite was a personal desire.

“Lucas, how did you manage this? I heard this meat was supposed to be incredibly tough. In fact, isn’t this meat supposed to be inedible when raw?”

“That’s the secret of the chef.”

“Ah, I’m truly amazed. To be able to melt so smoothly…”

Henry couldn’t take his eyes off Lucas.

How did he do it?

Could he really make the notoriously tough meat this soft, like cotton?

There was a reason why most of the servants of the lord’s castle, including Liana and Haimer, raved about the food in this house.

His handling of the ingredients was in a different dimension from the others.

“My lord, is it soft?”

“Bull meat can’t be tender. Everyone says it’s tough.”

“Does it have a bloody smell?”

“Is it… truly delicious?”

“Do you think I am lying? In that case, don’t eat it. Lucas and I will eat it ourselves.”

It’s rather good, then.

This way, he could eat more.

Perhaps it’s better for them not to know?

However, Henry’s expectations were shattered by Lancelot’s actions of hesitating for a moment and picking up a piece with his chopsticks.

Oops.

As soon as the lord tasted the second piece, Lancelot dipped his piece in the sauce.

“I had it once before. It was tough, but it had a sense of accomplishment. I can’t say if it’ll be the same as the raw meat I ate back then. I was so young then, and now… Hmm?”

Lancelot, who had not stopped talking, closed his mouth the moment he put the raw meat in.

“Sir Lucas, what is this…?”

Lancelot’s exclamation was followed by the exclamations of the knights who had tasted the meat.

“Wow!”

“What is this?”

“Is bull meat originally this tender?”

“How the heck did those who said it’s tough manage to chew it?”

“It’s melting in my mouth.”

Henry quickly picked up the beef with his fork.

He couldn’t let those knights with good appetites steal all the delicious meat.

It might tarnish the dignity of a noble a bit, but it’s fine since his father wasn’t around.

Even at this moment, the amount of meat was decreasing.

“Mmm, delicious!”

As expected, it’s beef.

Lucas looked at them with a smirk.

“But can you fill your stomach with just that?”

The knights’ eyes turned to Lucas.

And in his hand,

“Ah.”

There was a bull omakase charcoal-grilled set full of fantastic marbling.

***

When he went to the brazier, the charcoal that he had asked Lancelot for in advance was burning properly and had turned white.

The red glow of the white charcoal.

While Henry was preparing the meat, what the soldiers and knights had done was simple.

They picked up vegetables from the backyard, set up tables and chairs in front of the store, and took side dishes separately from the fridge.

And finally, they took care of the charcoal for the brazier.

Of course, they couldn’t have charcoal grills on every table.

There weren’t even enough tables in the first place, and there wasn’t a brazier available for every table either.

So the idea they came up with was

To use the small brazier that he had prepared for himself to have a charcoal grill in the backyard with the knights and the young lord, and to set up a large brazier in the center for the meat for the soldiers who filled the tables, although it was regrettable.

All other things, except for the meat, were set up for each table, so he believed they would handle it well.

He couldn’t grill meat for places other than his own table.

As he caught the soldiers’ hopeful gaze, he placed the well-burned charcoal on the large brazier, raised the grill, and Lancelot asked.

“What is that? It looks different from the grill I saw last time.”

“Ah, this? It’s a stone plate. It’s for charcoal grilling.”

“It’s an interesting design. So, it’s not the chef who cooks the food, but individuals who cook their own meals?”

“That’s right. You’ve got it exactly.”

“Hmm, according to the knightly code, in order to understand the essence…”

I added the remaining charcoal.

I lifted the stone plate and called out to the soldiers.

“Gather around and grill your own meat! If there’s not enough, there’s more meat inside, so feel free to take some! There’s a limit of one bottle of soju per person, so drink accordingly!”

“Yes! Understood!”

To taste the expensive beef, the soldiers swarmed in.

They already knew that the beef, though tough when eaten raw or in yukhoe, wasn’t too tough when grilled.

They’ll probably eat it well on their own.

I went over to Henry, who was sitting in the backyard, putting charcoal into the brazier as well.

The young lord, who was watching the charcoal burn, asked,

“Can I call you Lucas?”

“Call me whichever way is comfortable for you, young lord.”

“You don’t have to call me ‘young lord.’ My name is Henry Britten. You can call me Henry.”

“Okay, Henry.”

For a moment, the hesitating young lord, or rather, Henry, struggled to speak.

“I’m curious, how can Lucas be so strong at such a young age? I heard that he’s on a similar level as Lancelot, the captain.”

Am I strong?

I don’t know about that.

It seemed like they were saying that because I won the chopstick battle with Lancelot for the last point, but if we were to compare levels, I was far behind him.

I only managed to beat the bull because I knew its weakness.

What should I say…

Lancelot, Heimer, and the other knights were also focused on my words.

“Um, I got stronger by eating delicious food.”

“…So, the way to get stronger is not something that can be shared with just anyone.”

“It’s not like that. I started cooking to make delicious food that I wanted to eat, and I ended up taking care of the meals for my fellow knights as well. Those experiences have become a form of training. That’s how you can look at it.”

Henri looked at me as if he couldn’t understand.

It’s fine if you don’t understand.

I have a reliable dream interpreter by my side.

Listening to me, Lancelot nodded his head and opened his mouth.

“You mean that repetitive training and an endless challenge toward a goal has created your current state. Eating delicious food means that you gain energy through proper nutrition intake to help with training. Indeed, Lucas, your genuine passion for effort and goals is an attitude worth admiring.”

“I agree! Captain! Lucas truly pours his chivalry into his food as well as his own training by having a firm ideal.”

I knew I could trust you, Lancelot! Heimer!

The dream interpretation duo never fails.

“W-was it like that?”

Henri asked, belatedly being swayed by the two passionate knights’ words.

I was even considering telling him it wasn’t true, but I didn’t want to betray those sparkling eyes.

And their words weren’t completely wrong.

It is a fact that my strength and stamina have improved thanks to repetitive training.

“Indeed.”

When the charcoal turned white after being heated and reddened by the fire, I placed a stone grill on top.

I then placed a tenderloin on the grill.

It was the most innocuous choice to start with since it had relatively little fat and was quite lean.

You wouldn’t be able to enjoy this if you tried the other meats first.

Sizzle!

The sound of blood and grease dripping onto the charcoal was beautiful.

I quickly flipped the cooking meat and handed the blood-drained piece to Henri.

“Please have a taste. It’s tenderloin of the bull.”

“Ah, thank you, Lucas. For taking care of this first…”

“Isn’t it for the young master? You should have it first.”

“Th-thank you.”

Everyone waited for Henry to pierce the meat with his fork.

Those who had already tasted the blood, no, the taste of the meat, were evolved into a single beast.

Henry closed his eyes as he ate the well-grilled tenderloin.

It had a different flavor than when he ate raw meat.

The savory taste of the oil felt much stronger.

The tenderness of the meat wrapped his tongue much more softly than beef sashimi.

How should he put it?

If the beef sashimi felt like a quick sword slicing through his body, this tenderloin felt like a heavy greatsword pressing him down.

Perhaps it was because of the subtle heat from the charcoal, but he felt a different scent than ordinary meat.

Should he say it felt like wood burnt on the meat?

It was the unique smoky taste that came from grilling meat directly on a bonfire in a campsite.

Although he didn’t particularly like the taste, thinking of it as an amateurish cooking method.

The charcoal taste he felt now in this meat strangely tickled his tongue.

And the moment the meat went down his throat, his appreciation took the place of the empty space in his mouth.

All the emotions that Henry felt during the process of putting it in his mouth and swallowing it came together and burst.

“It’s delicious.”

Then, the beasts in armor picked up their chopsticks.