01x12 - Beef Hot Pot

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Only through microscopic images

can we distinguish the different textures
of meat.

Yet, Chaoshan locals need only their teeth
and tongues

to precisely distinguish the differences.

CHAOSHAN CUISINE

SHANTOU CITY, GUANGDONG PROVINCE

In the afternoon,

when the appetites of Chaoshan
local gourmets have been sated,

chefs finally have the chance to rest.

These are key figures
of this hot pot restaurant.

They have the highest incomes
and masterful skills,

and each has over ten years of experience
in the business.

Very soon, they will face
the busiest hours of the day.

Chaoshan locals consider hot pots

-the be-all and end-all of beef dishes.

The ingredients come
from the far southwestern mountains.

Meat from three-year-old
or younger calves is the best.

They can't afford to waste a second.

This is different
from modern beef-aging processes.

In the Chaoshan beef hot pot business,

fresh beef must be butchered
within four hours of consumption...

not only to avoid accumulation
of lactic acid,

but because Chaoshan's ever-picky
customer base prefers eating fresh.

In this restaurant,
within one hour,

a whole cow will be butchered
into a dozen different cuts.

The meat yield is only one-third
of the total weight.

The most premium cuts
are especially hard to come by.

Neck-end cutlet taken
from near the knob of the neck
is a rare ingredient
in Chaoshan beef hot pot.

Its meat yield is less than one percent.

HAIPING LIN

The key to Chaoshan hot pot
lies in the butchering techniques.

As an expert artisan butcher,

Haiping Lin has had 20 years
of hard training

and knows the tricks of the trade
like the back of his hand.

Compared to Western techniques,

Chaoshan locals are more meticulous
about cutting beef.

The grain and thickness of the meat

are objective markers
that butchers must pay attention to.

They directly affect the taste
of each cutlet.

The tender meat cutlets from the rear leg
have the highest meat yield.

They are lean with a bit of fat
and cut thick to hold in the juiciness.

The cutlets called "spoon handle"
from the shoulder blade are very lean,

with two strips of fascia
running through them.

They taste tender but elastic.

The rarest neck cutlets
have marbling from the fat distribution.

Juicy, tender, and al dente.

SPOON HANDLE

Aside from good cutting skills,

it also takes some luck
to taste neck cutlets.

Sometimes, less than 500 grams are cut
from ten cows.

It all depends on your luck.

NECK CUTLET

Out of a large variety of beef cutlets,

only neck cutlets are processed
in a unique way.

Due to the high fat content,

once neck cutlets are cut,

they must be stored
at negative five degrees Celsius

so that they are quickly semi-frozen.

This not only ensures the best flavor,
but also facilitates slicing.

Only the luckiest diners
get to taste this exquisite flavor.

BEEF MEATBALLS

In the past,
cows were not bred in Chaoshan.

The beef hot pot comes from Hakka culture.

It has been continuously improved
over the past 30 years,

becoming a trademark flavor of Chaoshan.

Today, there are hundreds of beef
hot pot restaurants in Shantou City alone.

There are also countless
beef butcher shops in open markets.

Thanks to professionally cut beef
and traditional beef bone broth,

Chaoshan locals can savor the flavors
of beef hot pot anytime, anywhere.

With a population of nearly 14 million,

over 100,000 kilos of beef
are consumed every day in Chaoshan.

In microscopic images,

different cuts of beef
show completely different textures.

Yet, Chaoshan locals
only need to use their teeth and tongues

to precisely distinguish the differences.

At 5:00 p.m.,
everything is ready.

The time has come again
for chefs to prove themselves.

Do we have any fatty meat?

Neck cutlet.

After it's been frozen
for 40 minutes,

the fat in the neck cutlet freezes.

It is deep red in color and has
a fine balance between meat and fat.

The texture looks similar to marble.

It is at its best taste and appearance.

After it's been properly defrosted,

the muscle proteins solidify
due to thermal denaturation,

and the marbling is remarkable.

Shacha sauce is
a complex condiment from Chaoshan.

SHACHA SAUCE

It tastes savory
with a hint of sweetness and spiciness.

It adds flavor to ingredients
without overshadowing the original flavor.

For local Chaoshan diners,

shacha sauce is the perfect match
for beef hot pot.

Apart from neck cutlets,
among the dozen beef hot pot ingredients,

this is the leanest cut
with the most fascia.

It is scarce and expensive.

Streaky toe cutlet, taken from the shank,

has only a 0.1% meat yield.

Slicing it one millimeter thick

is the first step to ensuring
it has an al dente texture.

It only needs to be dipped three times

in the mildly hot, 80-degree broth.

The streaky toe cutlet shrinks,
and the fascia contracts.

Enjoyed with some shacha sauce,

it tastes tender and al dente.

The chest tissue near the heart
contains lots of fascia and fat.

CHEST TISSUE

After three minutes in the pot,
the fascia softens,

and part of the fat dissolves,
tasting refreshing, but not greasy.

Chaoshan locals
like having midnight snacks.

Hot pot restaurants that open at 5:00 p.m.
usually stay open for over ten hours.

HUANJIE LIN

Today is the day


He wants to personally cut some meat
for his mentor to taste.

For an apprentice to master his skills,

the artisan butcher must go through
at least one year of training.

To taste the quintessential,
original flavor of the beef,

Master Haiping Lin tweaks the hot pot,

replacing the beef bone broth
with mineral water.

Not bad.

Meticulously passed on
for three generations,

the Chaoshan beef hot pot
only gained popularity 30 years ago

and has indisputably become
a modern classic

of simple greatness and subtle splendor.

CHAOSHAN CUISINE