At half past five in the morning of February 2, Zhao Lingwei, the owner of Zhao Ji's elbow shop, had bid farewell to his sweet dreams and warm quilts, and went out of the house after simply cleaning up. Ten minutes later, he appeared in front of the store, expertly raising the roller shutter, turning on the light, and changing into a ...... uniform
At this time, it was just 6 o'clock, and Zhao Lingwei started his busy day.
Check the quality of the meat, heat it, prepare the ingredients and boil ......For the sake of business, getting up early has become a habit for Zhao Lingwei, especially after the lunar month every year, "six in the morning and nine in the evening" has become the norm. Amidst the rising heat and the growing aroma, he waited patiently for the diners who were about to come to the restaurant to buy the elbows.
Since August 15, the elbow has gradually entered the peak season of production and sales with soaring orders and short supply, and the closer to the end of the year, the higher the sales volume, and the largest passenger flow, three or four hundred can be sold a day. Zhao Lingwei said, "In the past few days, there are still many customers from other places who have added me to WeChat, all of them are ordering elbows." Look at this Jinan and Qingdao, I have to write it down quickly, I can't be too busy to make a mistake. ”
As he spoke, the number of customers who came to the store to buy elbows increased, and the voices of inquiries continued. "The boss brought me five, and the money was transferred. "It's a little late, is there anything else today?" Weigh me two! ”
Okay! It's all there! It's all fresh out of the pot! Zhao Lingwei hurriedly replied, packing and weighing the customers in an orderly manner.
His family's elbow is time-honored! It's different from what is sold outside, it's so delicious that I come to buy it every year. It's a taste that can only be made by old craftsmanship. ”
My family is in the county seat, and I usually don't have time to run back and forth. But when it comes to buying New Year's goods for the New Year, I will come here to pick a few elbows, and I am looking forward to this bite! ”
There is an endless stream of customers who come here to buy, and they are full of praise for Zhao Ji's elbow.
Zhao Ji elbow originated in Zhao Ji Restaurant in the 80s of the last century, and Zhao Lingwei is already the second generation inheritor. He has been exposed to it since he was a child, and he learned to make elbows from his parents. After taking over the business of the store, he devoted himself to studying the elbow production formula, refining the production process, and strictly controlling the quality of raw materials. With years of craftsmanship and unique taste, Zhao Ji Elbow is well-known in Xiaozhi Town and even Pingyin County, and has become a favorite specialty food for local and foreign customers, and is often in short supply.
Zhao Ji elbow is made of the front elbow and back elbow of the pig, which is made by several processes such as shaving, flirting, passing water, coloring, frying, and stewing. Each elbow should be simmered for 6-7 hours, and it will take nearly 8 hours to complete the process.
Therefore, it is even more important to be patient and calm down. Zhao Lingwei said.
Follow him to the back kitchen, where several chefs are busy by the stove. The whirring muskets reflected their faces red, and the clanging chopping sound on the board mingled into a beautiful musical ......After a while, the fat and thin chunks of pork knuckles are processed, just waiting to be stewed in the pot.
In order to ensure that the taste and details are in place, many steps are carried out by hand. During the stewing process, the heat must be mastered very well, which is a technical task, and it is usually checked by me personally. Zhao Lingwei put the elbow that had just come out of the pot on the operating table, didn't care about resting, and immediately boiled the second pot, and the aroma mixed with the strong New Year's flavor came to the face, which was mouth-watering.
Zhao Ji elbow has a history of nearly 40 years, after the vicissitudes of life, several ups and downs, although the times have changed, but the taste has always been the same, the secret of which is also praised. According to Zhao Lingwei, his family's elbow has always used the old soup prepared by his own unique skills. After each day's production, save the old soup until the next day, and then add new ingredients and new water. The old soup used by Zhao Ji Elbow has not been interrupted since the store opened in the 80s. After the secret old soup is stewed, it is not only red and bright in color and fragrant, but also melts in the mouth, soft and glutinous, and has no sense of fat.
can eat the taste of childhood", "It is still a familiar taste in memory, and it has not changed", this is Zhao Lingwei's favorite feedback from old diners.
In order to allow diners from all over the world to taste the freshly baked Zhao Ji elbow, in recent years, Zhao Lingwei has carefully launched vacuum-packed gift boxes, and the novel and unique packaging has been favored by diners. Since the gift box was put into use, every day there have been local and foreign diners either pick up, or courier, or become a gift for relatives and friends, or as an employee benefit issued by the enterprise, so that Zhao Ji's elbow can be delivered to various places faster, and also let the New Year's flavor flow along with the human exchange.
In fact, what is important for craftsmanship is a word of mouth. In the past, the days were bitter, eating elbows was to satisfy hunger, and now everyone's days are getting more and more prosperous, and eating is not only delicious, but also a health, a heritage, and an emotional memory that condenses the festival and family reunion. We have adhered to the traditional craftsmanship of two generations, in order to let more people eat the authentic taste of hometown and rejuvenate traditional food. While speaking, on the board next to Zhao Lingwei, the elbows that had just come out of the pot were neatly stacked, and they were stacked higher and higher ......