The best eats along the banks of America's greatest river are highlighted, from jazz-inspired barbecue and mouthwatering meatloaf to seafood-smothered fried green tomatoes and garden-fresh ratatouille.
From seriously saucy barbecue sandwiches to nachos on a pizza and the perfect burger for Dirty Dancing, these restaurants serve up some of the best dishes in America's heartland.
On DDD, the bird is definitely the word. Guy has traveled the country digging into an incredible variety of chicken dishes, and somehow every new plate offers a twist on the traditional bird. From the garlic chicken at Opal Thai Food to stuffed Native American-style tacos at Tocabe, there's all kinds of unique spins on a farm favorite. Served crispy, shredded and flavorful to the bone, this one-hour special wouldn't be complete without a stunner, at Smalley's Caribbean Barbeque where the wings had Guy and his buddies calling for mama.
On this episode, host Noah Cappe travels to Oklahoma for the Apache Rattlesnake Festival. He bravely samples the Deep Fried Rattlesnake, the namesake dish of the festival. Then it's back to more carnival classics like Texas Twister Fries and the spicy Mexi-Dog. Later, Noah takes in the treats at Alabama's Oak Mountain Spring Fair. Starting with Dre's Barbeque Baked Potato, and moving onto cheese-stuffed gilled pork balls, jambalaya stuffed peppers and finishing up with Deep Fried Bread Pudding, it's southern comfort food with a fair flare!
Guy Fieri fires up the grill for his Santa Maria Tri-Tip, a hefty piece of prime beef, generously seasoned and seared on the hot grates ‘til perfectly tender and juicy. Next is Guy's Smokin’ Potato Salad, with grilled Yukon golds dusted in smoked paprika and tossed with celery, red onion and capers in a creamy mustard dressing. Last but not least, Infineon Raceway Baked Beans are an epic recipe with 3 types of beans and applewood smoked bacon simmered in a sweet-spicy barbeque sauce. This is grilling Big Bite style!
In the tiny town of Chowchilla, CA Noah Cappe discovers some carnival eats that deserve to be shared with the world. First up, it's the Deep Pit Barbeque, a meat extravaganza that takes three days to prepare. Noah also enjoys a Funnel Cake Cheeseburger and the Baja Avocado Taco. Across the country in New Jersey, the St. Michael's Italian Festival celebrates the cultural and culinary history of Italian-Americans with Zeppole, a cheesecake known as Cake 'n Bacon and a bad boy of a sandwich: The Hoboken Fat Boy.
In Queens, N.Y., Michael Symon gets in touch with his Greek heritage with a classic lamb and feta cheeseburger, and then he sinks his teeth into an Italian-style burger stuffed with smoky mozzarella and prosciutto. In Houston, Texas, he finds a rabbit-meat hot dog with chile pepper toppings so spicy there's a release waiver to sign when ordering it. And finally, in Phoenix, Ariz., Michael places an order at a food truck that hitches up a custom smoker to deliver hot smoked meats inside inventive grilled cheese sandwiches across the Arizona desert.
BBQ Brawl judges Adrienne Cheatham and Rashad Jones fire up the grills as past Master of 'Cue Kyle Bryner and future brawler "Chef T" Gregoire try to smoke Bobby Flay.