Celebrity foodie Jonathan Sadowski follows a popular chef's tweets to get a taste of classic Nashville at Martin's BBQ, where he tries the whole hog-style pulled pork and tender ribs. Then he heads to Hattie B's, where the hot chicken turns everyone from supermodels to sports figures to locals into fanatics. For a taste of the New South, Jonathan follows a comedian foodie's feed to Husk for a burger and Josephine's for cheddar bacon dip and scrapple, which are huge hits with Nashville's music stars. Jonathan is happily surprised by the most-tweeted authentic Mexican chicken stew and tacos at Mas Tacos, and a stop downtown for some Honky Tonk music and a fried bologna sandwich turns into a can't-miss Nashville tradition.
In a country famous for its refined cuisine, Jeff Corwin travels off the beaten path to discover the gastronomic delights of central Italy. On the scenic, wide-open range of Tuscany, Jeff saddles up with Italy’s cowboys to help with the huge-horned cattle and share a working meal. He heads to the coast to catch cuttlefish for an inky pasta dish and then hunts down elusive black truffles in San Miniato with the help of trained dogs. Off the picturesque coast of Le Marche, Jeff dives for wild mussels with no machinery or oxygen tanks for a traditional fisherman barbecue on the beach. He rounds out his exploration in the hill town of Castel del Monte with a taste of tangy maggot cheese.
Our first stop is Mo Gridders, a 35 foot long food truck in the heart of the Bronx in New York City. Serving up almost 3 pounds of prime BBQ ribs a serving and smoked for 6 hours beforehand to get just right, this place is for serious meat lovers. We then roll on into Baton Rouge, Louisiana where the Go Ya Ya truck makes us go gaga over their amazing crepes. Austin, Texas is our next stop for the East Side King trailer serving up highly admired, asian inspired delights such as their Tori Meshi, a deep fried chicken thigh in a sweet and spicy sauce. Last up is the Barbie Burgers truck in Nashville Tennessee, where a real doll serves up classic burgers and shakes out of her huge pink 50's style trailer.
Jeff Corwin takes a wild journey through the culinary wonderland of Morocco. Off the coast of Essouraia, Jeff bobs in tiny boats, line fishing for gigantic conger eel. Then Jeff milks a camel to make an exclusive cheese and a traditional smen, a rancid butter that increases in value with age. Up to his ankles in goat dung, Jeff digs for elusive argon nuts, the main ingredient for the flavorful “liquid gold of Morocco” – argon oil. He hits up Marrakech to create a tagine, an earthen pot dish cooked in the furnace of a bathhouse, and a Bisteeya, the famous pigeon pie. A steep hike up to the High Atlas Mountains and the Berber village of Aguersuoual is the ultimate BBQ for Jeff where he cooks a whole ram in an underground oven.
The six competitors' first challenge is to create their single best bite of barbecue. They can smoke up whatever they want, but the judges will only take one single bite. In the next round, the competitors find out that they have another chance to stay in the game. They have to cook cocktail party fare for an art gallery show in Chelsea. One pitmaster is eliminated at the end of the show.Buckhead BeefBest in SmokeBest BiteChild's PlayVendor WarsTriple Play
Host David Guas travels to Asheville, North Carolina, a scenic arts community, as four rough-and-tumble grillers battle it out using local cuisine like scuppernongs and liver mush, to take home $10,000 and the title of grill master. Here, tucked between the Blue Ridge and Smokey Mountains, it's all about homegrown foods, the great outdoors and beer. In this episode, there's Will Smith, a self-proclaimed refined redneck caterer, Shawn "Tiny" Townsend, a part-time caterer and full-time grill lover, Jeff Banister, a process server who hunts and grills whole animals and Dillon Black, the youngest in the group but perhaps the most experienced in the BBQ circuit. Some of the final plates are wildly creative. Some are overly ambitious. And one is incomplete. The clock keeps watch and waits for no one. David is joined by guest judges Elizabeth Karmel, owner of Hill Country BBQ restaurants and Jason Sandford, a food writer and journalist from Asheville. Some of the food exceeds the judges' expectations. And some literally go up in flames. It's a high-heat, high-intensity rush to the finish. And only one will survive. The Starters Challenge round required the use of bison loin and Ellington cheese, a stinky goat cheese. After some hectic, hair raising grilling, Dillon Black was sent home due to his bland dish. The Butcher's Choice round required the use of guinea fowl, scuppernongs, a large grape native to the Southern United States, and microbrew beer. After a tense, last minute grill, Will Smith's scorched guinea fowl resulted in his elimination. The Monster Mains round determined who walked away with $10,000. Jeff and Tiny used ribeye, red Russian kale, peaches and liver mush. Tiny was unable to finish is sauce in time, but ultimately the judges decided that he best represented both the grill and Asheville. As a result, he took home $10,000 along with the title of Asheville grill master.
The remaining five competitors are thrown when they are told that, instead of cooking up traditional ribs or brisket, they have to grill or smoke a salad and dessert for the judges. In the next round, the pitmasters have to cook up kid-friendly barbecue for a child's birthday party without using old stand-bys like hamburgers and hot dogs. But the competitors better make the kids happy, because the kids' favorite is safe from elimination. Everyone else is at risk of going home. One pitmaster is eliminated at the end of the show.Buckhead BeefBest in SmokeBest BiteChild's PlayVendor WarsTriple Play