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
It's another faceoff between the Italian Stallion, Michael Chiarello and the Ragin' Cajun, Jan Birnbaum. The challenge this time? We're going all American with a contest to make the best burgers ever. Gentlemen, start your grills!
GameplanDay Before Party:
Put 2 ½ cups of water in bowl, with salt, and lemon juice for Poached Peaches Della Nonna.
Cut vanilla beans in half for the boiling water.
Peel peaches and poach for 4 or 5 minutes.
Cut potatoes into 6 wedges for steak fries.
Put potatoes in cool water, with salt and bring to boil.
Remove peaches and let cool.
Put pint of raspberries and poaching liquid into a blender and puree. Strain.
Mix hamburger meat with olive oil, and pre-peeled roasted garlic pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge.
Toss potatoes into mix of olive oil and barbeque spice.
2 Hours Before Party:
On a pre-heated pan place potato wedges into a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes.
Cut up portabella mushrooms and put in pan with 6 tablespoons of olive oil.
Mix Dijon mustard, garlic paste, thyme, salt, pickle juice, pickles, and peppers for a condiment.
Add a ¼ cup of shallots, 2 tablespoons of sliced garlic, and two teaspoons of thyme, salt, and pepper. Add a cup of red wine.
Toss in a ½ cup of parsley.
Cut onions. Marinate with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and red wine.
Mix hamburger meat with tobassco sauce. Mold into patties.
At Party:
Put hamburgers and onions on grill. Baste hamburger with garlic oil.
Top burger with blue cheese.
Mix Wet n’ Slippery.
Top burger with condiment and sautéed mushrooms.
Top burger with onions.
Eat and Enjoy!