Welcome to Fire Masters,
where three chefs will take on three blazing culinary challenges.
Oh! Let's go.
Two minutes extra, please.
[Dylan] Two will be eliminated,
and the last chef standing will go head-to-head
against one of our Fire Masters judges,
battling for the chance to win $10,000.
It's happening.
And earn their place as a Fire Masters' champio.
-[Dale] That's bold. -Yeah.
This is the face of shock.
-[Dylan] Speed. -[Kyle] Let's go.
-[Dylan] Skill. -Money.
[Dylan] Scorching competitio
[Dylan] Sirloin down.
This is Fire Masters.
Three chefs think that they can tame the flame
and be the next Fire Masters champion.
Let's meet them.
First up, Tahir Bacchus from Markham, Ontario.
[Tahir] I've been cooking for 13 years.
I'm currently the sous-chef of Fishbone By The Lake.
We focus a lot on fresh seafood.
I'm the next Fire Masters' champion
because I'm extremely competitive.
I have to be the best at everything I do
I came here for one reason and one reason only to win.
Hi, judges.
Next, Jenny Burthwright from Calgary, Alberta.
[Jenny] I'm the chef and catering coordinator at Jane Bond BBQ.
There's something about cooking on fire.
It's just this primal,
really sexy way to cook and eat.
I've been cooking for about 10 years professionall
I really like to push flavor
I want the judges to see that and taste that through.
Howdy, y'all? Thanks for having me.
And last, Kyle Matuszewski from Waddell, Arizona.
I am the head cook of Your Behind Barbecue.
Your Behind Barbecue is my dad and I.
My dad taught me how to cook and grill.
He's my best friend and my mentor.
I can be a Fire Masters' champion,
because nobody does the different techniques that I do.
What's up, chefs? Hope y'all ready to eat.
Chefs, welcome to Fire Masters.
Here's how it's all going down.
There will be three rounds of competition.
In the first two rounds,
you'll be competing against one another.
And at the end of each of these rounds,
one of you will be going home.
In the third and final round,
the last chef standing will go head-to-head against one of our judges
for the chance to win $10,000 and more importantly,
the title of today's Fire Masters Champion.
Speaking of judges,
here's who you'll need to impress.
Chef Dale Mackay is the che and co-owner
of the celebrated Grassroot Restaurant Group in Saskatchewan.
Hello, chefs. Welcome to the Fire Masters arena.
[Dylan] Chef Connie Desousa is an accomplished chef,
butcher and co-owner of Char Restaurant Group,
including the award winning Char Cut,
Italian Roast House and Char Bar in Calgary, Alberta.
Welcome, chefs.
[Dylan] Chef Eddie Jackson is a cookbook author,
celebrity chef and the owne of Rose Hill Beer Garden in Houston, Texas.
-Which one of you is going to win? -Let's go.
-Yes. -I am.
Chefs, I hope you brought your A-game
because it's time to fire things up.
In this first Wildfire Round,
you'll create a signature dish that showcases your personality on a plate.
You'll each have your own top of the line grill station
and use of our Fire Masters' fire pit.
As well as access to our fully stocked pantry.
Your dish will be judged on presentation,
creativity and taste.
-Chefs, are you ready? -Let's do this!
-Let's go. -Yes.
You've got 30 minutes on the clock and your time starts now.
-[judges applauding] -[Connie] Come on, chefs.
[Dale] Come on, chefs. Let's go.
Paprika, cumin. There it is cumin.
For my signature dish,
I'm making smoked salmon pate with fried green tomatoes.
All right.
This is my signature dish because I really like cooking fish on flame,
and I really love southern food.
Fried green tomatoes are one of my favorites.
Bit of fusion action going on.
Okay, we're going to season this up with paprika,
cumin, garlic, salt and nice Cajun style seasoning.
And it needs to be full of flavor and flame and fire and rah...
Lots of flavor in this.
Ahh.
Snapper filet.
[Tahir] For my signature dis
I'm making grilled jerk snapper
with mango salsa with some crispy plantains.
I'm fileting this beautiful red snapper right now.
I'm trying to get it even to have it more consistent cook.
This is my signature dish
because fried snapper is a huge thing in the Caribbean.
I'll bring it all my Caribbean roots
to the Fire Master arena today for the W.
Time is of an essence right now.
Got to go. Got to go. Got to go.
[indistinct mumbling]
[Kyle] For my signature dish
I'm doing a shovel-seared ribeye with cheesy asparagus.
This is my signature dish because I'm from Waddell, Arizona.
Us Southwest guys, we like to do stuff different,
so I'm taking a risk and I'm searing a steak on a shovel.
Put some soy sauce on there.
Garlic, some black pepper.
I'm using hickory wood chip because it packs a punch.
And I'm all about giving these judges some flavor.
Put a little smoke on these.
[Jenny] I want that to get nice and crispy.
I'm going to cook this fish directly on the coals.
All right.
[Dylan] Chef Jenny, what's going on here?
[Jenny] Getting this salmon right on the coals.
I want to get it nice and blackened.
[Dylan] All right.
[Eddie] Did Jenny just throw her salmon right on the coal?
-[Dale] Yeah. -Yeah.
[Dale] And that's bold.
So how are you going to get it out once it's starts cooking?
-It's hard enough on the grill. -Yeah.
[Dylan] Chef Jenny, why did you throw it right on the coals?
I wanted to get a nice,
earthy charcoal flavor in there.
And what's the biggest risk you're taking in this round?
[Jenny] Getting that fish off those charcoals before it burns.
It can burn very quickly.
It can overcook and fall apart as you take it off.
Chef, it looks like you're pretty comfortable with live fire.
I'm excited to see this dish.
Let's do this. I'm going to bring it.
Seeing the fish on the coals is just so primal.
It's like cave woman cooking.
All right. You stay here. You be nice.
Next, going to cut this pineapple.
I'm going to throw them right on the fire pit
to bring that chary flavor to the crema.
Chef, Tahir, why is this your signature dish?
It's the first time I'm making this dish.
But it's also a combination of a bunch of different things that I like to eat.
Pineapple, mangoes, plantains.
It's a little bit risky doing a dish that you've never made before.
I'm here to win. I'm not here to play it safe.
-Best of luck. -[Tahir] Thank you.
[Kyle mumbling].
Next, I'm making my chimichurri.
There is parsley, cilantro, garlic,
shallots and chili flakes.
Come on, baby.
Give our steak a nice little pop.
One more trip. Okay.
I grabbed my salmon off the fire pit.
All right, that's perfect.
It's going on a cedar plank into the charcoal grill.
I'm using lemon woodchips,
and it's gonna help me get a nice smoky flavor in there
All right.
Now I need flavoring for my pate.
So I put the honey and the cream cheese together and smoke it.
Oh, yeah.
[Tahir] I making a quick jerk sauce for my fish.
For my jerk sauce I'm adding onions, garlic,
ginger, brown sugar, scallion, paprika,
cinnamon, allspice, soy sauce.
And I'm adding a scotch bonn to bring that heat.
I'm going to pour that jerk sauce on that red snapper
and let it sit before I hit on the grill.
Let's go.
[Eddie] I like what I'm seeing from Chef Tahir.
Yeah. It was interesting that he went with a wet rub
instead of more of a dry rub with the fish
given the fact that he's got the skin on there.
You want to get that smoke, that char, all that in there,
I don't know if he's going to be
-able to get that with a wet marinade. -Yeah.
[Kyle] I run over and I check my steaks.
They need to be pulled off.
Still got to sear these ribeyes.
So, I'm going to pull out my secret weapon, my shovel.
This will work.
I grab some butter.
Wow. let's see those bad boys.
[Connie] Chef Kyle, he's searing his steak on a shovel.
I have never seen that done before.
I know. I hope he doesn't dig himself into a hole.
[laughter]
Fifteen minutes left. Chefs, we're halfway through.
[Jenny] Gosh.
I need to make a lemon and chardonnay cream reduction,
oil, salt, garlic.
Put on stock in there.
I'm going to pour this all on top of the dish
Capers, we're going to fry up these capers.
I'm starting to feel like I may have bitten off too much with this dish.
My oil's not hot enough.
I don't even have my green tomatoes frying.
You know that feeling when you're like, "Oh... Yeah"?
It's happening.
Sexy. Time to make my mango salsa.
I'm chopping bell peppers, mangoes, chilis,
scallions, cilantro,
parsley, seasoned with some olive oil, salt,
char lime juice.
This mango salsa is the topping for my fish
that's going to compliment the jerk sauce extremely well.
Money!
[Kyle] I'm searing my ribeye I want a nice brown,
almost a mahogany type color
I'm thinking, okay,
if they've got to be getting close.
I am so concerned about Chef Kyle.
I don't mind the shovel, but you have to have a hot, hot surface
to get a nice sear on the steak.
[Kyle] I go to flip my steak
-[Dylan] Oh, no. -It fell on the ground.
[all] Yeah.
[Kyle] I go to flip my steak
One steak slides off.
That's not good.
I'm going to have to now cut the steaks to serve the judges.
Almost there, boy.
I pulled the stakes off, perfect medium,
but there's no sear on the steaks.
If I try to get any more of a sear,
I'll overcook the steaks.
My pops would be just staring at me shaking his head.
[Tahir] Twelve minutes left
I'm placing my red snapper directly on the barbecue because I want that char.
Next, let's start making this plantain chips.
I just start slicing it straight into the hot oil
just to get them nice and crisp.
You are going on the infrared.
Let's go.
Right now I'm getting ready to make some garlic toast for this dish.
You don't serve pate without toast.
I toss it in a butter garlic mixture.
This is the Fire Masters arena.
Garlic toast in the fire pit
We got to burn here. Getting these fried tomatoes ready
to go in the fryer, they need about...
Well, we're getting real tight here.
I have to get my asparagus onto the grill.
Once I get closer to time, I will sear the asparagus.
Let's go, baby.
These plantains are looking gorgeous.
I check on my plantain,
and it's finally where I want them to be.
Time to go check on my red snapper.
Ah, this is not good. This is not good.
My snapper is not cooking the way I like. It's not charring.
The skin isn't crisping up.
I made a rookie mistake by not checking to see if my grill was hot enough.
It's starting to show that Chef Tahir hasn't made this dish before
because all of his snapper is sticking to the grill.
-Yeah. -Oh, no.
[Tahir] Switch to plan B.
Put it on the top rack of the grill.
Hopefully, I can get some sort of sear.
You are going to sit there.
[Jenny] Time's running out.
I need to fry my tomatoes.
All right.
[Kyle] The clock is ticking I need to plate these steaks
[Dylan] Chefs, only two minutes left.
-Let's go. -[all] Come on, chefs.
-[Dale] Pushing. -[Kyle] Ah, that's gotta go.
[Jenny] It's about a full cook on that salmon.
[Kyle] Little Gruyere cheese.
[Tahir] That'll do the trick.
One minute left, chefs.
Get some food on the plate.
-[Eddie] Let's go. -[Dale] Come on, chefs!
-[judges applauding] -[Dale] One minute.
[Tahir] And give a little pop.
[Tahir] Oh, wow. 30 seconds.
All right. Got to put it to plate.
[judges] Ten, nine, eight, seven,
six, five, four, three, two,
-[Tahir] Two minutes extra please. -...one.
-Time's up, chefs. -[Dale] Good job. Good job.
-[judges clapping] -Let's go.
[Kyle] My dish is pretty simple,
so I hope these flavors pop
[Tahir] Looking on my plate
I'm not happy with the snapper at all.
There is no char.
[Jenny] I look down at my plates.
One of my plates is half-plated.
Ooh. Doesn't look good.
[groans] Ah.
Chef Tahir, please tell us about your signature dish.
[Tahir] My signature dish is a grilled jerk snapper
with mango salsa and plantain chips.
Chef Tahir, very well-presented.
I love the vibrant colors.
It transports me into a beach in the Caribbean.
Thank you, chef.
[Dale] Chef Tahir,
the plantain chips had lots of great crunch,
lots of good flavor.
The fish, I thought, was cooked nicely, tasty.
I think the wet rub didn't necessarily get all the flavor
into the flesh that maybe you could have with a dried rub.
Thank you.
Chef Tahir, I love your sauce,
but I think your fish needs a little bit more seasoning.
If you're going to call it jerk,
I really want you to throw those flavor bombs at us.
-Thank you, chef. -Thank you.
[Tahir] My dish looks good. Taste amazing.
I'm worried that I didn't add enough heat to my jerk sauce.
Chef Jenny, please tell us what you made for your signature dish.
[Jenny] It's a smoked salmon pate with fried green tomatoes.
Chef Jenny, I love rustic plates.
I think you were struggling to get things on the board with my plate.
I'm hoping Chef Connie here will...
-I'll share with him. -...will share with me.
-Thank you. -Excuse me.
[laughter]
I was gonna pass it to you.
[Connie] Chef Jenny,
I love the way that you utilized the Fire Masters arena
by charring your salmon directly on the coals
and then putting it on a plank in the smoker.
I have to say, I'm so sad that you didn't get
Chef Dale's garnishes on his plate.
I love the creativity behind this.
Your bread was my favorite thing.
Has that garlic butter, but your components,
the capers and the garlic, that needs to be in tune with salmon pate itself.
Because I want some of that brininess to come through,
but it's actually on the side.
-Thank you. -Chef, thank you very much.
Thank you.
I think I deserve to stay in the competition
because I showed the ability to use the arena
Just the execution fell very short.
Chef Kyle, please tell us what you made for the judges.
[Kyle] It's a shovel-seared ribeye with cheesy asparagus.
Well, Chef Kyle,
you have brought out a cooking technique
that I've never seen in my life.
Awesome!
Chef, the flavor is amazing.
What I'm missing is that outside crust.
It doesn't matter what you use to cook a steak.
I don't care if it's a shovel.
If it's a rake, you say you're going to do a certain technique,
-make sure you know it. -Yes, sir.
Chef Kyle, I think you made some really good choices,
starting with the asparagus.
I think they're cooked quite nicely,
but I'm not getting any char.
We've got that fire pit where if you put them on there,
you could get them charred pretty quickly.
-Yes, sir. -Thank you, chef.
And thank you, chefs.
Let's give the judges a couple minutes to discuss
and we'll call you back when we're ready.
[in unison] Thank you, chefs.
I've got flavors. I got a novel cooking technique.
I hope that takes me to the next round.
All right, judges, now that you've had a chance to taste
all three of these chefs' signature dishes,
how did they do?
I thought this round was so exciting.
We saw new cooking techniques and we saw a great use of the Fire Masters arena.
Let's take a look at Chef Jenny and her salmon pate.
[Eddie] The salmon pate had great flavor.
I got the char, I got the smoke.
But I felt like some components need to be added to it,
specifically the capers and the garlic.
Besides the fact that I didn't get any bread myself.
Overall, I think she did pull it together.
It was quite tasty.
Let's talk about Chef Kyle and his shovel-seared ribeye.
Chef Kyle's cooking technique was probably the most unique
and creative I've ever seen.
I really wish he had come through with the sear on his steak.
It was more steamed on the shovel than anything else.
[Dale] The whole dish itsel should have screamed char.
I just think the shovel should stay in the shed.
[laughter]
How did you feel about Chef Tahir and his jerk snapper dish?
[Connie] I thought it was cooked nicely.
His sauce was beautiful.
I wish there was more of it.
[Dale] I would have appreciated more of a dry ru than a wet rub.
And the jerk spice, I could have taken more heat.
-Mm-hmm. -[Eddie] Yeah.
This is going to be a challenging one to call,
-but have you made a decision? -[all] Yes.
-I think we have. -Let's call the chefs back in.
Chefs, in this first Wildfire Round,
you were asked to create a signature dish that reveals who you are on a plate.
Judges, whose signature dish was the best in this round?
The chef with the best dish is...
Chef Tahir!
-[Connie] Good job! -[all applauding]
Yes! Good job. Good job.
Congratulations, Chef Tahir.
You will have an advantage heading into the next round.
All right.
It's down to Chef Jenny and Chef Kyle.
Who will you be sending home?
[Jenny] There is a pit in my stomach
Get me to the next round and let me show you.
I didn't come all the way from Waddell, Arizona,
to be sent home.
The chef who'll be going home is...
Judges, it's down to Chef Jenny
with her smoked salmon pate and fried green tomatoes,
and Chef Kyle with his shovel-seared ribeye and cheesy asparagus.
Who will you be sending home?
The chef who will be going home is...
Chef Kyle.
Chef Kyle, I'm sorry to say you've been eliminated from the competition.
It's time to leave the Fire Masters arena.
Thank you, judges.
-Good luck, guys. -Thanks, chef.
Kill it! Kill it!
I brought the shovel and I'd dug my own grave,
but I had a lot of fun competing.
It's inspired me to really step outside my box.
Chefs, welcome to the Crossfire Round.
This round is a head-to-head battle,
where you'll both be cooking with the same protein.
Ready to see what's inside?
-Yes. -Yes.
You'll be cooking with sirloin filet.
Nice.
Each of you must create a sirloin filet dish that features
a different ingredient.
Chef Tahir, as the winner of the first round,
you get to decide whether you'd like to include tomatillos in your dish
or pass that ingredient to Chef Jenny
and take a chance with what's under the crate.
I'm going to pass the tomatillos to her.
-She failed with them in the first round. -Ooh.
And I'm going to take a chance.
-Wow! -Ouch.
You trying to light a fire under me?
-Let's go. -Them's fighting words.
-Here to win. -All right, Chef Tahir.
You'll be cooking with...
-blue cheese. -Ah. Ooh!
Let's do this.
I'm so happy. It has great flavor, great texture.
It's just funky. Let's do this.
Chef Jenny, you'll be cooking with tomatillos.
Chefs, are you ready?
-Yes. -Yes.
You've got 30 minutes back on the clock and your time starts now.
-[Connie] Come on, chefs. -[Dale] Let's go.
[judges cheering]
[Dale] I want it funky.
[Tahir] For this dish, I'm making grilled sirloin filet
with blue cheese cream sauce
I'm adding roasted potatoes smoked mushrooms,
everything you'll find in a classic steakhouse dinner.
First, I want to work on my dry rub for my sirloin filets.
I'm mixing salt, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder,
onion powder, chili powder.
I put my steak straight in the fire pit.
I'm raisin the grill as high as possible for the steak
to come up to room temp.
So it'll be a nicer and more even cook.
Stay warm.
All right.
Get these tomatillos ready for the grill,
I'm gonna make fire-grilled sirloin filet
with tomatillo sauce and tomatillo couscous.
I'm going to turn it upside down with those tomatillos.
So I think Mediterranean,
they don't see that often served with a sirloin.
All right. Couscous is a quick cook.
I add boiling water.
While I'm doing that I season my vegetables Mediterranean style,
and I give a little bit of ginger, turmeric.
I got smoked paprika and get them on the fire pit
and get them nice and flavorful.
Judges, it's the Crossfire Round.
Both of these chefs using sirloin filet.
This is a challenging round.
This is a thick cut of meat.
And in 30 minutes,
they're going to need at least half that time to get it perfectly cooked.
And they need a lot of time to rest,
otherwise they're gonna end up being dry.
[Jenny] Next, I season those steaks up.
Get them on the fire pit.
If I want that char, I want that flavor.
I got to get this perfect.
My steaks. I have to get my steaks on.
I lower the grate and it's hot.
Ooh! Almost burned my eyebrows off.
Next, I check out my potatoe they're beautiful.
Added some olive oil, salt, cayenne, some paprika
I'm throwing the cast iron skillet right on to the fire pit,
because I want to get some smoky flavors on my potatoes.
[Jenny] I flip my filets and that's a good crust.
That's what a steak should look like.
Time to work on my tomatillos sauce.
I put the smaller tomatillos into the food processor with butter,
kalamata olives.
I need to have tomatillo flavor on my steak.
I'm just making a tomatillo flavor bomb.
You got this. You got this.
[Dylan] Chefs, 15 minutes left. We are halfway through.
[Tahir] Time to work on these mushrooms.
I grabbed some olive oil, some salt.
I throw them straight on the grill,
just to get some nice, smoky flavor.
I started my blue cheese cream sauce. I add cream,
blue cheese, add a touch of honey,
then some chilis just to bring an extra punch.
I just got to remember to take those out of there.
I'm not gonna be shy with this blue cheese.
I'm gonna add as much as possible.
Oh. Sexy!
Let's talk about these two ingredients,
tomatillos and blue cheese.
Blue cheese is a natural pairing with red meat.
I actually think that Chef Tahir
has the harder challenge with blue cheese.
It's already got such a strong flavor.
I don't know how he's going to utilize the Fire Masters arena
to take blue cheese to its full potential.
I agree. I think the tomatillos are a superior ingredient,
because it allows you to really char down
and bring out the little sweetness that it does have.
Come on, tomatillos. Come on.
I checked my peppers and my tomatillos and they're charred.
Ooh! She hot.
My couscous has been resting I've got peppers.
I've got my bigger tomatillo red onions.
I dice those up and mix them into the couscous.
I looked down at my couscous, it's mushy.
It's couscous mash at this point.
My couscous is a little bit overdone,
but maybe we can get some forgiveness for flavor.
Ten minutes left, chefs.
-Time to hustle. -[Dale] Come on, chefs.
[Tahir] I go to flip my sirloins,
I'm not too happy with the char.
I was looking for more of a crust.
So, plan B, I'm putting these filets on a 700 degree barbecue.
[Eddie] Oh, Chef Tahir just lost a steak.
Sirloin down.
[Tahir] Thank God I got six.
Get them on the hottest spot on the barbecue.
Hopefully that helps.
All right.
I pulled my steaks off the fire pit.
I take them to one of the barbecues.
They're going to slowly finish here,
done in about three minutes.
[Tahir] I go back to check on my cream sauce,
and it's still not as thick as I would like it to be.
I'm just gonna
take the hand blender to it just to get it a bit thicker.
I don't have the time to let it reduce.
Money!
Chefs, two minutes left.
Time to get your food down. Come on.
-[Eddie] Let's go, chefs. -[Dale] Come on.
Let's see where the steaks are at.
We're gonna pull those down into a little bit more heat to finish off.
I'm definitely feeling the clock ticking.
I got to start getting things on plates.
Rest, rest, rest.
[Jenny] You know what? I want more olives.
I'm going to push these to the last second because I want that flavor.
[Dylan] Chefs, 30 seconds left.
[Dale] Come on, chefs, you got.
[Eddie] Give the final touches.
Get it right. Keep it tight.
[Jenny] Okay, we got a few seconds here.
[Tahir] I have my mushrooms.
Got it on the plate this time.
[all] Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one.
-Time's up, chefs. -[Dale] Come on, chefs.
-Good job. -[Connie] Good job, chefs.
[judges applauding]
[Tahir] Looking down on my plate,
I'm hoping this blue cheese cream sauc
bring an extra funk to this dish and an extra layer of flavor.
[Jenny] I hope the judges are going to see
that I can get my plating finished and looking beautiful.
This is gonna be tight.
Chef Tahir, please tell us what you made using sirloin filet and blue cheese.
[Tahir] I prepared a grilled sirloin filet with a blue cheese cream sauce.
Funky!
[laughter]
Chef Tahir, this steak is cooked perfectly.
You have some really good elements on the plate.
The mushrooms have amazing smoke flavor.
The blue cheese sauce is good,
but I don't think it's thick enough.
It's not really doing anythi for the steak.
And that's unfortunate because the flavor is amazing.
Chef Tahir, blue cheese is definitely not
one of my favorite flavors in this world.
But I think you did a good job.
I enjoyed the flavor of the sauce.
That being said,
I wish that you'd just used blue cheese a little bit more.
If you're to move forward,
really think about those feature ingredients
and how you can really apply those in multiple different ways.
Thank you, chef.
Thank you, judges.
I think I have the winning dish
because it shows good use of the Fire Master arena.
Chef Jenny, please tell us what you made using sirloin filet and tomatillos?
[Jenny] I made a fire-grilled sirloin file
with tomatillo sauce and couscous.
Chef Jenny, this is a face of shock.
I would have never thought to go a Mediterranean route.
And I got to tell you,
it works. To pair it with the brininess of the olive,
this is the best thing on the plate.
Your steak is cooked perfectly.
I also loved that you used multiple applications of the tomatillo.
I can taste it in your couscous.
It's so prominent in your sauce.
Unfortunately, your couscous is overcooked.
Thank you for your feedback.
-Thank you, chefs. -Thank you.
-And thank you, chef. -Thank you.
Let's give the judges a couple of minutes to discuss what they've tasted,
and we'll call you back shortly.
[Jenny] I'm disappointed with mysel about that couscous.
But after Chef Tahir's comment,
"Well, she didn't nail those tomatillos in the first round,"
because I did nail them in this round.
I deserve to go on.
All right. The Crossfire Round is complete and both of our chefs
serving up beautiful sirloin filet today,
one chef using tomatillos,
the other chef using blue cheese. How did they do?
Both of these chefs cooked their steaks great.
Both perfect medium rare.
[Eddie] Chef Tahir gave us a really nice,
composed, thought out plate of food.
I didn't think I'd ever say this in my life,
but I wish there was more blue cheese.
I wish there was some blue cheese on top.
He had the opportunity to highlight that ingredient,
and I think it was more of a black flavor.
The sauce was good.
I thought the consistency needs to be thicker to where you can coat that steak.
Yeah.
How do you feel about Chef Jenny
and her sirloin filet and tomatillo dish?
She was able to achieve some tremendous flavor from charring her peppers,
really getting a hard sear on her sirloin filet.
I liked that Chef Jenny used the tomatillo in her couscous.
[Dale] She gave us some really bold flavors that we weren't expecting.
But the couscous was definitely the downfall for me.
This is another incredibly close round in the Fire Masters arena.
Have you made your decision on who's moving forward?
-Yes. -Yeah, I think so.
-Yes. -Let's call the chefs back in.
Chefs, in this Crossfire round you were asked to cook with sirloin filet
and either tomatillos or blue cheese.
The winner of this round will receive a Napoleon portable grill
and move on to the third and final round to face off
against one of our Fire Masters' judges.
Judges, which of these chefs will be moving on to the final round?
This chef who will be moving on is...
Chef Jenny.
[judges applauding]
Thank you.
Yes!
I'm so close to $10,000 now
I've got a grill.
My wife's gonna love that.
Chef Tahir, you're clearly a very talented chef
that builds flavorful and composed dishes.
Thank you.
Unfortunately, you've been eliminated from the competition.
It's time to leave the arena.
-Thank you. -Thank you, judges.
I had an amazing time in the Fire Master arena.
I'm proud of myself because I had the winning di in the first round.
This isn't the last of Chef Tahir you've seen.
I will be back.
Chef Jenny, in the first two rounds,
you displayed grace under fire.
But now it's time to turn up the heat.
In this final round,
you'll be going head-to-head against one of our Fire Masters judges.
And the judge who'll be facing off against is... Chef Eddie Jackson.
-Whoo! -All right.
Whoo!
[Jenny] Let's do this. Chef Eddie,
he is a football superstar and he's a chef superstar.
So I gotta block that.
Ain't no crying in the arena.
Keep those jabs coming...
-[chuckles] -...let's see what happens.
[laughs]
Chef Jenny, Chef Eddie.
You're about to face off in the Feast of Fire.
Chefs, in this final round,
you must create a family-style feast inspired by the theme...
Farm to Fire.
-[Connie] Yes. -Farm to Fire.
I feel good about this.
[Dylan] Fresh, seasonal, and found close to home,
give us a farm-to-table mea with lots of flavor from the fire.
[Jenny] Farm to Fire, simple ingredients
and highlighting those flavors...
[Eddie] As a child, we had our own vegetables.
We had our own livestock.
So Farm to Fire, it's right up my alley.
The stakes have never been higher.
So you'll each have a sous-chef to help you create your feast.
This meal will be tasted blind,
which means none of us will be here to watch you cook.
When we do return,
I'll be taking Chef Eddie's seat at the judges' table.
But, chefs, before you get started,
I've got a hot twist for you.
At the fire pit, you'll find two stands.
Choose a stand and light it on fire to reveal an ingredient you must use.
Chefs, are you ready?
-Yes, I'm ready. -Stoked.
You've got 45 minutes on the clock and your time starts... now.
Farm to Fire.
Yeah, I'm excited for this one.
Delicata squash? I've had it before.
I know what it tastes like. Oh, my God.
But I don't really cook with delicata squash.
[Jenny] Brussels sprouts, they pair so well with meat
So let's get those things playing together.
We're going to blanch those Brussels sprouts.
-Yep. -[Jenny] I need that chorizo.
-Let's go. -[Eddie] I love this theme.
I know just how to capitalize on it
Mexican cuisine, lots of farmers down there.
Simple ingredients but maximizing the flavor.
For my main, I am going to make a spice-crusted tenderloin tostada.
One of my sides is going to grilled street corn with chili lime salt.
My other side is pozole with delicata squash and fresh vegetables.
Then lastly, I'm going to d a avocado brownie with toasted coconut.
First thing I want my sous-chef to do is prep the delicata squash
and I'm going to start butchering
the tenderloins for my tostadas.
Right now, you just want to make sure that you get this skin off.
I'm only going to use the center cuts
because that's where the best meat is.
Let's get this rolling. This is Farm to Fire.
It's not fancy food. So, I'm feeling pretty good.
For my main, I'm making bourbon barbecue smoked chicken.
For my first side,
I'm making Brussels sprouts with chorizo.
My second side is a grilled flatbread with brie and Asian pear.
And for dessert,
it's a fire-roasted peach creme brulee.
This thing is deadly-looking.
First things first, we're gonna blanch these Brussels sprouts.
Okay.
While I'm doing this,
I need my sous-chef to get those peaches ready,
because those peaches are going in the creme brule
So we gotta season that frui and get it on the fire.
Okay, cool.
My friends, it's Feast of Fire time.
And tonight it's all about Farm to Fire.
I love this theme.
This is really the opportunity for these chefs to make the ingredients the star.
[Dylan] Chef Jenny is going to need that fierce competitive attitude
because we know that Chef Eddie,
once he puts that chef coat on, it's game day.
[Dale] He's a very intelligent chef
He moves quick.
I think Eddie should be worried, though.
Chef Jenny has been through two rounds in the Fire Masters arena.
She's already very well-seasoned.
[Dylan] I'm really looking forward to seeing what they put out for us.
-[Dale] Me too. -Here we go. That's what I'm looking for.
I wanna make sure that I get a nice spice rub together for my tenderloin..
Season it up with some chilies,
lots of kosher salt,
a little paprika and black pepper.
[sous-chef 1] I grabbed the skillets for the brownie.
My sous-chef is working on the avocado brownie.
We have some almond butter, eggs, cocoa powder,
maple syrup to give it some sweetness.
We're going to add in a little bit of Mexican chili powder.
Now we're talking.
We are done with this.
I really like making comfort food.
So I'm excited about this chicken.
Simple salt and pepper seasoning.
I want to get some nice fire roasted flavor into that.
All right. Do your thing.
It's time for my barbecue sauce.
We've got maple vinegar, chocolate,
instant coffee, molasses, ketchup, mustard, bourbon. Boom!
Cool.
[sous-chef 1] I'm gonna get the corn on the grill.
[Eddie] We're gonna throw it right on the pit to get a nice char on the outside.
I started my pozole... Behind, behind.
I get my onions in, then add my garlic and my chicken stock
and just let everything just start to cook.
This is the dish that normally takes hours to develop flavor,
but Eddie here is going to try to make it in 30 minutes.
So I'm adding tons of spices, bay leaves,
chili powder, chipotle powde cumin, oregano.
Anyway I can get flavor inside of this pot,
I'm gonna do it.
[sous-chef 2] Cream's come to a boil.
[Jenny] Okay. Could you set up the food processor?
When I think Farm to Fire, I'm really about fruits.
Boy!
I'm trying to get all of my peaches off for the creme brulee.
Cooking in the pit is pure sacrifice.
It's hot. Coming behind you.
Okay, cool. I'm just going get these peaches pureed.
-Oh. -We're going to get the...
Whoa.
They go right into the food processor
for the creme brulee to get finished off,
and this has to go in the blast chiller.
It needs 30 minutes.
All right. Here we go. 30 minutes left. 30 minutes left.
I have to use delicata squas
I'm gonna give thin strips,
so that as soon as you drop it in that hot pozole,
it's just going to disintegrate.
[Jenny] How are these Brussels sprouts faring?
Time to get that chorizo working in there.
Chorizo's job in the Brussels sprouts
is to add a little bit of spice,
and then it's put it on to the charcoal grill.
[Eddie] I'm pulling the charred corn from the pi
they're nice and charred on all sides.
I've to start working on these steaks.
Now I need to cook my spice rub tenderloin.
That fire pit gets extremely hot,
so I don't want to go too close to the fire.
I do not want these judges to get a overcooked steak.
Perfect, perfect, perfect.
[sous-chef 2] Okay. Chicken's off the grill.
I've got my chicken on the charcoal grill,
and then I'm going to get that barbecue sauce
mopped on to caramelize as it finishes cooking.
Whoo-hoo!
It's time to start frying these tostadas.
How's the oil doing? Is it not hot enough?
[sous-chef 1] Uh, no.
I totally forgot to put the oil on.
If that oil isn't hot in the next three minutes, we're just gonna scrap it.
Heard.
We're scrambling right now. If that oil isn't hot in the next three minutes,
-we're just going to scrap it. -Heard.
Out of a whole pack of tortillas,
all we need is three to get nice and crispy.
How's it coming?
-That grease is getting hot, right? -[sous-chef 1] Yeah.
-I got two more in there. -All right.
[Jenny] Ten minutes!
[Eddie] That's perfect.
[Jenny] Okay, we're going to make these flatbreads.
My sous-chef has made a simple flatbread dough.
Brush with olive oil and get it started on the grill.
There's no better way to cook flatbread than on a fire pit.
[sous-chef 2] Okay, flatbreads are on.
What was I doing? I just went blank.
What was I doing? Time is running out.
I have to start plating my street corn.
I'm just lathering on the creme fraiche, so much cotija cheese.
It's raining cotija cheese.
And then I add that chili ru just to finish things off.
Five minutes! Five minutes!
Right, how are you looking?
Bomb diggity.
[sous-chef 2] Desserts have got no movement.
Let's brulee them, please.
[Eddie] My tenderloins are coming of
Have a nice sear on the outside.
Now it's time to let them rest.
Time to start adding in all of those fresh veggie to my pozole.
That's nice. That's nice.
[sous-chef 2] Chicken's looking good.
[Jenny] I've got a lot of food to plate.
We're getting close to finish here.
Let's get those done.
I need to get my chicken down on a plate.
Don't want to break that glaze that we've made.
-Perfect. -Two minutes. Two minutes.
[sous-chef 1] You want avocado mash on these?
[Eddie] Yeah. So avocado mash first.
[Jenny] Some goat cheese generous.
-[sous-chef 2] Wait. -[Eddie] One minute,
one minute, one minute.
[Jenny] All right, let's do this.
Yeah, that looks good.
-Ten, nine, eight... -[Eddie and Jenny] Seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one.
-[exhales sharply] -Whoo!
Yes!
I looked down at my dishes,
I feel pretty good about the
I hope when the judges see this food,
they're like, "Hey, that's got to be Eddie's."
I'm looking at my feast and I think I am back in Mexico.
But this is a blind tasting
so my street cred doesn't mean anything.
Anyone could lose.
This feast started on the farm,
made its way to fire and found its way to our table.
This first chef has prepared for us,
spice-crusted tenderloin, tostadas,
grilled street corn with chili lime salt,
pozole with delicata squash and fresh vegetables.
We'll finish off with avocado brownie with toasted coconut.
This chef had to cook with delicata squash.
The aromas coming off of that pozole are incredible.
May I have a bigger bowl?
[laughter]
The cook on this tenderloin tostada is absolutely perfect.
It's a rare, medium rare,
spiced well on the outside, great sear.
This chef really loves guacamole.
I think I would have held ba a little bit.
I wasn't really sure how to get in there.
Let's take a look at the grilled street corn with chili lime salt.
I love that the chef took the time to get a really nice char.
[Dale] There's a nice amount of spice on there.
A good amount of mayo and cheese.
-What's not to love? -[Dale] Yeah.
[Dylan] The chef had to use delicata squash and unfortunately,
you can't differentiate the flavor
from anything else in the soup.
[Dale] If it's a must-use ingredient,
it really needs to be the absolute feature.
And when we're talking about farm to table,
you want to celebrate that squash that we've asked you specifically to use.
I agree.
Well, my friends this first feast was loaded with flavors.
Let's see what the chef made for dessert.
Let's do it.
[Dylan] The chef has prepare for us avocado brownie with toasted coconut.
I like it. It's really moist. It's chocolatey.
But we're talking about farm to table.
I'm just not feeling the bounty of the season.
This chef may have taken an unconventional approach,
but they certainly brought us big, bold flavors.
I'm looking forward to seeing what the second chef prepared for us.
Can't wait.
Our second feast is here,
and I'm seeing some flavors from the farmhouse.
This chef has prepared for u bourbon barbecue smoked chicken,
Brussels sprouts with choriz
grilled flatbread with brie and Asian pear.
And we'll finish off with fire-roasted peach creme brulee.
This chef had to cook with Brussels sprouts.
You can really smell the smoke from that chicken, it's nice.
This chef nailed the cook on that.
Cooking half chickens like this in the Fire Masters' arena
is a difficult task.
[Connie] The sweetness of the barbecue sauce isn't overpowering.
It's just the perfect amount
I am in love with this chicken.
The chef had to use Brussels sprouts,
and although, they're very predominant in this dish,
they definitely missed the mark with the execution of the cooking.
[Dale] I just feel like this dish wasn't cooked in the Fire Masters' arena.
You can definitely see some char on here.
[Dale] You can take it furth than you really think
where they start opening up because they're getting charred so much.
[Dylan] Let's take a look at the chef's flatbread.
This chef has offered us so many different elements.
Artisan cheese, the basil, the pear.
I'm not really sure that they nailed the flatbread.
I think it's a little bit thick and a little bit clunky.
I hope you both saved room for one more dessert.
This chef has prepared for u fire roasted peach creme brulee.
-Oh, there we go. -Peaches are in season.
[Connie] I am loving the flavor of this dessert.
However, the custard isn't set.
The brulee wasn't all the way around,
but I think the chef missed the mark on execution.
Yeah.
We've had two very unique Farm to Fire feasts this evening.
We're going to have to break these down plate-by-plate.
Let's start with the mains.
[Connie] The second chef nailed the main course.
The chicken was super juicy
I loved the smoke.
I just wish that they had served a little bit more sauce.
[Dylan] The first chef with that tostada,
beef was cooked perfectly.
The flavor of the guacamole was great.
It ended up being a bit clunky,
a little bit too much avocado.
Let's move on to the sides.
The first chef prepared grilled street corn with chili lime salt,
the second chef, the charred Brussels sprout with chorizo.
I'm giving it to the first chef on this round.
That street corn was so delicious.
The second chef, although I wanted to love their Brussels sprout dish,
that was their feature ingredient.
And unfortunately, they just came up short.
Let's take a look at the second set of sides.
The pozole was much more flavorful.
The downside of that dish was the squash
It was the feature ingredien
but it seemed like it was a bit of an afterthought.
The second chef's flatbread.
I love cheese and pear together.
However, the flatbread was just a little bit too thick.
Let's take a look at the desserts.
The first chef had the avoca and chocolate brownie,
the second chef with the peach creme brulee
The second chef utilized the theme a little bit better with the grilled peaches,
but the creme brulee didn't set.
The first chef definitely did a nice, moist brownie.
It's all going to come down to which of these chefs created
a better Farm to Fire feast.
This was a difficult one to call,
but I think we've made our decision.
I agree.
[Jenny] I've been working ha all day for this.
I want to win $10,000.
I deserve it.
[Eddie] I'm a Fire Master. I'm undefeated.
The stakes are pretty high.
I want to leave this arena with my record intact.
Chefs, we had a field day eating both of your Farm to Fire feasts.
They were packed full of wonderful fresh flavors.
In the first feast,
we thought the tenderloin tostada was flavorful and inventive
The beef had an expert sear
However, we felt the delicata squash disappeared into the pozole
In the second feast,
we thought the smoked bourbon chicken was a smoky sticky flavor sensation.
However, we felt the Brussels sprout
with chorizo were a little overcooked.
Both of your Farm to Fire feasts were unique
and delicious celebrations of flavor,
but there can only be one winner.
Tonight's winning feast is...
The first feast with the tenderloin tostada and the grilled street corn.
[judges applauding]
Good job.
Ah!
I am the reigning champ.
Undefeated, I might add.
You know, Chef Jenny is an amazing competitor.
She got better and better as the day went on.
And congratulations, Chef Jenny.
Thank you so much for being here
and being a part of Fire Masters toda.
Thanks for having me. Thank you, judges.
I definitely did myself proud.
Eddie's a tough competitor.
I thought I might have had him, but I don't care.
I had so much fun cooking in this arena.