Welcome to Fire Masters
where three chefs will take on three blazing culinary challenges.
- Oh yeah, baby. - Almost there.
No more mucking around.
[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. - Ooh, that's nice.
And to earn their place as a Fire Masters' champion.
The plate looks really sparse.
You fell a little bit short.
- [Dylan] Speed... skill... - [Joey] That clock is ticking.
Come on, baby.
[Dylan] ...scorching competition.
Nice.
This is Fire Masters.
Three chefs are battle ready to fight for the title
of Fire Masters' champion.
Let's meet them.
First up, Kaede Hirooka from Calgary, Alberta.
I'm the executive chef at Hello Sunshine.
I also own a company called "respectthetechnique"
where I smoke my own bacon, make smoked charcuteries.
So, I wanna win Fire Masters for my son who has Cerebral Palsy.
I'm planning to donate to my son's school to help buy a new bus.
I am confident, I'm cool and collected and my flavors are out of this world.
Good to be here, hope to win.
Next, Joey McNabb from Toronto, Ontario.
I am a corporate chef specializing in comfort food.
I'm the next Fire Masters' champion because I love playing with fire
and I just recently found out I'm gonna be a father.
Yay! It's terrifying but amazing.
So, if I do win, that money's gonna go towards an education fund
and I definitely did not come here to lose.
Real happy to be here, chefs.
And last, Christopher Walker from Boston, Massachusetts.
I'm the general manager of a butcher shop called, "Savenor's"
and I'm also a personal chef.
My love for cooking started with my parents
and if I win $10,000, I'm buying my dad a car.
He's my foundation, taught me the first steps of cooking
and that's something I wanna do for him.
So, I'm coming out there blazing.
It's an honor to be here. Thank you.
Chefs, welcome to Fire Masters.
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 the title of today's Fire Masters' champion. - Ooh!
Speaking of judges, here's who you'll need to impress.
Roger Mooking is a globally inspired celebrity chef,
author, TV personality and live fire cooking expert.
Welcome, chefs. Make sure you some fun today in the Fire Masters' arena.
Will do, for sure.
[Dylan] Chef Andrea Nicholson,
a chef-owner of Butchie's Restaurant,
Banana's dessert shop and the culinary event space,
dish/play.
Hi, chefs. Don't forget to bring the fire and the flavor today.
- Thank you. - Will do.
[Dylan] Ray Lampe AKA Dr. BBQ has published nine cookbooks
and is a member of the BBQ Hall of Fame.
Welcome, chefs. We're happy to have you here.
- Happy to be here. - Great to meet you.
Chefs, I hope you're ready to fire things up.
In this first Wildfire round,
you'll create a signature dish that showcases who you are as a chef.
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 three things.
Presentation, creativity and of course, taste.
Chefs, are you ready?
- Ready. - Let's go.
You've got 30 minutes on the clock.
And your time starts...
now.
[clapping]
Jalapenos, jalapenos. All righty.
For my signature dish, I'm making steak char-char with fried corn cakes.
So, it's basically a classic French bistro dish with southern flavors.
I'm trying to get that flavor you get from a nice, big tray of barbecue
and bring the char-char to the tartare.
Whoo! This dish represents me as a chef because
it's a little bit of fancy and a little bit of funny.
And I've changed the name a little bit 'cause I'm goofy like that.
I'm seasoning my beef tenderloin with just a little bit of kosher salt
and throwing it right on the pit.
Quick, char on this thing. Whoo!
Chef Joey has an interesting take on tartare,
but he left the silver skin on the tenderloin
before he charred it.
Hopefully, he's gonna cut that off,
but then he's gonna lose his char.
All right. What we got here? Ostrich, yes!
I'm doing grilled Ostrich with roasted tomato grits.
This is my signature dish 'cause the grits, that's how I was raised.
Both my grandmothers are from Georgia
and then the Ostrich is something I wanna do for my dad
because my dad loves game meat
and I said, "What would be great?"
Ostrich. Ostrich is amazing.
It has a ton of flavor.
It's almost like venison, but a little bit more gamey.
I grab the ostrich meat and I'm seasoning the heck out of that thing.
That thing is getting doused.
Onion powder, garlic powder and I'mma throw some paprika on it.
I don't want it to be a question as to was there enough flavor on that.
Ostrich is a sneaky beast.
The secret is not to overcook it.
Oh yeah, baby.
My signature dish is gyoza-stuffed chicken wings
with charred cucumber.
The reason why it's my signature dish,
is because I'm Japanese-Canadian
and I spent two years in Japan working there
which really shaped my culinary career which brings me right here.
First things first, I gotta debone these wings really quick.
Takes a little bit of time to debone these guys, right?
So, I take the two wing bones out
and then, hollows it out, makes a nice pocket in there.
You could put whatever you want in there
and I'm stuffing mine with gyoza.
I'm just taking something that I learned in Japan and bring it over here.
[Joey] There we go. This guy's nice and hot.
I realized I gotta cool this beef tenderloin down because it's,
number one, gonna be easier to slice, number two,
stop that cooking process on the outside.
I'm gonna throw this in the blast, chiller real quick
and let's start the corn.
I grab my corn, I grab my jalapenos and I get 'em on the fire pit.
Whoo!
We got some mesquite wood chips,
we got black cherry wood.
A little pecan, why not.
A little apple, love apple wood.
I'm making sure that when I char my ostrich,
that I get a nice smokiness on the outside
that says this was smoked.
Give me all of that beautiful smoke.
We'll move these guys over here.
I'm gonna start stuffing them.
With all of the eight wings deboned, I'm gonna make my stuffing.
I'm stuffing my wings with some Chinese chives, some ginger, garlic, ground pork,
soy, fish sauce, sesame oil, all the stuff that has umami in it.
We're ready to go into this piping bag here. I'm gonna stuff the wings.
[Andrea] Oh, he's stuffing a chicken wing.
The Fire Masters' arena is kind of suited for a chicken wing.
Pop those little guys into the smoker to get a good smoke flavor on them
and then hit them on one of the infrareds.
And that skin needs to be really crispy.
[Kaede] I put them into my salted water and I'm blanching them.
I want to get to insides in the wings,
about 90 percent cooked then I'm gonna put it onto the grill.
Because if I put the wings right onto the grill,
the insides wouldn't cook while the outsides would burn.
Wings are blanching.
Okay, I'm gonna start making my grits.
I'm gonna pour my grits with a whisk and let it go low and slow.
Come on, baby. Cook for me.
Now, I'm gonna start working on my tomatoes.
I get those roasting over the firepit.
I wanna add char to the grits.
Oh, my beautiful tomatoes.
The tomatoes are looking great.
I put those in a blender.
And then I put my cream sauce in there.
The cream has shallots, a little bit of pressed shiso leaves,
a nice herbaceous leaf found in Asia.
And then, it's gonna get pureed that'll fortify the grits.
There's nothing classic about these grits that I'm making
because when's the last time you heard of grits and tomatoes!
Come on, baby.
I gotta start working on these corn cakes.
So, I start mixing the cornmeal in with my boiling water.
I wanna make sure I get the right consistency.
It's a classic, low country corn cake. Really, really simple.
I throw it on a tortilla press 'cause I want it nice and thin,
almost like a tortilla chip.
I'm gonna fry that bad boy
in some pork fat.
These things are gonna taste really good.
[Kaede] So, I am working on cucumbers that are gonna be charred as well.
I grab some cucumbers for a little palette cleanser for this dish.
I'm just taking these seeds out to make sure it's not watery.
I'm gonna char them up over the open fire pit.
I know the judges will like that.
And I really think this is something different
because not too many people grill their cucumbers in a fire pit.
Gonna get some char happening.
Sit there.
[Christopher] So, I go to check my ostrich,
put the thermometer in the ostrich meat.
I'm looking for about 115.
Ostrich cooks more like a red meat than it does like a poultry.
He's got big pieces which I'm not a big fan of.
I would've probably broke that down and make it a little easier to cook,
but he's gotta get it perfectly cooked on the inside.
The thermometer's his friend.
It's taking it's time. It's a little bit under.
That clock's going fast.
I'm really worried. That is not cooked.
[Christopher] So, I go to check my ostrich,
it's a little bit under.
It's taking it's time.
Okay, we'll get us a different flame 'cause I need higher heat.
I really need to speed up the heat of this ostrich to make sure
that it has time to rest.
Apparently, the judges don't like raw meat.
The trick to cooking ostrich properly
is that you want it rare, not raw.
We're rolling now.
[Kaede] Getting the wings out that are blanched.
Perfect.
Now, I have to get my chicken wings right onto the grill and get a crispy skin.
Just gonna glaze these guys up, la la la!
Give it some color, you know?
That's dynamite.
Almost there. This oil can be a little bit hotter.
Those corn cakes are not where I want 'em. So, I gotta get more heat.
I take that cast iron pan and swing it to the sizzle zone.
A little bit hotter and then, we'll be right there.
Then, I'm taking the corn off the cob,
I'm cutting up the jalapenos 'cause I gotta get those into my tartare.
Nice.
It's time to cut into that beautiful big piece of tenderloin.
I'm looking to get the smallest dice that I can get out of this piece of meat.
All right. That should be just about enough.
Then, I throw in that chopped tenderloin into my bowl with the jalapenos and the corn.
Hoo!
How we doing, baby?
Are we there yet? Oh, we're there.
Checking the temperature of my meat, it looks perfect.
I'mma let it rest and do its thing.
Oh, my goodness. Oh, that's good.
Checking on my grits.
The grits are still not cooked yet, time to switch burners.
I gotta get these on higher heat.
I better get these grits fully cooked.
There's a saying,
"Don't serve not cooked grits."
Chefs, five minutes left.
[Andrea] Go, guys!
[Kaede] I'm gonna start plating now.
Okay, cucumbers right on the plate,
a squeeze of that
and then, obviously my chicken wings.
Cut it so they can see the inside of my hard work.
I'm a little bit early, oops, but I figured I have some time to play around.
Spritz it with a drizzle, some black vinegar on.
Perfecto.
So, these are quail's eggs.
Those will also go into my tartare after I mix things up
to give it more of a binding ingredient.
Chefs, only one minute left.
[Joey] Ahh! Time's ticking, it's time to plate this dish.
Whoo!
Oh, my goodness!
I don't have my plates done yet and I'mma work my magic.
Oh, that grits are looking good.
Boom, boom. Boom, boom, boom. Look here, say, boom, boom.
Boom, boom.
[Joey] 13 seconds left.
I'm trying to crack that quail egg.
It is just not gonna happen.
Ten!
[all judges] Nine, eight,
seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one!
- Time's up, chefs. - [everyone clapping]
- [exhales] - Time really started moving quickly there. Whoo!
I'm looking at my dish and I realize I've missed a few things.
But, I took a big risk. I might have a winner here.
[Christopher] I'm happy with the dish.
It's gorgeous, but I'm wondering, is it too simple?
[Kaede] I'm very proud of what I put out.
It's got a lot of flavor, but I think I'm up against really good competitors right now.
Little bit nervous, I'm a little bit scared.
[Dylan] Chef Joey, please tell us what you made in the Wildfire round.
[Joey] So, what I've got is what I call a steak char-char,
a southern version of steak tartare with fried corn cakes.
This is a really fund idea.
I live in the south so I like the idea of
taking some southern spins and putting them on a tartare.
But the plate looks really sparse.
Seem to be missing the classic egg.
I saw eggs on your counter,
unfortunately, one didn't get there.
[Andrea] Chef Joey, big kudos on these chips.
Mine was crispy, cooked really well
and it gave me that southern twang kind of feel of this dish.
There are a lot of elements on here that I really enjoy.
I like the concept of it.
I just think, in terms of execution, you fell a little bit short.
You didn't clean the silver skin before charring the meat.
The silver skin is just very stringy,
I had some little stuck to my teeth.
And, tartare needs a little bit of binder.
If that egg yolk was on this dish, I think it would've brought it all together.
[Joey] I think the judges really liked the concept of my dish,
but I missed a couple things, so we'll see.
Chef Christopher, please tell us what you made for the judges.
[Christopher] So, what you have in front of you is a grilled ostrich,
with roasted tomato grits.
And you got a demi-glace on top of that.
Chef Christopher, what I like about the look of this plate
is that this is about the ostrich and then,
you have these elements around it.
But I'm a little confused if you're trying to go for a modernist approach
or a simple homey comfort approach.
That's my history.
The grits are how I was raised, southern cooking,
and then, as I took that journey into cookery,
I then, refined myself.
Chef Christopher, you have cooked this ostrich masterfully.
- Thank you. - [Andrea] It is the perfect temperature.
It is seasoned properly on the outside.
- So, well done with the protein. - Thank you, chef.
And I really liked the grits.
I think the texture is nice. I think the color is beautiful.
My concern is, looks like fall.
We've got the nice brown kinda reddish grits, the ostrich is kinda dark.
The sauce is kinda dark.
A little something of color would've made it really look nice.
- Other than that, it was a great dish. - Thank you, chef.
If I move to that second round,
I'll definitely make sure there's enough color.
Chef Kaede, please tell us about your signature dish.
[Kaede] So, I did a gyoza-stuffed chicken wings with charred cucumber.
[Andrea] Chef Kaede, I love your creativity.
The one issue I do see on this plate, though, is the chicken skin.
I wish that you had rendered it a little bit more and got it a bit more crispy.
For sure.
Chef Kaede, I gotta tell you, the flavors on this dish are spectacular.
Every component. The cucumbers, they're well-seasoned.
The gyoza is absolutely delicious.
The glaze on the chicken wings
add just so much to the whole dynamic.
- It's really, really great. - Thank you.
But when you take the bones and the meat
out of the chicken wing, what's left?
- The skin. - [Kaede] Yes.
So, it's really important that the skin gets done just right or why bother using it.
But it still made a nice vessel for holding the stuffing.
-Thank you very much, chef. And, thank you, chefs. -Thank you.
Let's give the judges a couple minutes to discuss what they've tasted
and we'll call you back when we're ready.
Thank you.
I should've deep fried that chicken wing, then hit it on the grill.
But, should've, could've, would've.
Judges, the Wildfire round is complete.
What were your thoughts on Chef Joey's dish?
[Andrea] I liked the concept of Chef Joey's dish.
I really liked the idea of a tartare Fire Masters' style.
I especially loved that crispy tortilla-like element of the dish.
He just missed some elements that were really important to this tartare
and there's things that need to be there and they just weren't.
If he would've added the quail's egg,
I think it would've all come together as he expected it to.
Let's talk about Chef Christopher's dish with ostrich.
[Roger] My ostrich was cooked really well.
It was seasoned really well.
I've never had tomato, fiery grits like that.
It was really, really delicious.
But that plate just needed something.
He should've garnished it with something that would just made it look a little nicer.
Let's take a look at Chef Kaede's dish.
[Roger] The flavor was just so good
and I loved that he took us to a place.
I was right back in Tokyo,
in an alley and eating my chicken wings.
But if you're gonna take everything out of that chicken wing,
and use just the skin, well then, you better cook that really well.
This is a difficult round to call.
But, have you made your decision?
- [all judges] Yes. - Let's call the chefs back in.
Chefs, in this first Wildfire round,
you were asked to create a dish that showcased your personality on a plate.
Judges, please tell us
whose dish was the best in this round?
The chef with the best dish is...
Chef Christopher.
-[all clapping] -Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you very much.
[Dylan] Congratulations, Chef Christopher.
You will have an advantage moving into the next round.
Thank you.
Judges, it's down to Chef Kaede and Chef Joey.
Who will you be sending home?
The chef who will be going home is...
Judges, it's down to Chef Kaede
with the gyoza-stuffed chicken wings
and charred cucumbers
and Chef Joey with the steak char-char and fried corn cakes.
Who will you be sending home?
The chef who will be going home is...
Chef Joey.
Chef Joey, I'm sorry to say you've been eliminated from the competition
and it's time to leave the Fire Masters' arena.
Thank you very much, judges. Been a pleasure.
This was a wild experience.
Unfortunately, I messed up a little bit,
but I'm not gonna stop taking risks.
Chefs, welcome to the Crossfire round.
This round is a head-to-head battle
where you'll both be cooking with the same protein.
Lobster.
- Oh! - Nice.
Each of you must create a lobster dish
that features a different ingredient.
Chef Chris, as the winner of the first round,
you get to decide whether you'd like to incorporate yuzu juice into your dish
or if you'd like to pass that on to Chef Kaede
and take a risk with what's under the crate.
Oh, this is dangerous.
Oh, yuzu's such a beautiful ingredient.
I'mma go with the yuzu.
Yuzu, acidic, sweet, beautiful.
Crate, no idea. Could be chocolate.
I'm not going with that crate. I'm all set.
Which means Chef Kaede, you'll be cooking with...
white miso.
[all laughing]
[Kaede] It's an awesome ingredient.
I'm ecstatic to be getting this miso.
Chefs, there's 30 minutes back on the clock.
And your time starts...
now.
- [all clapping] - Go, chefs!
He's got all the lobster broth.
- It's all right. - [Kaede] Here.
Oh, thank you. Appreciate it, man.
They gave a man from Massachusetts lobster.
I've actually gone lobster fishing.
So, boom-boom!
I got this.
For my dish, I'm making grilled lobster with yuzu corn sauce.
First thing I do, is cut the lobster in half.
Then, I boil the lobsters really quick
because I ultimately wanna allow to pop up the shell easier
if it's still not cooked in the middle.
Come on, baby.
Radicchio, green onions.
I'm gonna make a simple lobster white miso soup.
So, I get the lobster ready to go.
Nice, clean cuts, I've done tons of these at a steakhouse I used to work at
and then, I get the lobsters onto the grill
and I decide to cook the lobsters in the shell,
so all that juicy saltiness gets back into the meat.
Also, I could get more of that char flavor.
My plan is to grill this lobster up and put it right in the bowl of soup.
Golden.
Ooh, that's nice.
I take my lobster out of the pot.
I immediately start to clean it.
Gotta get old school with it.
So, I'm taking those lobster claws, I'm taking some of the tails.
I'm putting it right on that nice charcoal grill with the mesquite wood chips,
an idea that it really imparts that smokiness to the lobster,
so there's a nice balance between sweet and smoky.
Oh, look at that beauty.
Now, I'm gonna make lobster broth
from my yuzu corn sauce.
So, I grab yuzu, the lobster broth and lime leaves.
That yuzu in the broth is gonna add a nice
base for the acidity that I need in the dish.
Yuzu's like a type of sour orange.
It has a little bit of sweetness, it's acidic.
Lobster's a rich meat.
So, you want something that will help support those flavors,
but also cut through that richness.
[Andrea] Also, I love the fact that Chef Christopher is using really complementary flavors
to yuzu, like, sweet corn which will balance off the sour of the yuzu.
Chefs, 15 minutes left.
[Kaede] I got grilled lobster going.
I'm gonna brush it with a miso glaze.
So now, it's time for me to make my lobster miso soup.
So, I grab some lobster stock
and then I start trying to infuse flavor into it, so I add white miso.
I start putting in the charred and smoked ginger and garlic,
so I can get some smokey goodness into that miso soup.
All the mushrooms. I'mma get some lime in there.
And I decide to add some radicchio to it
because the soup is lacking something.
Yes, brown!
Chef Kaede has white miso.
White miso is essentially fermented soybean paste
and it has a sweetness
and an umami note, a really earthiness and I think it pairs
so well with lobster
because lobster has that sweet, supple meat
and it's clear that he uses this ingredient a lot.
[Kaede] Perfect!
Chefs, only ten minutes left.
So, it's time to take the lobster tails and claws off of the grill.
I slice my lobster meat.
Oh, my goodness!
I see beautiful, I see charred, I see delicious.
I see Fire Masters. Those are the facts.
[Kaede] So, I taste my soup and I'm really worried at this point
that the soup's not gonna have enough flavor
because to me, the broth is still tasting a little bit flat.
There's not enough charred flavor in that.
So, I rub some miso onto a piece of ginger and get it back into the charcoal grill
to try to get it smoking.
Then, I grab some nice chipotle
and then I give it a quick chop so it's almost like a paste
and I add it to my mushroom broth to infuse more flavor into it.
Grill, my friends.
Gotta make the sauce.
So next, I'm putting cream on the grill,
reducing that for my yuzu corn sauce.
Nothing like nice grilled corn.
I'mma take it off the cob and put in my sauce.
Then, I add shrimp paste,
a little bit of smoked paprika.
We got garlic powder.
We have onion powder. My lobster broth.
Ooh, you love to see it.
My yuzu corn sauce is looking beautiful.
It's time for it to go in the blender.
That's what I'm talking about. Boom boom!
[Kaede] I look at the time and I realize it's time to start thinking,
how I'm gonna serve this soup.
But I decided to test the meat for the lobster
and I feel it's done.
So, I take the meat out of the tail and I chop it up, put it into the soup
and I'm gonna serve the claw on the side,
so they get two different types of lobster flavors.
I have a concern with Chef Kaede.
So, at eight minutes, he was beginning to plate.
Exactly the same mistake he made in the first round.
I mean, this is a perfect opportunity for Chef Kaede
to maybe take the lobster out of the shell,
cut it up nicer for us.
Especially in a broth.
You don't want to have to be in there with a knife and fork.
Okay, that's good. That's good.
It's time to plate my lobster.
All right. We're looking good.
Yes, you are pretty.
-[Christopher] What's the time? -[Kaede] Three minutes.
- Whoo! - Looking good.
I'm gonna have to start putting finishing touches to my dish.
Nice and nice and beautiful.
[all] Ten, nine, eight,
seven, six, five,
four, three, two, one!
- [Dylan] Time's up, chefs. - [all clapping]
I'm really feeling good about this dish.
I think it's beautiful. I think it makes sense.
I think I've focused on the ingredients.
[Kaede] I hope the judges see
the simplicity, but how complex the flavors are in this dish.
Hopefully, the judges like it.
Fingers crossed.
[Dylan] Chef Kaede, please tell us what you've prepared
using lobster and white miso.
So, I've made a lobster and white miso soup.
Chef Kaede, clearly, you embraced the lobster. There it is.
Front and center on top of the bowl.
It's got some char marks on it.
- This is a really nice looking dish. - Thank you.
Chef Kaede, the broth is quite flavorful.
Although, it's a very simple dish,
I thought you did a really good job of representing yourself
- and the ingredients in this challenge. - Thank you, chef.
I just wish that white miso was more present
and added that creamier,
thicker base to the stock
- because the stock is fairly thin. - [Kaede] Yeah.
The lobster, I can appreciate you cooking it in two different ways.
- Okay. - But the lobster inside of the broth
I found a little bit chewy and overcooked.
This lobster, the half lobster that you used for presentation,
my claw was slightly undercooked.
So, you can see the little, sort of, translucency there.
But overall, I think it was a tasty dish.
It's a lobster challenge and I didn't cook the lobster properly.
So, I don't know where I stand. It could go either way.
Chef Christopher, please tell us what you made using lobster and yuzu.
[Christopher] I made a grilled lobster with yuzu corn sauce.
Chef Christopher, I think the portion size is really good.
It's a nice, simple, clean dish.
And this tells me, just on sight, that it's gonna be delicious.
Thank you, chef.
Chef Christopher, you were tasked with taking lobster and pairing it with yuzu
and yuzu is absolutely the predominant flavor in your dish.
Hands down.
In fact, it's almost too predominant.
Your lobster, though, is cooked perfectly.
It's buttery, it's tender and I think with a little bit of a less
heavy hand on the yuzu, you would've had a really amazing dish.
Thank you, chef.
I disagree entirely with Andrea when it comes to the yuzu,
but no matter how you perceive it as the chef,
the perception lies in the person eating it.
So, I'm worried.
All right, judges. The Crossfire round is complete.
It was battle lobster.
Roger, what are your thoughts on Chef Kaede and his lobster miso dish?
[Roger] I liked Chef Kaede's dish.
Simple, clean flavors.
I can definitely taste the miso.
I can definitely taste the lobster.
They were equally in balance.
To me, he fulfilled the challenge.
But I felt that the lobster was undercooked
in some respects and then, overcooked in the broth.
I think Chef Kaede made a mistake by plating his dish so early.
Could you imagine if that broth stayed on for another eight minutes?
Then, it would've reduced, it would've created that body that we were looking for.
And the lobster would've stayed out of the broth for an extra eight minutes,
might not have been overcooked.
It's the second challenge that he's plated way too early.
Let's take a look at Chef Christopher and his lobster yuzu dish.
I think Chef Christopher really amplified the yuzu flavor,
maybe just a little bit too much.
To the point where it overpowered the lobster.
But I liked it. His lobster was cooked beautifully,
I liked it a lot.
Well judges, two very talented chefs.
But, have you decided on a winner?
- Yeah, we have. - Yeah!
Let's call the chefs back in.
Chefs, in this Crossfire round,
you were asked to cook with lobster
and either yuzu or white miso.
The winner of this round will walk away with a Napoleon Portable Grill
and move on to the final round
to face off against one of our Fire Masters' judges.
Judges, please tell us
who will be moving on to the final round.
The chef who'll be moving on to the final round is...
Chef Christopher.
- Congratulations, man. - Yeah, it was an honor, man.
Congratulations, Chef Christopher.
You've won yourself a portable grill
and you're moving on to the final round.
- Thank you. - [Dylan] Well done.
What! Wasn't expecting to win.
Definitely super excited.
Chef Kaede, unfortunately, you've been eliminated from the competition
and it's time to leave the Fire Masters' arena.
Understood. Thanks, guys.
Unfortunately, I didn't win that $10,000, but I had so much fun here and I'm happy.
I'm very happy.
Chef Christopher, in the first two rounds,
you proved your skills in the arena.
But now, it's time to fan the flames of competition.
In this final round,
you'll be going head-to-head against one of our Fire Masters' judges.
And the judge you'll be facing off against is...
Chef Andrea Nicholson.
- Get 'em, kid. - Yeah, get 'em.
I'm actually very excited to go head-to-head with Chef Andrea
because I feel like, if you're gonna say you're a chef,
you should be able to put your dish up against anybody in the world.
And that's what I'm ready to do.
-Nice to meet you, chef. Thank you. Same to you. -Good luck! Have fun.
Chef Christopher, Chef Andrea,
you're about to face off in the Feast of Fire.
Chefs, in this final Feast of Fire round,
you must create a family-style feast
inspired by the theme,
Hog Wild.
- Nice. Nice. - Oh! [laughs] Yes!
[Dylan] Give us a feast that includes two flame-kissed pork dishes.
The stakes have never been higher.
So, you'll each have a sous chef to help you create your feast.
This feast will be tasted blind
which means, we're not gonna be here to watch you cook.
However, when we do come back, I'll be taking Chef Andrea's seat
at the judges' table.
But chefs, before you get started,
I've got a hot twist for you.
Oh, no!
Over at the fire pit, there are two stands.
Choose a stand and spin the arrow twice
to reveal which two types of pork you must use in your feast.
You've got 45 minutes on the clock.
And your time starts...
now.
-Oh, hot wild, man. I'm excited about this barrel. -Yeah, it's a good one.
[Andrea] I spin the wheel and the first item I reveal is the crown pork roast.
Winner!
I spin the wheel again and I reveal
one of my favorite ingredients ever, pancetta.
Okay, okay.
When the arrow hits guanciale, I'm like, "Yes!"
But, I land on baby back ribs, I'm like, "Oh, no!"
How do you cook perfect ribs in 45 minutes? I don't know.
But, I'mma find out today.
[Andrea] Let's go, let's go.
I got this and pancetta. Ready? Let's do this.
[Christopher] I'll start grabbing the spices, the paprika.
[Andrea] Maple syrup.
In this Feast of Fire,
for my main, I'm making flame-grilled pork chops with a maple mustard gastrique.
For my first side, I'm making a pancetta barley with mushroom risotto.
For my second side, a charred cauliflower casserole.
And then, for my dessert, I'm making a caramelized pear and walnut crumble.
The first thing we need to do is put our cauliflower, our leeks and our jalapenos
right on the open fire.
[excited giggling]
Boom! All right.
For this feast, my main is pit-roasted baby back ribs.
My side is gonna be grilled brussels sprouts with guanciale.
My other side is smoky mac 'n cheese with friend onions.
For dessert, crepes with brown butter, bourbon peaches.
I'mma clean these ribs.
While I'm working on that, my sous chef's working on the mac 'n cheese.
She's gonna boil the pasta, shredding cheddar
and start reducing some cream.
Butchery, who loves it? I do.
So, I'm actually taking the meat off of the bone.
I'm grilling that separately with a glaze, over charcoal heat
and then, I'm actually taking the ribs themselves,
it's gonna go little bit of sauce and I'mma put 'em in a fire pit.
What I'm trying to achieve is having a nice, caramelized,
beautiful flavored bone, but not overcook the meat in a short time.
Come on, baby. Work for me.
My friends, let's talk about these chefs.
Chef Christopher's certainly proved his mettle in the first two rounds.
This kid's on fire right now.
Yeah, he's got a couple of wins under his belt.
He's probably feeling really good.
[Dylan] But he's up against Chef Andrea Nicholson,
a classically trained chef,
very experienced in the Fire Masters' arena and her restaurant,
they serve tons of pork items in various preparations.
Chef Christopher's got his hands full tonight.
But if anybody can do it, Chef Christopher is gonna be a great contender.
Yeah, I think it's gonna be a really great battle.
Chef, ready? Let's do this.
We're making the base for barley risotto.
My sous chef is delegated to take the pancetta,
dice it up and put it into a heavy cast iron pot.
Oh, that pancetta smells good!
The theme is Hog Wild.
And pigs eat barley, so we're gonna channel everything the pig eats.
But, barley takes a long time to cook.
It's a very dense grain and it needs to absorb all that chicken stock
and soften up as fast as possible.
Once it's fully thickened, we're gonna add the mushrooms.
- The mushrooms are ready, okay? - Got it.
[Christopher] Sexy beast!
We got 35 minutes.
- [sous chef] The pasta's coming off right now. - [Christopher] Great.
[Christopher] I'm gonna start working on the guanciale
- 'cause that needs to be broken down. - Okay, perfect.
- [sous chef] Do you want me to start with the brussels? - Yes.
[Christopher] So, cut up the guanciale to nice, little squares
and we put right into the cast iron
'cause my plan later is to toss it with the brussels sprouts.
The ribs are looking beautiful.
I slice them and then, I'mma put up them in the broth.
It's gonna be the sauce to the ribs.
[kisses] Beauty!
Oh, yeah. Now, we're doing it. Ribs are rolling!
I'm gonna turn up the heat on the guanciale
and I'm starting the bourbon sauce for the crepes.
Come on, baby. Work, work, work.
[Andrea] I think the cauliflower are good,
we can probably get them in the cream.
I'm getting going on a bechamel right now.
I take my cauliflower off the pit and my goal is to put
a beautiful char on the cauliflower,
but only cook it halfway and finish the cooking in that
beautiful cream bechamel sauce.
Then, it's time to butcher this beautiful but huge crown of pork.
So, I cut them into beautiful thick chops
and then, I'm gonna make a spice blend,
sprinkle it on the pork chops and these are gonna go on the open fire pit.
Whoo! Hot!
The brussels sprouts are definitely done.
- Bourbon sauce is looking good. - [sous chef] Nice.
This your crepe batter?
[Christopher] These crepes are gonna be the thing that challenges us the most.
Making crepes on a barbecue grill is very risky
because of the inconsistency of heat.
So, it is a major challenge.
Whose idea was it to do crepes?
What am I thinking? I have not made crepes in ten years.
I look at my first crepe and it's just amateur hour.
It's not round, it's floppy, it's ruined.
These crepes are a nightmare.
[Christopher] These crepes are a nightmare.
I can't tell you the last time I cooked crepes.
But I'm gonna make them work.
So, I need to start over entirely.
It doesn't matter if they're perfect,
it matters if we can fold and make them look nice.
I need to get it together.
We got 20 minutes left.
Now, it's time to make the dessert.
Pears are on.
I take my pears and I put them into a really hot cast iron frying pan
with butter and maple syrup.
Once they're at that perfect consistency,
deglaze with whiskey
and then, making a walnut streusel topping.
I grab walnuts, oats,
flour, butter and some really aromatic spices
and incorporate it all together.
And now, it's time to put my beautiful dessert into the barbecue.
Okay, let's do a check, so, cauliflower,
risotto, gastrique.
I've got so much on the go and then, I remember
that the pork chops are on this open flaming fire pit.
I run over to the fire pit
and they're perfect.
I give them a little flip.
I raise up the rack because I need to control the temperature.
A couple more minutes and they're coming off.
Perfect, perfect.
[Christopher] 15 minutes.
Just pulling off some nice ribs.
I will give that a couple seconds to rest, but when it's rested,
Gonna add a little bit of sauce.
Oh, yeah!
Tossing in this sauce.
[Andrea] Now, it's time to take these beautiful pork chops off the pit
and also, crown-roasted pork is a leaner cut of meat.
So, it's important for me to add some butter
while the pork chops are resting.
So that, that butter can
get into all the cracks and crevices and make it extra juicy.
We're in great shape.
[Christopher] We need to start plating.
All right. Your plates are laid out for you.
Okay, I'm gonna plate the ribs. Whoo!
I mean, it's perfecto!
- Is this the cast iron for the mac 'n cheese, right? - Yes, it is.
Our mac 'n cheese is on it.
Ooh, that's on it. I'm not gonna lie to you, that's some good mac 'n cheese
- Let's start plating. - Yes, chef.
[Andrea] There's five minutes left and plating now is crucial.
Okay, let's go.
[Christopher] Whatever you're doing,
just fill those plates.
I'm at the two-minute mark.
I am still fighting with these crepes.
Put 'em flat, we'll put the bourbon sauce in there and we'll fold them over.
We got one minute and 30 seconds.
- [Christopher] Let's use every second we got. - All right.
Start folding, start folding. Keep going, keep going. Keep going.
One minute, guys. There's one minute left.
[Christopher] Let's get 'em a taste.
[Andrea] Nice, looks delicious.
[Andrea and Christopher] Ten, nine...
- [Christopher] ...eight. - [both] Seven.
-[Andrea] Six. -[Christopher and Andrea] Five, four, three, two, one.
Nailed it.
- Boom, boom. - Boom!
Great job.
[Christopher] I put my best out there and I'm hoping the judges understand
the versatility in how I treated those ribs
and how many levels of smoke I used.
I'm really happy with my feast.
This looks exactly the way I want it to.
Rustic, farm-to-table
and stick to your ribs delicious.
My friends, it's Feast of Fire time and tonight, it's all about pork.
This first chef has prepared for us pit-roasted baby back ribs,
grilled brussels sprouts with guanciale,
smoky mac 'n cheese with fried onions
and crepes with brown butter, bourbon and peaches.
This chef had to cook with baby back ribs and guanciale.
- [Roger] That smells good. - [Dylan] Let's dig in.
[Ray] Time to get messy.
[Dylan] I really like the glaze on these baby back ribs.
They're sticky, sweet, smoky and I think considering the time frame,
these ribs are cooked pretty well.
Yeah, I agree and I'm surprised that they got the ribs
this close to tenderness.
What are your thoughts on the brussels sprout dish?
I thought the brussel sprouts were executed well.
They've softened a little bit.
They got some char on the outside.
However, I don't get the flavor of guanciale at all.
I had a nice piece of guanciale
and I was able to eat it with a half of brussel sprout
and it really was a nice flavor.
But, it's pretty tricky. You gotta find one
and make sure you're getting it.
And if you didn't tell me there was guanciale,
there is no way I would've known.
I do like the mac 'n cheese.
There's a tiny bit of spice in there. The texture's great.
I think the chef called it, "Smoked mac 'n cheese",
but there really wasn't any great smoke flavor to it.
I would've put a little bit of guanciale in there as well.
It certainly would've paired well.
Our first chef's dessert is here
and they've prepared crepes with brown butter, bourbon and peaches.
This looks like a crepe that's been very well cooked.
It's not burnt or overdone anywhere.
[Ray] The peach is not cooked to death,
there's some texture to it. I like that.
[Roger] My only concern with this dessert is,
did they use the Fire Master arena in a way that it's discernible?
I don't see it and I don't taste it.
But, it's certainly a nice dessert.
I'm ready for round two, I don't know about you.
- I'm ready. - Yeah.
Our second Hog Wild feast has landed
and this chef has prepared for us flame-grilled pork chops with maple mustard gastrique,
pancetta barley and mushroom risotto,
charred cauliflower casserole
and we'll wrap it all up with caramelized pear and walnut crumble.
This chef had to cook with crown roast and pancetta.
- [Ray] Sure smells good. - [Roger] Smells great.
- Mmm! Man, that pork is tasty! - Very nice.
Beautifully cooked, too. Just a little pink.
I really like the flavor of this barley risotto.
[Roger] We taste the smoke.
[Ray] Wow, yeah. I wasn't expecting that.
Barley can be a little flat if you don't season it up.
I can't believe I'm about to say this,
but I think the chef overused the pancetta.
It's rare that we find something too salty, but this is close.
But, it's tasty. [laughs]
One thing that chef certainly did was utilize the Fire Masters' arena
and this charred cauliflower casserole,
I think was a really smart interpretation of a mac 'n cheese type of dish.
But you still get a nice bite when you get a chunk of cauliflower
which is really nice.
Yeah, the only thing that I wish this chef did was add something into that casserole
to kind of give it a little more life.
Some spinach, some herbs, maybe some bacon
would've really elevated that dish from good to great.
[Ray] Yeah.
Our second dessert is here and it looks great.
- Man, that's a buttery crumble. - Mmm-hmm.
[Dylan] I don't know about you guys, but I really like this dessert.
[Roger] I love it. The pears are cooked perfectly.
[Dylan] They're soft, but not mushy.
And let's talk about the crumble.
It kinda disintegrates in your mouth like it should.
The texture of this dessert is perfect.
The only thing I noticed is that
the Fire Masters' arena isn't immediately present.
The chef could've grilled the pears
or smoked them lightly,
even smoked the oats before they turned it into a crumble.
Little things like that really amp the flavor
and would make this a Fire Masters' dessert,
not just a good dessert.
Well, we've had two incredible pork feasts from two fantastic chefs this evening.
This is gonna be a tight one.
- Absolutely. - Yeah.
Let's look at these feasts plate-to-plate.
The first chef with the pit-roasted baby back ribs
and the second chef with the grilled pork chops.
Well, I really liked the ribs and I thought that was an interesting sauce
cooked as well as we could have hoped for.
[Roger] The flavors were really good.
But, nothing jumped out at me that felt,
wow, really inspired, really unique, different.
The pork chops were better. They were cooked beautifully.
[Dylan] Yeah, I'm a big fan of that pork chop.
Let's take a look at the sides.
The first chef with the roasted brussel sprouts and guanciale.
The second chef with the barley risotto and pancetta.
I think the brussel sprouts were
really about as good as you could possibly do.
I thought that was a nice dish.
But, the guanciale was definitely missing for me.
It certainly didn't highlight that ingredient.
The second chef on the other hand,
may have overused their ingredient,
that pancetta in that barley risotto.
A little bit over the top with the salt,
but not enough to make me not wanna go back and eat it.
- [laughs] - [Dylan] Let's compare the first chef's
smoky mac 'n cheese to the second chef's cauliflower casserole.
The macaroni 'n cheese, that was great.
But, the cauliflower dish had a nice cheesy hit here and there.
The cauliflower was done beautifully.
I liked that they did something a little bit unique, right?
I thought it really had a lot more going on.
Let's take a look at the desserts.
First chef with the crepes with brown butter, bourbon and peaches.
And the second chef with the caramelized pear and walnut crumble.
The crepe was really good.
I liked that they cooked crepes
in the Fire Masters' arena.
The peaches were cooked perfectly.
I liked that dish a lot.
The pear crumble was really good.
Certainly easier to execute than the crepe.
Yeah, I agree, 100 percent.
Well, we've had two delicious and succulent Hog Wild feasts from these chefs this evening.
This was a difficult one to call.
But I think we made our decision.
- Yes. - Absolutely.
[Andrea] As a Fire Masters' judge,
the stakes are really high
and while I am very confident that this feast is a winning feast,
you never know what Chef Christopher might've put up.
[Christopher] Well, I feel, like, I rocked those ribs.
I think they played well with the theme.
But, I am wondering, Chef Andrea, she's a Fire Master.
What's her dishes taste like? [laughs]
Chefs, both of your Hog Wild feasts were inviting
and full of rich, delicious flavors.
In the first feast, we loved the pit-roasted baby back ribs.
The sauce was a perfect balance of sweet and sticky.
However, we wished the guanciale
was more prominent in the brussel sprouts.
In the second feast,
we thought the flavor on the grilled pork chops was incredible.
However, we felt the pancetta and barley risotto
was right on the cusp of being over-seasoned.
Chefs, both of your Hog Wild feasts were a magnificent celebrations of pork.
But there can only be one winner.
Tonight's winning feast is...
the second feast with the grilled pork chops and pancetta barley risotto.
[all clapping]
- Congratulations, chef. - You should be very proud of what you did.
-Appreciate it chef. Thank you. -You really hustled all day.
Chef Christopher, you are so charismatic and such an amazing chef.
You really brought your A-game to the Fire Masters' arena today.
Congratulations, Chef Christopher.
It was a pleasure to taste your food
and it was an honor having you cook with us.
- [all clapping] - Thank you, appreciate it.
I'm extremely proud of myself. I really am.
I think that I put out great food
and I think the technique was there.
-Nice job today, man. Congratulations. -Thank you.
I am leaving the arena just as I stepped into it
with the same confidence and my dream of getting my dad a car.
- It's gonna happen. - [all clapping]