Top Chef NOLA Episode 8: Piggin’ Out
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Previews for this episode showed a whole pig being wheeled into the kitchen. Now, we’re talking! Any casual readers of this blog could tell you that I love me some pig.
But I can’t help it, hog is my genes – Mastering The Art of Filipino.
See what I did there? Genes/jeans? Get it? Here are a couple more pork recipes for you.
– North Carolina-style Pulled Pork
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Quickfire Challenge
Dr. John who claims he’s still breathing is in the kitchen and is guest judge for a hot sauce challenge. YES!!! They have 45 minutes and the winner gets immunity.
Brian – jalapeno & serrano hot sauce with lime & yuzu juices
Shirley – habanero, serrano, ginger & pineapple
Carrie – Trinidadian-inspired with habaneros & green mango
Nicholas – sweet & sour with smoked apricots, vinegar, & coffee
Louis – Fresno chili, distilled vinegar, maple syrup & chili powder
Stephanie – Peach vinegar & habanero
Carlos – Yucatan-style with mango, passion fruit, & habanero
Nina – Caribbean with habaneros, ginger, & apple cider vinegar
Justin – Pepper sauce with fermented anchovies
Least Favorites – Nicholas, Carrie, Nina
Favorites – Brian, Justin, Carlos
Winner – Brian. Second week in a row of immunity for him.
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Elimination Challenge –Boucherie
A boucherie is a Louisiana ritual where a village comes together, butchers a pig and then feasts on every bit of it. The chefs were to butcher a 300 pound hog and then each create a dish for 250 people. Chefs Toby Rodriguez and Donald Link were present with Link joining Tom and Hugh at the Judges’ Table.
Brian – Porchetta with oyster mushrooms
Sarah – pork dim sum with crab & shrimp har gow
Justin – wood-roasted pork breast taco with pork liver salsa verde
Carlos – Pozole verde with fried chorizo tacos
Shirley – Jiaozi dumpling with pork, grilled kidney & crispy pork fat salad
Louis – slow-grilled pork leg with spring onions, shiitake mushrooms, melted corn & popcorn
Stephanie – pork brodo with braised pork belly & summer vegetable pickle
Travis – Cajun-style pork ramen with pork bone broth & collard greens
Carrie – crispy trotters with snap peas and pickled onions
Nicholas – tete de cohon with summer beans, lemongrass vinaigrette & wheat berries
Nina – Braised pig’s head ragu, roasted corn & mustard greens
Nina – Pig head ragu, roasted corn, & mustard greens
Top 3 – Nina, Shirley, Carlos
Winner – Carlos
Bottom 3 – Justin, Louis, Stephanie
Gone – Louis
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Random Thoughts
– I disagree. The challenge was to make pork and his pork was good. Of course it could be because I mentioned just last week that Louis may surprise us.
– Paul (winner of TC Texas) and Sheldon (top 3 of TC Seattle) would have wiped these guys up and down the Bayou. Yes, mainly because they’re Filipinos.
– Damn, I want what Dr. John was smoking – “If it has flavornosity of the highest order and it has tangnosity. It mixies in killer sauce. I hit it, can’t quit it.”
– Nicholas gets a pass on not usually making hot sauce because of his ulcer issues. But Stephanie not making it before? That’s unacceptable.
– She was also the one that noticed the alligator and was worried that “the thing could jump up and eat my face at any time.” I personally can’t speak for the alligator, but I wouldn’t bite that face.
– Dr John is one of my favorite artists with his distinctive voice and singing style. The guy is truly a national treasure.
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7 comments on “Top Chef NOLA Episode 8: Piggin’ Out”
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wine century
Doppel Member, Baby!
Despite that fact that she is clearly a ninja in the kitchen and from my city, I’m kind of over Nina at the moment. Enough with the bad attitude already, lady. Carlos, on the other hand, I would hang out with all day every day and not just because I love me a taco.
Yeah starting to get a little man-crush on him – killer cook, easy on the eyes, velvety accent.
Entertaining TC: NOLA recap/commentary good sir. Dr. John was indeed smoking some NOLA Kush, all that “hip tang” went straight to his head. BTW, can I add you to my blogroll? Long overdue, but just wanted to make sure. Anyway, cheers!
Thanks for stopping by. Of course u can add. Great reminder for me to update mine
Awesome hope to be on yours in the near future. I got a lot of writing on the back burner to catch up to.
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