All language subtitles for Fire Masters - 3x06_track3_eng

Welcome to
the "fire masters" arena,

where three chefs will push
their grilling talents

to the limit in three
blazing culinary challenges.

Oh, my god.
Where'd the time go?

Okay, it's coming together.

Two will be eliminated,

and the last chef standing
will go head to head against

one of our "fire masters" judges
for the chance to win $10,000.

Woman:
That's what I'm talking about.

Benoit:
Who will fall in the flames?

Oh!
And who will rise
from the ashes?

It's cooked perfectly.
It is delicious.

Fake it till you make it,
right, baby?

This is "fire masters."

three chefs think they have
what it takes to be

a "fire masters" champion.
Let's meet them.

First up, chuck matto,
from vallejo, california.

I am adopted, so my dad
is a 100% italian.

My mom is spanish and german.

My dad is the one
who would like to take credit

for teaching me how to grill.

I would say that he taught me
how to burn things.

How's it going judges?

Next, linkie marais
from fort lauderdale, florida.

I've done some cool stuff,
for some cool people.

I cook on yachts.

I bounce around in the bahamas
in the caribbean all the time.

I've cooked for barack obama,
colin powell, john mccain.

Let's just say,
I'm living my best life.

Hi.

And last, matthew rushworth
from kingston, ontario.

Matthew: I'm pitmaster
five days a week.

I exclusively use fire
to cook food.

So, in 2016, I wasn't having
much luck working in museums.

I started over fresh,

and decided why not get a job
at a barbecue place.

Happy to be here.

Chefs,
welcome to "fire masters."

here's who you will need
to impress.

Eddie jackson is a highly
acclaimed chef, author,

and popular
food network personality.

What's up chefs?
Y'all ready to get it on?

-Absolutely.
-Let's go.

Benoit: Connie desousa
is an accomplished chef

and owner
of four restaurants,

including the award-winning
charcut roast house

and charbar in calgary,
alberta.

Welcome, chefs.
Good luck today.

-Thank you.
-Thank you.

Benoit: Chef andy husbands
is an author

and the legendary pitmaster

behind boston's critically
acclaimed smoke shop.

Who's going to win today?

Right here.

Benoit: Chefs,
I hope you are fired up,

because we're about
to turn up the heat.

In this first wildfire round,
you'll create a signature dish

that shows your personality
on a plate.

You will 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, and stacked, pantry.

Your dishes will be judged
on presentation, creativity,

and taste.

You've got 30 minutes
on the clock.

And your time...

Starts...

Now.
-Alright let's go!

Time just starts, and my heart
is racing out of my chest.

I grab parsnips.
I grab my rack of lamb.

I grab cranberries,
butter, herbs,

everything
plus the kitchen sink.

Man.
For my signature dish,

I am making a grilled rack of
lamb with a cranberry chutney,

and I'm putting a horseradish
parsnip puree with it.

It's all of my personality
on a plate --

fun, bubbly, sweet,
sour, and delicious.

[ laughs ]

so I just want to make sure
I have everything

before I run away.

My signature dish
is a rib-eye steak

over a creamy asparagus
parmesan risotto.

It's my signature dish
because you've got a fatty beef,

which I am,
and then you've got the risotto,

which is italian,
that touches into my background.

It combines all the elements
of my life, my childhood

in one dish.

There we go.

I'm getting our chicken stock
started.

This is going to be
for our risotto.

The biggest thing
I'm worried about

would be cooking risotto
in a timed barbecue competition.

Risotto takes time.

We're adding
in our arborio rice

because I'm a real italian boy.

Right, lots of seasoning,
and some oil.

Matthew: First things first,
I got to get my sweet potatoes

into the embers
'cause they're going to take

the longest
to cook out of anything.

I'm going to shovel the coals
straight onto the sweet potato,

make sure there's heat
all around them.

Chef matthew has just thrown
his sweet potatoes

into the fire pit.

Hopefully it won't get
burnt on the outside,

but it will cook
those potatoes super fast.

Matthew: For my signature dish,

I am making an ember-roasted
sweet potato

and a black salsa with
an espresso grilled pork chop.

This is my signature dish
because it's dark,

it's smoky,
it's fueled by coffee.

It involves a lot of fire.
It's pretty much me.

The riskiest element
of my dish

is having such thick
cut of pork.

I got to make sure that
it's cooked all the way through.

With only 30 minutes on the
clock, every minute counts.

Wildfire round is underway.

The chefs look like
they're hustling.

Jackson: I tell you what I'm
most impressed with so far,

that I see my man chuck
has already gone down

with the certified
angus beef.

That looks to me, from here,
about an inch and a half thick.

That is going to take
some time to cook.

Think that chef linkie
pulled the smartest protein

for this cook time.

She has the rack of lamb.

If you overcook that,
you're done.

I think the riskiest element
that I'm going to attempt

is to cook my lamb
to the perfect doneness.

So to nail that
for all of the judges,

it's going to be intense.

Yeah, buddy.
That's what I'm talking about.

And while I'm doing this,
I'm thinking

I've got to get my chutney on.

What takes the longest
with the chutney

is the dried fruit
has to reconstitute.

Basically, expand and create
this beautiful flavor,

and it has to get
that liquid reduced.

I'm not very confident that
I can do this in 30 minutes,

but if I get it in a nice,
shallow, cast-iron pan,

I should be good to go.

Look at that crust,
baby.

Look at that crust.

My plan, if possible,

is to always cook
on an open fire.

I checked the temperatures
on the steaks.

Those are getting close.

The steak's pretty hot.
It's got a nice char.

I'm gonna move up
the grill a little bit

so just it doesn't burn.

The whole key
is to have this thing

cooked all the way through.

So chuck just flipped
his rib-eyes over,

and you got to admit,
that's a beautiful sear

that he has on that.
While it's a beautiful sear,

I'm concerned that
it's still raw in the center.

I got the asparagus
at my work station.

I take the ends of first.

From there, I want to get it
on the smoker

to hopefully take
on some smoke flavor.

Nice.
I check my risotto.

My rice is looking
nice and toasty.

It's time for me to add my wine.

And I'm going to go ahead
and cook that off

until the alcohol's gone.

If this does not cook, the rest
of my dish is out the window.

Alright, chefs,
20 minutes left.

Let's go, chefs.

Alright, you've got this.
Go on, chefs.

Matthew: It's time to start off
with my salsa.

The jalapeños and the poblanos
I want really charred,

so I get them directly
on the coals.

It's going to be a black salsa,
so it's got to be black.

The tomatoes and the tomatillos,

I just want
to grill them lightly,

so I put them on the grate.

I head back to the pork, which
has got great grill marks on it.

But I'm done with that
high heat, so I take it off.

While I'm trying to get stuff
into the cast iron,

nerves are high.
The board that I'm using slips.

Oh!
There goes
one of my pork chops.

Falls right into the dirt.

Dropped a pork chop.

This might be the thing
that sends me home.

Matthew: Nerves are high.
The board that I'm using slips.

Oh.
There goes
one of my pork chops.

So now that I don't have enough
pork chops for everybody,

I'm going to have
to portion it out,

and it risks drying out.

It's time to start
my herb compound butter.

It's going to go on top
of my rack of lamb.

I start chopping the rosemary
and the oregano.

I think it's going to be good.

Now I have to make
my chimichurri.

So I have mint,
I have basil,

I have a couple of quick
roasted garlic,

and my jalapeño.

I have to get my chimichurri
out of there

and parsnip puree it on.

10 minutes.

Chuck: I go back over to the
rib-eyes, and I can tell just

without even putting
the thermometer in it's money.

Time to pull them off
and let them rest.

And I'm going to assemble
the dressing

like you would pour
over the meat,

but I'm going to do it
on the board.

And this is like magic on a
board for a steak right here.

When the steak is done,

I'm going to rest them
on that board,

and they're going to be
one happy family,

and hopefully infuse each other
with each other's flavors.

Matthew: I'm checking on
my tomatillos, my tomatoes.

They're looking just
the way I like them.

Being a black salsa,
you want char on everything.

I put them all in the blender
with apple cider vinegar

and black garlic.

I've been paying too much
attention to my salsa,

and maybe not enough
to my pork chops.

I think it's been in there
a little bit longer

than I want it to be.

And I know I've got
to let them rest,

before I slice them.

Clock is ticking.
I got to get those

sweet potatoes
out of the fire pit

and get them sliced up
and on the plate.

Chefs, five minutes
left in the cook.

-Let's go, chefs.
-Alright, you got this.

Linkie: First thing I get on
my plate is my chimichurri.

This is so much fun
because I put a dollop on there

and I smack it.

With only two minutes
left on the clock,

I touch my lamb and I'm like,
oh, it is still a little rare,

so I grab that
and get it back on the grill.

It's fine.
I still have a minute left.

Oh, my god.
Where'd the time go?

I check my risotto,
and it is still not there.

I need more time
to get this risotto done.

This is going to be
the last liquid,

'cause we don't got time.
I don't add salt to my risotto

because that's the way
I was taught.

Traditionally, the salt
comes from the cheese.

My mom didn't add salt.
Let the cheese do the talking.

That's the flavor, bad boy.

I slice my steak.

It's got that perfect
charred edge.

The inside is a soft pink,
and it's absolutely beautiful.

Alright.

Matthew:
As I'm cutting into the pork,

I can feel it's
a little bit too firm.

It looks a little bit further
cooked than I wanted it.

With seconds left, I'm getting
that salsa on the plate,

otherwise the judges
are not going to have any.

But I really don't have time
to plate it properly.

Together: 10, 9, 8, 7,

6, 5, 4,

3, 2, 1.

Time's up, chefs.

♪♪

chef chuck.
Tell us what you've prepared

in your signature dish
round.

What you have here
is a rib-eye steak

over a creamy asparagus
and parmesan risotto.

Hope you enjoy.
Lots of flavor.

♪♪

chef chuck, I was super psyched
to see you use

that certified angus beef.
I was a little nervous for you.

I was worried that
it wouldn't cook enough

or it was going
to cook too much.

And it came out perfect.

You built a great crust.

I absolutely adore
this steak.
Thank you.

The risotto has everything

but flavor.

Heart breaker.

The only thing that I have
to say about your beef

is I'm a big fan
of charred fat.

And the pieces that you sliced
were a little bit lean for me.

Thank you. Next time
I'll bring all the fat.

[ laughter ]

chef chuck,
thank you very much.
Thank you, guys.

Appreciate it, chefs.

I deserve to stick around

because my rib-eye steak
was cooked perfectly,

and then I bring the flavor.

I bring the char.
I make people happy.

Chef matthew, tell us
about your signature dish.

Here we have a espresso
grilled pork chop

with a ember-roasted
sweet potato and a black salsa.

Looking at this plate,
it's a lot of brown.

I'm really craving
some color right now.

♪♪

chef matthew,
I went for the pork first.

You have beautiful char
on the outside.

I love the coffee,
the salt levels.

And unfortunately,
you missed the mark.

It's a little bit dry.

But this sweet potato
and sauce

might be one of the best things
I've eaten in a while.

Thank you.
Jackson: Chef matthew,

I think you did a wonderful
job with this sauce,

this sauce negro
that you have.

I'm getting heat, I'm getting
a little bit of sour,

I'm getting sweet,
as well.

It's deep and rich, and that's
something that I love,

especially because
I'm from texas.

Chef matthew,
thank you very much.
Thanks.

Overcooking a piece
of pork on "fire masters"

is something that
you get sent home for.

But my saving grace
could be the salsa.

Chef linkie, tell us
about your signature dish.

So I did a grilled rack of lamb
with a cranberry chutney.

And on the bottom,
way on the bottom,

that's horseradish
parsnip puree.

♪♪

chef linkie, I got to be
totally honest with you.

This is an amazing
plate of food.

Yes!

A lot of
contrasting flavors.

But you have found a way
to make everything work.

I love the char
that you have on your lamb.

It's cooked perfectly
and seasoned perfectly.

It is delicious.
For me, though,

I think you were least
successful with the chutney.

As I eat it,
it just continually gets sweet

and sweet and sweet.
Thank you so much.

Well for the chutney
has four s's --

sweet, sour,
savory, and spicy.

We're missing spice
on that.

It sounds like there's so many
competing flavors in this dish.

I normally would tell a chef
to hold back a little bit,

but I don't know how you made
this work, girl.

You have some magic
up your sleeve.

Thank you.

Thank you, chef linkie.

And thank you, chefs.

The judges need a couple
of minutes to discuss,

and we'll call you back
in when we're ready.

If I make it to the next round,

I guess I'll add
a little bit more heat.

♪♪

alright, judges,
the wildfire round is complete.

Connie, let's discuss
chef linkie's signature dish.

Desousa: Oh, my goodness.
Chef linkie is like

a sparkly rainbow unicorn.

I have no idea how she was able
to put all of those flavors

together
and make them work.

Let's not forget, though,
that chutney,

I think was a big miss.
When you think of chutney,

you want a little bit
of spice in there.

Andy, let's talk about
chef chuck's dish.

Chef chuck cooked that bone-in
rib-eye to perfection.

Perfect seasoning.
It was delicious.

I couldn't have done
better myself.

The risotto, unfortunately,
was lacking.

He really failed
on his side.

Eddie, let's talk about
chef matthew's signature dish.

Chef matthew gave us
that delicious salsa negro.

It had sweet elements,
smoky elements.

It had a little bit
of kick to it.

Unfortunately,
his pork was over,

and that's a big no-no.

But I would say,
those sweet potatoes

with that sauce, with that pork
was one of the best bites.

This is very tough.
So what do we do?

Do we reward
for a perfectly cooked meat,

or do we reward
for perfectly made sauce?

I mean, the protein is supposed
to be the star of the plate.

But I would disagree.

When you talk about
the star of the plate,

that risotto's the star.

That's the centerpiece
he put there,

and to me, an epic fail.

Well, judges, this is as tight
a round as I have ever seen.

But have you made
a final decision?

-I think so.
-I think we have.

Let's call the chefs
back in.

♪♪

chefs,
in this first wildfire round,

you were asked
to prepare a dish

that showcases
your personality on a plate.

So, judges, who's signature dish
was the best in this round?

The chef
with the best dish is...

♪♪

...Chef linkie.

-Yes.
-Great job.

-Good job.
-Congratulations, chef linkie.

You will have an advantage
heading into the next round.

Judges, it's down to chef chuck
and chef matthew.

So tell us, judges,
who will you be sending home?

The chef that is
going home is...

♪♪

judges,
it is down to chef chuck

with his rib-eye
and asparagus risotto,

and chef matthew with his pork
chop and sweet potato salsa.

So tell us, judges,
who will you be sending home?

The chef that
is going home is...

♪♪

...Chef...

Chuck.

Chef chuck, you've been
eliminated from the competition.

It's time to leave
the "fire masters" arena.

Thank you for having me.
It was a blast.

Truly the experience
of a lifetime.

Good luck, guys.

[ applause ]
you did a great job.

Well, my risotto
was not up to par apparently.

I took a chance, and I lost.

But not all chances go your way.

You're not going to win
if you don't gamble.

Welcome to the crossfire round.

This round
is all about choice.

There are two ingredients
in this barrel,

and you will each use
one of them in your next dish.

Chef linkie, because you
won the first round,

you have the advantage,

and you get to choose
your ingredient first.

So, chef linkie,
which will you choose?

Thick or thin?

[ laughs ]
for this challenge,

you'll be working
with certified angus beef.

If you choose thick, you'll be
cooking with porterhouse steak.

If you choose thin, you'll be
working with flat iron steak.

So chef linkie, which do you
choose to cook with?

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.

I'm going for
the flat iron.

That means, chef matthew,

you'll be working
with porterhouse steak.

Hell of a cut of meat.
You're welcome.

[ chuckles ]

there's 30 minutes
back on the clock.

And your time starts...

Now.

Husbands:
Alright, let's go!

I'm bringing that
little bit of pizzazz that

linkie brings to the party.

So I'm going to make
grilled flat iron steak

and a corn salsa
with a peach vinaigrette

with a sweet potato mash.

Okay, it's coming together.

The first thing I do
is peel my sweet potatoes

and get to chopping 'cause I
know I've got to get them done.

Competition is really strong.

Have a lot of respect
for linkie.

We're going to have
burned celeriac puree,

creamed onions,
and a hopefully

perfectly grilled porterhouse.

First thing I've got to do
is start working on

those porterhouses.

It's a big cut of meat.

It's going to take
a while to cook,

and it's going to take
even longer to rest.

Alright, judges,
the crossfire round is upon us.

We've got two glorious
cuts of steak here,

porterhouse and flat iron.

You can't lose
with either one.

Desousa: Porterhouse
is like a t-bone,

but it's cut
a little bit thicker.

You have the new york strip
on there,

and then you've also
got the tenderloin.

And we have a flat iron,
which is a little bit leaner,

but still has
tons of flavor.

And if you cook it perfectly
medium rare,

you're talking about
a knockout cut of meat.

Linkie: This is such a beautiful
piece of steak,

and if I get
my seasonings on there,

then it will have some time
to just really get in there.

I'm using salt,
I'm using pepper,

and a little bit
of harissa powder,

just really get some of
that amazing aromatic flavor.

Now that my steak
is nice and seasoned,

I'm going to grab my veggies
and get them on the grill.

I'm going to throw
my corn on there,

my peppers,
some scallions.

I don't really want
to grill my peaches,

but I want that
smoked flavor in there,

so I bury my peaches
into the ashes.

Matthew:
My plan is to burn the celeriac
until it's nice and black,

and then puree it with cream.

I got to turn my attention
to my creamed onions.

I immediately start
chopping up my aromatics

and getting the onions
into a cast-iron pan.

Linkie: I grab my peaches out
of the ashes and charcoal,

get it into a bowl,
and pour some of this

apple brandy on top.

I think the riskiest element
is to make sure

that I don't throw my steak
on the grill too quickly.

It's such a thin cut of meat
that if you throw it on there

too quickly,
it's going to overcook.

So I just have to have
my timing perfectly.

Once my steak's
are on the grill,

I grab my corn,
I get it off the husk

with all my chopped up
ingredients

and just start
building my salsa.

I take a look at my steaks
and, phew, they are black.

You've got to be extra careful
not to overdo these steaks

because I did get
knocked last round

for over cooking the pork.

Put a little bit
of butter on there,

just to make sure that
anything that's too crispy

might soften up a little.

Alright, chefs, only 10 minutes
left in the cook, let's go.

-Come on!
-You can do this.

Linkie: Time is flying,
and I have still so much to do.

My peaches are nice and juicy,
fresh out of the brandy.

I put them in my blender to make
a beautiful peach vinaigrette.

I really want to incorporate
a little bit of smoke

to the sweet potatoes.
I want that fire taste flavor.

I get them into the smoker,
in a cast-iron skillet.

The clock is ticking very fast,

and I'm flipping my steaks
for the first time.

There's a nice char on there,
it's sealed, it's perfect.

Now I just have to
cook the other side

and hope for the same results.

I head back to the fire pit.
I flip my celeriac.

I can smell how toasty
and nutty they're getting,

so I know that
I'm on the right path.

I'm going to get that blender
so I can puree my celeriac.

If I don't nail the consistency
and it's grainy,

the judges are definitely
not going to like that.

Some of the celeriac isn't
getting down to the blades,

so in an effort to try to get it
down there, I use a spoon,

and the whole thing
explodes in my face.

Oh!
Ooh.

Chefs,
only five minutes left.

Linkie:
I'm taking my steaks off.

I think that maybe
I should just squeeze

a little bit of orange
onto my steak

and it will bring
the dish together.

I take my sweet potatoes
out of the smoker

and I pop them on the fire pit
with some butter

and brown sugar
thinking that I need to flambé

this a little bit
with some brandy.

There's a very tiny voice
in my head

that's saying, "maybe you don't
need to do that."

but, huh, maybe I should.

Matthew: I'm trying to get
everything onto the plate.

I'm making decisions
on the fly.

My steaks have been
resting for 15 minutes.

There's no sense cutting it up
because it could dry out,

so I'm putting
the steaks on whole.

This is a risky play
'cause I know

that there's two
different cuts in the steak

and they might
be cooked differently.

I really don't know.

30 seconds, chefs.
Let's go.

Let's go, now.
Finish up. Tighten it up.

With not a lot of time left,

I really need to nail
my plate presentation

and make sure that the judges
dig into all the layers.

Together: 10, 9, 8, 7,

6, 5, 4,

3, 2, 1.

Time's up, chefs.
Back away.

Good job, chefs.

Linkie: I'm a little
disappointed in my plating,

but I feel like every single
component of my dish is perfect.

I just hope
that it works together.

With the plating
and not knowing

if my steak is cooked properly,
I'm just hoping all of it works.

Chef linkie,
tell us about the dish

you made using
flat iron steak.

Linkie:
I did a grilled flat iron steak
with a smoked sweet potato mash

and a corn salsa with
a brandied peach vinaigrette.

Just like in the first round,
you were all over the place.

So many
contrasting flavors.

But you've found some way
to make of those flavors work.

I especially love the rub

that you got on the outside
of that flat iron.

It has a little bit
of spice to it.

Gives a nice little heat to it.
I think it's perfect.

Thank you.

Now in this case,
I think that you definitely

could've dialed it back a bit.

The sweet potatoes

I don't think were needed
on the plate at all.

I'm getting some cooked,
some raw,

and I'm getting a really
strong alcohol flavor off of it.

Fair enough.

Chef linkie,
if you were to go forward,

I'd like you to think about all
the ingredients you want to use,

and then cut them in half.

I wanted to push myself

and see how much flavor
I can get in there.

And I think that
may have gotten lost.

Chef matthew, tell us
what you made for the judges

using porterhouse steak.

Matthew: We have a grilled
porterhouse steak

with a burnt celeriac puree
and creamed onions.

What do you think?

I'm seeing different cooks,
I think, on each one.

Chef matthew, you have tons
of flavor going on here.

The steak
is seasoned perfectly.

But I want to talk about
that puree that's on the bottom.

It doesn't look
appealing.

But as you eat it,
it has so much flavor.

A cut like a porterhouse,

where you're guaranteed
to have an uneven cook,

if you had cut into that,
and taken it off the bone,

you could've faked
your way through

having some spots
that were overcooked

and some spots
that were cooked perfectly.

Thank you.
The sauce is fascinating,

and I'm trying to figure out
if I like it or not.

It's a little bit granular.

Thank you, chef matthew.

And thank you,
chef linkie.

The judges need a couple
of minutes to discuss.

We'll call you back
in when we're ready.

I think I deserve to go
to the third round,

'cause I put it all out there.

I took a lot of chances,
and I'm hoping they paid off.

Alright, judges,
the crossfire round is complete.

We had one chef
with porterhouse steak

and the other chef
with flat iron steak.

How did they do?

Chef linkie,
she had that flat iron

that had a beautiful crust
on the outside.

Perfectly seasoned
with that chili powder.

And the corn salad
was phenomenal.

But then she gave us
sweet potatoes

that were very, very sweet,
whereas you had chef matthew,

he gave us that
delicious celery root puree.

I am back and forth, though.
I'm not sure I loved it,

and honestly,
not the prettiest looking thing.

Now, on chef matthew's steak,
it was so inconsistent.

Some of them were cooked
perfectly, like yours, andy,

but then some of them
were overcooked.

I'm torn again.

Alright, judges,
another tough crossfire round.

But have you made a decision?

[ sighs ]
I think we have.

Let's call the chefs back in.

♪♪

chefs, in this crossfire round,

you were asked to work
with either flat iron steak

or porterhouse steak.

The winner of this round

will move on
to the final round

to face off against
one of our judges.

Judges, please tell us who will
be moving on to the final round.

The chef who will be moving on
to the final round is...

♪♪

...Chef linkie.

Oh, my god.

I told you you were going to
the third round.

Top chef.

[ sighs ]
congratulations,
chef linkie.

You're moving on
to the final round.

Thank you.

Chef matthew, you were a very
strong competitor today,

but unfortunately, you've been
eliminated from the competition,

and it's time to leave
the "fire masters" arena.

It was an amazing time.

I didn't make it
to the third round,

but I learned
a lot of things.

Most of all, I can't really
multi-task that well.

Chef linkie,
in the first two rounds,

you sure proved
your ability in the pit.

But we're about to turn
the heat up even higher.

In this third
and final round,

you will face off against one of
our "fire masters" judges.

And the judge you will be
facing off against is...

Chef eddie jackson.
Whoo!

Yes!

Thank you, sir.
Good luck, chef.

It's an honor
and a privilege.

Chef eddie is not only
an ex-nfl player,

he is also a food network star,
so he's pretty intimidating.

Ahh.

Ready to get this on?

Ready to kick your butt.

[ chuckling ] oh!

Chef linkie and chef eddie,

you are about to face off
in the feast of fire.

Chefs,
in this feast of fire round,

you must create
a family-style feast

inspired by today's theme...

...Catch of the day.

[ laughs ]

wow.

Head out
on a fishing expedition

and net some sardines,
red snapper, shrimp,

and lobster.

Reel us in with your take
on a fish fest.

The stakes have
never been higher,

so we're giving you
each a sous-chef

to help you create your catch
of the day inspired feast.

As a final twist, this feast
will be tasted blind,

so none of us will be here
to watch you cook.

And when we do return,

I'll be taking eddie's seat
at the judges' table.

It is imperative you keep
your eyes on that clock,

'cause I'm not going to be here
to count you down.

Are you ready?

Yes.
Yes.

There's 45 minutes on the clock.

And your time starts...

Now.

Linkie: I have a hundred ideas,
but I really need to take

in consideration
what the judges said.

I need to dial back
my ingredients list by half.

For my feast of fire,
I am making grilled snapper

with dill butter and a grilled
mango and pineapple salsa.

For my two sides, I am doing
lobster mac and cheese

and tri-color potato hash
with a lemon grilled shrimp.

For dessert, I'm doing
a mascarpone cheesecake

with a grilled sweet beet puree.

For my main, I'm going to make
escabeche red snapper

and I'm going to top it off
with some pickled veggies.

For my two sides,
I'm going to do jerk shrimp,

and I'm also going to do
some lobster mac and cheese.

For my dessert, I'm going
to do cinnamon fried bread

with berry compote.

A little bit of salt in there.

I know I need
to create a jerk rub

because that's going
to be used in my fish

as well as my shrimp,
and I'm the king of making rubs.

It's something
that I love to do.

There we go. There we go.
There we go.

Alright, beets on.

Beet have
this natural sweetness,

and I think that it could
actually be used for desserts.

I'm going to make a quick
little easy no-bake cheesecake,

and then use the beets
as a topping

so it brings that little bit of
smoky flavor to my cheesecake.

It's money.

I better be able
to pull this off.

What I want to do is break
this fish into four pieces

and fry it, and then I'm going
to present it as a whole fish.

Oh, yeah.

I get the dry rub on my snapper

and I let it sit
because I really want that salt

to penetrate in the meat,

and I'm just going to top it
with my picked veggies.

Oh, we got 30 minutes left.
30 minutes left.

The oil is hot, so it's time
for me to get the fish in.

I need to start my dessert,
so I take my berries in a pan

with a little bit
of orange marmalade.

I just want to cook it slowly

so they can start to thicken up
and create a sauce.

It will be good at the bottom
of my cast-iron skillet.

Linkie: Now that I have
my cheesecake base,

I've got to get it
into my vessels

that I'm going to serve it in
and get it into the fridge

so they can start
setting up a little bit.

Yes!

It's overwhelming
how much I still have to do.

I still have to do my fish,
I still have to do my lobster,

I still have to do my salsa.

I'm a little under the gun
right now.

Okay.

I tell my sous-chef to go ahead
and get the macaroni boiling.

Get that béchamel
for the mac and cheese,

and let's get this rolling.

I'm putting my fish
on the grill,

and I'm hoping to get
this beautiful charred flavor.

And then I go to flip it,
and it sticks on the grill,

and it tears a little skin off.

I can kick my own butt
for doing this.

Linkie: Clearly, my grill is too
hot, because my fish sticks,

and it tears a little skin off.

I freak out for a minute.
Okay.

And then I focus myself again
and say, "you need to move on."

my skin got off on that side,
but you know what, it's okay.

I'm going to top my fish
with my salsa.

Even if the skin breaks,
it will still be delicious.

It is the final round.
I got to bring the heat, right?

16 minutes.

Jackson: I feel like
in a competition like this,

you want to be able
to create a dessert

that can cook up
very, very quickly.

So I get my sous-chef
started on the dough,

which is very, very simple,
because it's just flour,

a little bit of baking soda,
salt, hot oil,

and I'm going to top
that fried bread in sugar

and cinnamon
with some berry compote.

I'm starting my mac and cheese.

I just want to build
a little light roux

and let that go,
and I just keep mixing

and mixing
till that cheese actually melts

and creates this thick,
delicious sauce.

My sous-chef grabs
the lobster claws,

and I really want to incorporate
that tender meat

into my mac and cheese.

I know I want to make
a quick little slaw

to go around my jerk shrimp.

So I take some beautiful purple
cabbage, some napa cabbage,

and I just want to get
some nice char to it.

After I put my cabbage on,
I get my shrimp on.

We're talking about two things
that can cook very,

very quickly.
Want to be safe,

so I'm raising the pit up
to reduce the temperature.

Linkie: Mac and cheese is done.
Perfect.

I need to get my fish
off the grill

because the skin's
already broken.

I don't want to lose
any of my fleshy part.

So I put it in a pan,
and I decide to cover it,

so that it can cook
the rest of the way.

Alright, I want those
potatoes nice and crunchy.

Jackson:
I need to check on my fish,
and it actually is sticking.

I taste a little bit
and it tastes good,

but the skin isn't as crispy
as I would like it to be.

But we'll make it work.

I go back over to the pit,
take my cabbage off.

I take my shrimp off.
It's a lot going on.

Fire, ash, heat on top of heat.
Time is running out.

I know that I need
to get my plates.

I got to hustle.

Two minutes.
Two minutes.

Linkie: I really want a nice
hash with my potatoes,

so get it
on a cast-iron skillet,

onto the infrared,
start sautéing them

to get that nice crispiness
on the outside.

There's only a minute
on the clock left.

I'm not happy with the lobster
for the mac and cheese.

It just looks very plain.

So, I'm like, hmm, let's put
some girl marks on that.

21 seconds.

Think that will stay up?

Jackson: This mac and cheese
is coming together.

Looks delicious.

♪♪

7, 6, 5,

4, 3, 2, 1.

[ laughs ]

good job.
Good job.

[ sighs ]

I'm super proud of what I did.
I held back.

I decided to keep it
very rustic but simple

and let the ingredients
speak for themselves.

Jackson: I'm just proud
I got everything done

because I tried to do a lot
in 45 minutes.

I'm actually worried that
I didn't get enough smoke

going on in my feast
as a whole.

Alright, judges,
feast of fire time.

And in our first
catch of the day inspired feast,

this chef has prepared escabeche
red snapper

with pickled vegetables,

jerk shrimp,
lobster mac and cheese,

and we're going to round it
all out

with cinnamon fried bread
with berry compote.

Sounds delicious.
And it smells delicious.

Husbands:
Oh, this looks fantastic.

These shrimp
are seasoned perfectly.

It's delicious.
My only issue is

I can tell that the chef used
the dried jerk seasoning

because it still tastes gritty
in my mouth.

This lobster macaroni
and cheese, it is delicious,

but I'm not getting
much lobster.

Really loving the crispy skin
on the snapper.

The escabeche pickle on top
has a nice little acidity.

The texture of the fish
is great.

It's interesting though,
I'm getting patches

of perfectly seasoned

and patches
of not seasoned at all.

The only thing I'm not loving
about this chef's meal

is the slaw
that's underneath the shrimp.

It tastes
a little flat to me.

Well, are you guys ready
to try some dessert?

Yes.

Let's try out this
cinnamon fried bread

with berry compote.

Oh, that looks great.

Can smell the cinnamon
already.

I'm really enjoying this.
Mm-hmm.

The richness of the cinnamon
fried bread,

the tartness of the berries.
Really good.

It's a perfect
little dessert.

This has been
an excellent start,

but I'm really excited
to see

what our second chef
has prepared.

Our second catch of the day
inspired feast has landed.

This chef has prepared grilled
red snapper with dill butter

and grilled
pineapple mango salsa,

lobster mac and cheese,

lemon grilled shrimp
on roasted potato hash,

and mascarpone cheesecake
with grilled sweet beet puree.

Let's dig in.

Can I serve you
some shrimp?

Yes, please.

This fish is not cooked
by the bones.

It's not far off, but...

The meat on the bottom
is all cooked.

Is it?

You're right, andy,
the bottom is cooked better.

That bite of snapper that I got
that is cooked is delicious.

Love the freshness
of the dill on top.

It goes very well
with this mango salsa.

The salt factor on the shrimp
is amazing.

Delicious.

I'm having some problems
with the potato hash.

Uh-huh.

Some potatoes
are roasted perfectly,

but the bigger ones
are still raw.

Oh, there's
a piece of lobster.
Yeah.

Just look at the grill marks
right on there.

That's beautiful.
That's great.

And this chef added bacon
to their lobster mac and cheese.

Mmm!

Double whammy.
That smoky bacon

paired with the lobster
is really delicious.

I'm ready to dig
into this dessert.

Mascarpone cheesecake
with grilled sweet beet puree.

Vegetables for dessert.

[ chuckles ]

when you eat the gingersnap
with the beets

together,
it's really good.

The beets separately are watery
and flavorless.

The cheesecake, it's creamy,
it's light, it's sweet.

But when you put it all
together, it's just not great.

Well, this is a very
easy feast to dissect

because all of our dishes
are very similar.

First, let's take a look
at our snapper dishes.

We had escabeche snapper
from our first chef

and grilled snapper
from our second chef.

First chef cooked
that snapper perfectly.

The skin was perfect.

My only drawback, I wish there
was more pickled vegetables.

With chef number two,

although they didn't cook
the fish all the way through,

I far preferred the flavor.

It's a hard one for me

because I would go back
and eat that dish again.

So the jury's still out
on battle of snapper.

Let's take a look
at the lobster mac and cheese.

My favorite,
although I love bacon,

has got to be chef number
one's mac and cheese.

It was rich and creamy.

But I didn't get enough lobster,
or really any lobster chunks.

So then I'd say
the second chef's macaroni

and cheese was my favorite.

I really loved
that bacon in there.

I think I have to agree
with you on this one, andy.

Let's look at the shrimp dishes.
We've got the jerk shrimp

that came with that charred
cabbage slaw underneath.

And then the second one

was grilled shrimp
with a potato hash.

Both the shrimps
were phenomenal.

Both of the vegetables
underneath,

the potatoes and the slaw,
I thought were lacking.

Let's take a look
at these desserts.

Our first chef prepared fried
bread with a berry compote,

and our second chef,
the mascarpone cheesecake

with grilled
sweet beet puree.

The fried bread
with the berry compote,

was a far superior dessert.

Unfortunately, the cheesecake
and beet combination

was an epic fail.

This was a tough battle,

but at the end of the day,
a decision needs to be made,

and I think we've reached it.

I think we have.
I agree.

♪♪

jackson: I think my feast
should definitely win

because I packed
everything with flavor.

What I'm really most proud of

is how cohesive everything
that I cooked is.

Linkie:
I think I'm worthy of $10,000.

I have proved that I can hang
with the best of them.

Let's just hope it's better
than chef eddie's.

Chefs, thank you so much for
preparing two beautiful meals.

You're catch of the day inspired
feast really hooked us in.

But we had to make a choice.

[ exhales deeply ]

in the first feast, we loved
the escabeche red snapper

and the fried bread dessert.

But the lobster mac and cheese

definitely needed
more chunks of lobster.

In the second feast,
we loved the lobster

mac and cheese with bacon.
It was creamy,

and we really appreciated
the char on the claws.

But the cheesecake
with the sweet beet puree

was underwhelming.

Chefs, as you know,
there can only be one winner.

Tonight's winning feast is...

♪♪

...The escabeche snapper...
Whoo!

...And fried bread
with compote.

[ laughs ]

chef eddie jackson,

you are tonight's
"fire master" champion

and you've successfully
defended your title.

I think chef linkie
is an amazing competitor.

She showed that she was
worthy the entire competition,

pulling flavors
from all over the place

and making them cohesive
on the plate.

But it was not enough
to get through me.

And chef linkie,
it was an absolute pleasure

to watch you cook.

Thank you so much
for having me.

I didn't get the $10,000,
but hey,

just to see
all the accomplishments

that I did in one day,
it feels pretty good.

Thank you so much.

Oh, my gosh.
Thank you.

Thank you guys
for having me.

♪♪