Previously on “Top Chef”: the Quickfire asked the chefs to make biscuits. Somehow Jackson won, even though he can't smell or taste anything. The Elimination Challenge put the contestants in teams, asking them to make two dishes that looked identical but tasted completely different. Amazing concept. Jackson and Buddha won, because Buddha was able to successfully make panna cotta on this show. Sarah and Robert failed at both their dishes, one of which was another panna cotta, and were eliminated.(click for more)
On Last Chance Kitchen, Leia, Sarah, and Robert had to make one savory and one sweet dish, and Robert did poorly on both so he was eliminated. They did not explain how this would work now with two people.
Padma appears in the Stew Room as they're all lying around, and she tells them they'll get their next challenge tomorrow. I'm not sure what the point of that was, except to tell them Brooke is involved in this episode.
The next day, as they're driving to wherever they're going, Jo says that Padma wouldn't show up in the Stew Room unless it's a warning that this next challenge would be much more important. Or it was difficult. They all end up at J-Bar-M BBQ, to meet Brooke. She takes them to see the smokers, because it is finally the BBQ challenge. Time for brisket. You will need to make something with brisket in it. Brooke then kind of laughs and says that they all seem intense. They have 30 minutes to select their briskets, prepare them, and get them in the smoker. Then Brooke and the staff here will keep an eye on them while they all go to Whole Foods to do the rest of their shopping. They have until midnight to get their brisket done. The guest judges will be 21 of Houston's pitmasters. So it's serious.
30 minutes. Nick says his smoking game is solid. Jo tells us that you have to get flavor into the center of the meat, and you might not know if you were successful until it's hours later. Ashleigh is thinking dumplings called slicks for her dish, and kitchen pepper for her brisket. Kitchen pepper is a spice blend from the Caribbean. Evelyn is making curry. Interesting. I think everyone is adding random stuff to their rub, but Buddha seems to be only doing salt and pepper. Jackson has some stuffed pasta plan. Everyone puts their briskets in the smoker. Jae explains how Korean BBQ is thin cuts cooked tableside, not like this. As they leave to go to Whole Foods, they have 11.5 hours left on their cook. Monique and Buddha are both making some French side dishes. Ashleigh is thinking of all kinds of things to make, knowing they have such a long time to cook. I guess they can cook all the way until the brisket is done?
When they all walk back into the BBQ place Tom is there with Brooke. “We're doing things out of order today” . I love a twist. No one is happy. Brooke points out she never said there wouldn't be a Quickfire. This will involve Texas toast. Brooke claims that someone got an order of bread that was sliced too thick to fit in the toaster so they buttered and grilled it, and that's how we got Texas toast. It's just toasted thick bread. Anyway, there are a variety of breads in the kitchen and a bunch of butter so be creative. Winner gets immunity AND $10,000.
At least they gave them a pantry. Ashleigh is mad she can't work on her BBQ dish. Nick says you can't use thin bread. Jackson is making shrimp toast. Monique wants to make a mille-feuille with thin toast slices. Hmm. Buddha tries to ask Luke what he's doing but I guess he can't hear over the blender, so there is just silence. We really don't spend that much time here, it's just frantic plating and running around.
Evelyn: lemon cream stuffed Texas toast with spiced pecans and boozy strawberries. Jae: shrimp and lobster toast with pickled vegetables. Ashleigh: Texas toast pizza roll-up with tomato basil sauce. Buddha: strawberry and raspberry mille-feuille with whipped ricotta. Monique looks pissed. They were all discussing what they were making but I don't remember Buddha saying he was doing this too. Nick: Texas toast BLT with pancetta and cheese. Luke: focaccia Texas toast with crawfish and chorizo emulsion, pancetta and herb salad. They discuss how salty it is while he's still standing there. Damarr: pizza toast with buffalo mozzarella, white anchovy, capers, and kalamata olives. Monique: mille-feuille with orange blossom buttercream and glazed mushrooms. Jo: mushroom and arugula Texas toast with espelette and paprika. Espelette is a type of pepper. Jackson: shrimp toast with balsamic chili jam.
Luke had a good idea but it was very salty. Monique's mushroom was super weird, combined with the buttercream. Nick did a great job, and the ratio of toast to toppings was what they were looking for. Jo also did a good job with this balance. Jackson had a good sweet/salty combo. The winner is Nick. He's thrilled to win but now it's time to get cooking. They have 9.5 hours left.
Jo laughs that she's making pasta, because that's actually what she's been cooking professionally. She's Italian now. Heh. Everyone peeks at their briskets and sprays them with apple cider vinegar. Jackson tells the pitmaster he's going to grind up his brisket and put it in pasta. Why would you tell him that? Jackson does some weird shit sometimes, in terms of telling people stuff they don't need to know. Or not telling them stuff they do need to know, like how he can't taste anything. Ashleigh is happy to have time to do what she wants. I think she heard the time and got carried away. Damarr is doing the same, making good pickles and stuff.
At like 9:30 they get dinner, which of course is BBQ probably from the place. Evelyn says if you're not having a beer are you even at a barbecue. Nick tries to lasso the calf dummies they have and he fails spectacularly.
Buddha says something about beef bourguignon. Everyone's briskets come out of the smoker, so they're wrapping them in paper and tin foil to let them rest and then they all go home.
In the morning, there is some worry that your brisket could be terrible. You have no way of knowing. Jackson meditates to calm down somewhat.
1.5 hours to cook. Everyone unwraps their brisket and tries it. Everyone is thrilled, or at least satisfied with how it turned out. Except Monique, who wanted some warm spices and they didn't really come out. But it sounds like it's not bad, just that it only tastes like salt and pepper and not the other spices. Jo wishes this was just a brisket challenge. Ashleigh says her brisket is undersalted, so she'll have to make sure the broth and other components are seasoned.
I think Buddha is making stock from his trimmings. Monique is baking brioche from scratch. She's got a bakery, so she knows what she's doing. Even though it's not going to proof as long as she wants. Jackson is still grinding his brisket, even though it looks nice. I think Evelyn has put some in a spice grinder. Everyone is scrambling.
Ashleigh: kitchen pepper rubbed brisket, sweet potato slicks, and cream of collard soup. Slicks are dumplings. Jackson: brisket stuffed scarpinocc with cornbread crumbles and “beurre-becue” sauce. That's beurre rouge with Carolina gold barbecue sauce. Ashleigh left her brisket really thick, and it's in a soup, so it's hard to eat. They know it's underseasoned. Jackson was restrained and it was successful.
Nick: smoked brisket with carrot puree, harissa barbecue sauce, pork neck and collard green gremolata. Damarr: smoked brisket with candied yams, braised cabbage, Worcestershire consomme and giardinera. Nick's brisket is cooked well, and tastes good, which is good because the rest of the dish is boring. Tom raves over Damarr's dish and how amazing everything is.
Luke: brisket with onion barbecue sauce, coriander and lime stem salad and pickled red onion. Monique: smoked brisket with onion soubise sauce, confit potatoes, and brioche with bone marrow honey glaze. Luke's sauce is kind of thick but the brisket is good. Brooke likes the side dishes. Monique's bread is undercooked and the potatoes are bland.
Jae: “K-jun” style barbecue brisket, grits, cherry tomato kimchi and Asian pear relish. Evelyn: brisket curry with aromatic rice, pickled vegetables, and burnt ends crumble. Jae's plate has so much flavor. It reminds Brooke of banchan. Evelyn's curry is delicious and not too spicy. Tom says it's the kind of dish you put on the menu and people travel just to get it.
Buddha: barbecue beef bourguignon with “barbe-jus”, beef fat potato crouquette, onion jam, and beet petals. Jo: brisket pappardelle with harissa cabbage and corn. Jo's dish has a bunch of things but it doesn't taste like anything. Tom says it's “whelming”. Gail says it's straight up underwhelming. Buddha's dish looks beautiful, and no one says that it's not really beef bourguignon.
Judges' Table. Overall everyone was really creative. Buddha, Evelyn, and Jackson are the tops. Look I know we're playing up the “Jackson can't taste anything” storyline but the man is constantly in the top. Either it's an exaggeration, or he is so good he knows how to season and blend flavors without having to taste as he goes. Brooke was mad she never thought of beet petals. The flavor lived up to the presentation. Gail tells Evelyn she's proud she got to eat her curry. Tom says Padma always has issues with curries, but this is the first one in the history of the show that she liked. Jackson's pasta was delicate and the ratio of filling to pasta was perfect. The winner is Evelyn. She's relieved she finally won. Also she needs the clip of how Padma liked her curry.
Monique, Ashleigh, and Jo are the bottom. Aww. Monique knows her dish was just OK, because she's not familiar with barbecue. The meat was tough, and when you play it safe the food doesn't have any soul. Plus the bread wasn't right. Ashleigh wanted flavors of home, but it felt like she put one dish into another without thinking about it. Plus the brisket needed a knife to eat. If she'd cut it smaller it wouldn't have been so bad. Jo found out she had time to make pasta, so she did, but she should have concentrated on the brisket more. Everyone is dismissed.
Gail says they put so much work into the brisket, and none of the dishes in the bottom really highlighted it. Ashleigh had a good combo but it was presented poorly. Jo made pasta but you couldn't taste the beef at all. Monique's dish was like a culinary student, boring. All three in the bottom are in the Stew Room talking about how the judges' critiques are spot on.
Tom says this is how it ends for a lot of chefs. Ashleigh is out. She just overthought this time. It's a blow to her confidence, but she's determined to win LCK.
Next week: someone comes back from Last Chance Kitchen, cooking for female chefs, some drama of course.
Last Chance Kitchen: So of course there are two episodes of LCK today. Tom says one chef will return and one chef will go home for good. Huh. Usually they get rid of everyone, but it sounds like someone will continue competing and maybe get back in at the end of the show?
Ashleigh says she's never surprised anymore, so she's not that shocked about two competitors. Tom says they have three minutes. Hilarious. Oh, three minutes to shop. Don't forget anything. He also doesn't say what they're making. Robert says he is glad he doesn't have to do this. Sarah is trying to do things like, something sweet, some acid, so she can pivot. Ashleigh is planning on grits and gravy, with some vegetables.
Sarah has options, and she says that was the plan but now it feels like a trap. Ashleigh definitely has spices. Leia forgot to get salt and pepper. Tom says you can make whatever you want, then he reveals it's a two part challenge and at the end, someone will return to Top Chef.
30 minutes to cook. Leia is going to have to be really strategic. Sarah is making salmon and fennel with yogurt. Ashleigh is hopefully pulling off grits and okra gravy. Not only does Leia not have salt, she doesn't really have anything salty. She doesn't even have salted butter. She's making chicken in the wood-burning oven and a whole gang of stuff. You will note that no one has offered Leia salt. It may be a rule, but still. Stephanie reminds Ashleigh that Tom doesn't like okra. Oof. Maybe she can win him over. Sam tries to cheer “let's go ladies” and Stephanie says it should be “chefs”. Ashleigh is worried about slimy okra.
Tom Time! He basically laughs at Leia, and then comes over to be a smartass about okra. Sarah has a mess, and she tells Tom to be nice because it might be the last time they have together. She finishes with a minute left, and then gets panicky about it. Leia's chicken looks great.
Sarah: seared salmon in sesame oil with preserved lemon yogurt and apple fennel slaw. Ashleigh: grits with okra gravy, okra seed and chili relish. Leia: woodfire roasted chicken thigh, butternut squash and fennel puree with roasted cauliflower hazelnut relish. They're all well-cooked, anyway. Sarah's dish has great flavors. Ashleigh didn't let her okra get slimy, so Tom actually likes it. Leia's dish has great textures. The winner is Sarah. So she's moving on. The other chef moving on is Ashleigh. Sadly Leia is out, due to lack of salt.
So there is one more challenge, and the winner returns to the competition. Sarah is suspicious because Tom is too happy right now. You will need to cook with the other chef's ingredients. Not “your competitor will shop for you”, but “you will use whatever your competitor has left after the last challenge”. Sarah has never cooked with okra. I wonder if they can steal what Leia had.
30 minutes to cook. Ashleigh is upset because she can't work in a messy station, and she is now forced to organize. Sarah has like seven ingredients and no sugar or protein. How can she make something that's not grits and okra when that's all she has. Ashleigh claims to her that frying okra increases the slime, which makes zero sense. I've never had fried okra that was slimy, and it's not like I was eating it at high-end restaurants. She says to cook it at a hot temperature, which does actually make sense. Sarah reveals that Ashleigh has some chicken fat, so she's going to dredge some vegetables in cornmeal and fry them. Ashleigh has a weird variety of things so she has way more options. But no spices. She'll have to use the preserved lemons to get some flavor. Leia is already back in the peanut gallery. She asks if Ashleigh made grits...you were just there. She said there were grits. But she knows if Ashleigh did it, you can make grits in the time left. Ashleigh is going to make salmon tartare and then fry the skin.
Tom Time again. Sarah has other vegetables for a distraction. Tom and Ashleigh discuss (sort of loudly) about how they can't work in a mess. They seem to finish alright.
Ashleigh: salmon tartare with spiced yogurt, crispy skin, fennel stock, grated apple and walnut. Sarah: okra misti with polenta and fried onion. Ashleigh's dish worked because the sauce was “assertive” and she didn't overgarnish the dish. Everyone likes fried food and Sarah's okra isn't slimy. Ashleigh is returning! Right back in. Sarah doesn't have to go home, she's now the champion and will battle the next eliminated person.
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