Ready? Let's do it.
Now he's staring at me.
You're gonna have to get closer than that.
Christ.
But you just wanna secure the part that bites.
Oh... Mhm.
Right behind you Gordon.
He's angry now.
Watch out, watch out, watch out, watch out.
GORDON I'm in Texas, the Lone Star State.
Famous for its oil, cattle and searing heat.
My journey starts 90 miles south west of Houston,
in Markham, a vast rugged area.
Larger than most countries in Europe.
They say every thing's bigger in Texas.
And I hope to find out what that really means.
I'm here to meet talented chef,
Texan born, Justin Yu.
And he's gonna introduce me to this incredible hearty land,
so I can really dig deep and
experience all it has to offer.
What the hell?
Justin, good to see you bud.
Gordon. What a pleasure.
You sweating already?
I am definitely sweating.
About to put you to work.
Welcome to Texas.
GORDON Houston native, Justin Yu
was raised on Texan classics.
This award-winning chef sharpened his skills in
Michelin star kitchens in Europe and California before
returning to his roots.
At city favorite Theodore Rex his acclaimed dishes show case
the freshness and exciting variety of local Texan ingredients.
What you doing?
We're cutting mesquite here.
Mesquite is the hardest wood to ever cut,
but it's got the best flavor.
Really? Texas chainsaw chef.
I'm from Houston originally.
Good.
But my family's from Hong Kong.
But that's the thing about Texas.
Right.
There's a lot of flavor going on.
Right.
And I'm part of that flavor.
I thought we were gonna have a little bite
to eat and sort of get up to speed.
No, no, no, no. You gotta work.
I got a chili going.
Can we taste the chili first?
No, no, no.
You can take down all of this and
then we'll pull it out together.
We'll build a fire and we'll have that chili.
Right.
You started one of those up before?
Ah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Come on.
Pull, pull.
What the (bleep)?
Get your safety off.
Alright that's good.
Let's go grab some chili.
Please, I am starving.
One last thing.
If you're gonna be in Texas, you gotta have a hat.
Oh come on. Stop it.
Absolutely.
Justin, really, seriously?
You're in Texas. It's, it's a rite of passage.
What'd you think?
You look terrible in that.
Thank you, exactly.
You're gonna have to earn that.
Here we go. Let's do it.
I've got a hat and no horse.
GORDON Made with venison instead of the usual beef,
Justin's signature chili has a reputation that precedes it.
More importantly, it tells me that Texan cuisine has
room for interpretation.
I can't wait to taste it.
Oh boy, now that smells delicious.
It's pretty simple overall.
Yeah. There's no rice.
No beans at all.
It's getting thickened by the spices.
No beans? In a chili?
In a chili.
This is no filler I mean...
Wow that is delicious.
That is so spicy.
Oh my god, I'm sweating big time now, honestly.
Well, you're gonna sweat a lot more after this.
Man, what I'm experiencing early on is that,
there's a toughness to Texas.
There's a definite toughness to Texas.
You definitely build a level of character.
I grew up cooking in kitchens like yours.
And being able to take that kind of beating on
the day to day on the kitchen.
Because I'm from Texas I was able to take it.
Now that you're here I really want you to experience Texas, you know.
I want you to meet the characters.
I want you to hunt, I want you to, uh, go to the ranches.
I want you to go see the people who make the food,
what it is and give it all the character.
How about we cook a little bit for everybody that you meet?
Maybe we'll call it a throw down.
Show me all that flavor that you learned from Texas.
So start off where? Where do you wanna send me?
I'll send you to a ranch to herd some cattle.
And don't forget your hat.
Texas throw down. Texas throw down.
I'm not a big fan of a cowboy hat.
I don't look like a cowboy.
But I tell you what, I better get my shit together and
get as tough as a cowboy, you know,
for the final cook at the end of the week.
My first stop in Texas, Justin's sending me to meet
a lifelong rancher, who's gonna show me what it takes
to wrangle cattle in the Lone Star state.
Good morning.
Morning. Morning.
Nice to see you, you good?
Clint Radley. Clint.
My goodness what an amazing drive that was.
Maddie, nice to meet you.
Maddie likewise, good to see you.
Meredith, nice to meet you.
Good to see you too.
GORDON Maddie and Meredith's hats,
boots and giant belt buckles show me they definitely know
their way around a steer.
I just hope they aren't into chef roping.
They say you've got the best beef...
We got some. Anywhere in Texas.
What's so special about it?
It's tender, it's juicy.
Tastes amazing.
We gotta go gather 'em first.
Right, okay.
You gonna help us with that?
Ah, yeah, what just run behind them and
shoo them up?
Yeah well, they'll be on horses.
We're gonna put you on a horse.
And then I'm gonna get on my horse over there.
So a little different style.
That's your horse?
Yeah. A helicopter?
It's faster, doesn't eat as much so.
And you want me on a saddle next to you?
With them.
How old were you when you first got on a saddle?
Ah, three.
Three. Okay.
You'll be good.
Just don't get bucked off, easy as that.
As in don't get thrown off the horse.
Correct. Right.
What's my horse's name?
Mouse.
Come on, six foot two, 225 pound on a good day and
now I'm sat on a mouse.
Have you got a hat by the way?
Uh... It's sunny.
Yeah listen, I know I look like an out of place Brit, but trust me.
It's alright. That'll do.
It is a little bit too clean though right?
It looks a little bit too new.
I'm sure it'll fall off in a minute or something.
It will. Some point.
You sure you don't need any help in that helicopter?
Nah, I don't need any help up there.
I'm not that good on horses.
You'll learn. You'll learn.
Ladies let's go.
Let's go, let's go, let's go.
Right ladies, we set?
You don't need gloves.
We are but what are you doing with the gloves?
Well, it's a horse right?
No, you need to get some man hands.
Some man hands, okay.
Right so this is Mouse.
Correct. That's right.
Just try and keep me on this thing will you please?
Don't fall off. Come on.
Hello. Left, left.
Kick. Oh kick, thank you.
Thank, let's go.
Turn. Turn, thank you.
There you go.
Okay. Oh.
There you go. Right.
Well you just gotta feel the rhythm.
Feel the rhythm. Don't be tense.
Be loose.
Feel the horse, the horse can sense if you're nervous.
Right.
You're nervous the horse is gonna act all jittery.
GORDON It's impressive that Mouse can sense my fear
but I'd be more impressed if he could sense which direction
I'm trying to go.
Where we going?
GORDON Fortunately, Clint and
his team are on the way with a pair of helicopters to help.
Justin said search for the best beef.
I'm getting a newfound respect for that level of
search because I've never, ever gone this far for
such amazing beef.
Okay, where are the cows?
So, in here. There.
They're in this brush.
Are we going in the bush?
Yeah, just make sure that they don't come back over
on this side.
So make sure they don't come back this side?
Right, keep 'em in the middle.
Okay.
He's gonna push 'em out to us.
Oh my God.
Alright, look cow, cow, cow.
There, there, there, there, there, there.
Alright so Gordon.
You don't wanna get in front of 'em.
No.
You wanna stay behind 'em so you can push 'em.
Gotcha. Oh shit.
Whoo! Come on Gordon.
Ladies wait for me.
Whenever we are pinning cows,
you know we only get one shot and then that's it.
Ladies, wait for me please.
I ain't waiting for his ass.
You know I didn't wanna leave him but I took off
and had to do what needed to be done.
There's two back there Meredith.
Yeah. Yes sir!
Have any idea how hard this is?
Huh? I swear to God.
Go on.
They make it look so easy, cowgirls,
buckle, huge hat, belt, jeans etc.
But underneath all that you know it's a tough process.
Okay yeah. Wait, wait, wait.
Whoa.
Wait, wait, wait.
Mouse man.
Wait.
Maddie help him.
My God. That was crazy.
Gordon, you good? Bloody hell.
Coming now.
Wait, wait, Mouse, Mouse.
How we doing? No, not very good.
Not very good? No, he threw me off.
But I think the helicopter spooked him.
He just kept on spinning round.
So just follow us. Gotcha.
Alright you see Gordon.
We're all going over there.
Out back there, there's a lot of terrain and
it's uneven and brush etc.
And yeah I'm on with a flimsy pair of trousers
and a cowboy hat, trying to blend in with the locals.
I stood out for all the wrong reasons.
Sorry.
Gordon what happened man?
She went crazy.
Huh? Okay.
Huh? You ready? Let's go.
All good, yes. Let's go.
GORDON I may be useless on a horse,
but thankfully Meredith and Maddie,
along with their dad in the sky,
get the job done.
Come on momma. Are they all in?
Yes sir.
You did pretty good for a first-time cowboy.
That was crazy, seriously.
Honestly well done.
Now comes the hard part.
What'd you mean? That wasn't it?
No that was part of it.
Oh my God.
GORDON I'm in Texas and have just herded cattle
in exchange for some top shelf steaks for my final cook.
But apparently I'm not finished.
Now comes the hard part.
That wasn't it?
No that was part of it.
GORDON I just hope the hard part
she's referring to doesn't involve another saddle.
My swollen bollocks are a testament to the saying that
every thing's bigger in Texas.
So the next thing we'll do,
we'll bring the cows back here.
We'll bring 'em in here, we'll vaccinate 'em for diseases and
parasites that we deal with down here.
Put it in their mouth, shoot paste down their throat.
Kills the parasites.
It's like a worming. Right.
What you're gonna do...
Yes.
Make sure it's in their mouth and
then you're just gonna squeeze it, once.
Right. We're behind you.
Yeah and you gotta make sure that
they swallow it.
Oh man, all I want is some beef.
All I want is a T-bone, a tomahawk, a fillet.
I'll take the flank, I'll take the hoof.
Give me something! Please.
After.
Man, this beef better taste good.
Watch the ones with horns.
Watch the ones, oh okay.
You'll get hooked.
GORDON While giving the cows their medicine
Clint assures me they're used to the process,
and it's painless.
Apparently they just don't like me.
Oh Shit.
All I want is some beef.
That's what I, girls.
You gotta earn it. Down the hatch.
There you go, there you go.
Good job.
Shit.
Yes gotcha. One in.
I think when it comes to wrangling cattle,
I think Gordon should just maybe stay a little,
little farther away and back into the kitchen
rather than in a saddle.
So how do you like Texas?
Could we not just feed them a tablet?
Give them a little tablet in their hay?
Here you go. There you go.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah Gordon. That's crazy.
Please, I beg you, can I have some beef now? Please?
Yes.
Do you think he's earned it?
Yeah, you can have some beef now.
Alright. I think so.
Yeah? You girls are strong man.
Oh my God.
That was a challenge and a half,
let me tell you.
There's a price to pay for the most amazing beef and
I think I just paid it.
This is one staple that's gonna feature across the final cook.
Now Texas is known for its beef, pork and barbecue.
But today I'm after a different protein.
Rattlesnake.
That's right, rattlesnake.
Now I know Texan's are tough but come on,
this seems downright crazy.
Rattlesnake?
Come on, seriously?
GORDON With only three days until I face off against Justin,
I'm heading west to the rolling hills of Runge,
to meet Bob Hansler.
Nice to see you. You good?
Glad you made it.
GORDON A survival expert and former biology teacher who,
along with the help of his trusty dog, Huck,
can apparently catch a rattlesnake with his eyes closed.
I'm after an alternative protein,
a protein that's close to your heart.
What's so special about the rattlesnake?
Well it's a good cut of meat.
Is it that good? Do they taste that good?
They taste amazing.
And Texas has plenty of 'em.
And within striking distance,
the safest sort of, you're what?
Two thirds of a length they can strike.
And that's typically about 175 miles an hour.
That fast? That fast.
So they have the rattle, the rattle goes off,
that's your warning.
You keep going expect to get bit.
Right, I'm happy to stand by, you're the expert.
So what I'll do, I'll stand about a meter behind you.
That's, that's not gonna work man.
I'm, I'm legally blind.
Sorry just help me out one more time.
You're what?
I can't see your face but I can hear a rattlesnake,
I'll, I'll tell you where I hear 'em.
But you're, you're the man with the stick today.
So you're blind? Yes sir.
This eye is completely dead.
This eye is pretty shot.
And you're still chasing snakes?
Well I've got you to do that.
You haven't got any in the freezer I can just nip up
to the house and try?
No such thing, you got fresh meat today.
Man, you're a tough cookie.
Where do we start?
GORDON Western Diamondbacks are abundant in Texas.
And normally it's best to steer clear if you stumble across one.
Despite playing a key role in this ecosystem,
many people think of them as pests and
every year thousands are killed and thrown away.
But if you were in dire need of food,
this is how you'd hunt one.
This looks like a, uh, little ravine down here.
This is a den. Down here?
So watch your step. Walk through.
Yeah.
Just watch out for the fire ants,
the centipedes, the vinegarroons,
the scorpions, all that stuff.
Gotcha.
So first you need to look around.
All these holes that you just stepped over,
these are all egress points where that snake can come out
and mess with you.
Right so even stepping over that there
could have been one under there?
Absolutely, it's a perfect rattlesnake habitat.
What about that down there in there?
That's what we're going for.
Inside? Inside.
Under that sandstone.
hell.
Do you hear anything Gordon?
Yeah, my bum's twitching like a rabbit's nose right now.
Right.
No I can't hear anything.
Take your snake stinger there.
Bang it around.
See if you can't upset something.
If they're not in there we're gonna have to go hunt down
a few other spots.
Shit.
Yeah, let's go try, plan B.
I got another spot up here.
It works out. Let's go Huck.
I've got plan C.
It's called the freezer.
You hear that? Can you hear that?
GORDON We've found our rattler.
Now the only thing that stands between me and
lunch is an angry venomous snake.
Even I can smell my own fear.
At least I hope that's fear.
It's up to you now Gordon.
You're gonna have to get closer than that.
That's your job.
I can hear him.
I can't see what you're seeing though.
Okay. Just be safe.
Now he's staring at me.
Right watch yourself.
Look around before you step in there.
Bloody hell.
How am I gonna get it round the neck
if the body's in the front?
You're gonna have to make that call Ramsay.
As long as you're calm about it.
Sometimes they'll let you, sometimes they won't.
You can go up to about six or seven inches behind the head and be safe.
Right.
But you just wanna secure the part that bites.
Yeah.
And make sure it can't come back on you.
You have 40 inches on your pole.
That's all you got.
Ready? Let's do it.
Right behind you Gordon.
Once and done right.
He's angry now.
Watch out, watch out, watch out, watch out.
Ready? Let's do it.
GORDON I'm in Runge, Texas,
trying to catch a rattlesnake with the help of a blind man.
Holy shit.
GORDON This could literally be a meal to die for.
You can scope under him.
But once you clamp down, the rodeo begins.
Shit.
Got him?
He's angry now.
Shit.
Bring him on out.
Bring him out.
Shit.
You're gonna start pulling him out Ramsay.
You got him?
Do you have him?
I've got him, is he clipped at the end?
I can't see what you see man.
As long as the body end is secured.
I can see some white flashing.
It looks like you've made him angry.
Coming out.
Watch out, watch out, watch out, watch out.
He's going mad. He's going mad.
There you go.
GORDON A quick flick of the knife and
the head is off.
But we're still not out of danger.
Alright you got the head. Holy shit.
And, uh, that is still moving.
Still full of venom, it can still do you pain.
And they will still strike at you.
Even without its body.
Shit.
That's yours. Well won.
Man you're insane.
Heck yeah. I swear to God.
Oh, that's a nice-looking snake.
hell man.
Look at that.
Man, shall we...
Let's go cook it up.
Bloody hell's bells.
That has to be the most insane thing I've ever done.
Because one wrong move and
that thing's coming at you at 170 miles an hour.
And trust me, I'm fast but not that fast.
Beautiful skin.
And rattle, excellent.
That is insane.
Head off, skin off, guts out and it's still moving.
Yeah.
It's crazy.
A little bit different eh?
Alright, so the cactus pad here.
Again things that wanna hurt you in Texas.
This is what we're gonna use to cook this snake.
Really? Absolutely.
We need to take the thorns off.
Alright so I'm gonna hand this over to you.
Gotcha.
You're gonna use the flame and
you're just gonna rotisserie it.
So it's like singeing the hairs off a duck.
Very much so.
This is like nature's tin foil.
You take that knife and you're gonna make a vessel.
A pocket for that snake to go inside of.
What a great idea.
Cause it's so wet inside, so it's gonna keep that moisture
in there as well.
And it's still fighting back.
Yeah.
GORDON With the rattler coiled into the cactus pad,
next Bob has me bury the cactus in the ashes.
Keeping it away from the open flames and
cooking the snake to perfection.
That is incredible.
What an amazing way of steaming a rattlesnake.
Woo! What a job.
GORDON 45 minutes in the hot ashes,
and it's time for my first ever cactus cooked rattlesnake.
Already that smells delicious do you know that?
Absolutely right on top of here.
Bloody hell. There's steam coming off.
Seriously, look at that.
Oh my lord.
So it's got the texture of a sort of
beautiful delicate chicken.
The back strap on either side of the backbone,
she's a really long excellent piece of meat.
My God.
This is incredible.
Really good indeed.
You know, rattlesnake as a star dish? Maybe not.
But as a specialty yes.
I don't think Justin is planning on rattlesnake.
So another secret weapon up my sleeve.
GORDON There are two days left until the final cook
and I'm still looking for a main dish.
And since I'm in Texas I wanna go big.
I mean really big.
So I'm going hunting for feral hogs.
GORDON I'm meeting up with Rick Rosser,
a local hunter.
Good to see you bud.
Glad you finally made it.
GORDON Here ranchers don't have rat problems.
They have pig problems.
Rick knows just where these wild hogs like to congregate.
I just hope it's not around rattlesnakes.
Desperate for a big meaty protein ahead of
the big cook.
They say you've got the best hogs,
feral hogs, uh, in the land.
Uh, and I can't wait, fingers crossed
to get my hands on them.
I've got some nice size roasters out there.
This time of year the fat is just right on 'em.
Love that. Beautiful legs.
I see ribs.
Now what's so special about these feral hogs?
They are an invasive species down here.
They tear up acres upon acres of land every night.
Farmers can't catch up on planting sometimes because
the hogs come in at night or even sometimes during the day,
and just tear the crops up.
They come in, they get in, they root with their nose,
watch out, what, the mosquitoes get you brother?
Yeah they are, they're eating me alive.
You know let's get momma's recipe vanishing cream
on ya and let's get you a new shirt.
And you're gonna be right as rain okay?
Okay, what is it?
Like a...
Well let's just call it all natural.
All natural? Mhm.
Better you not ask questions.
GORDON Turns out Rick's all natural mosquito repellent
will also help cover my human scent.
And attract the hogs.
A pig cologne if you will.
Close your mouth. Don't wanna get your mouth!
That smells like piss. Don't worry about it.
There might be some of that.
It helps the sting go away.
What is that?
It's momma's recipe.
Momma's recipe.
What we shooting with?
Shooting with a replica golden boy,
45 long Colt.
Cowboy gun, lever action, real John Wayne style.
Pigs out there, when we see 'em, you know,
it's not that, uh, they're gonna charge,
but if they do we definitely wanna be ready with something close.
Yes sir, let's do this.
Let's go. It's gonna be great.
Alright now remember, we're gonna walk in and
we have to be quiet.
GORDON Rick takes me to a blind near
a clearing where the hogs are frequently seen.
He also says I need to be patient and
as silent as possible.
This could be my biggest challenge yet.
You think the pigs coming across that...
Shh.
This green tree right there, you'll see them running in that brush.
And if you look in that tree line you'll just see a blur.
GORDON The waiting is excruciating.
GORDON So is trying to stay quiet.
Not to mention that I smell like hog piss.
Is this about the time now? Dusk?
7:16. Every day for the last 5 days they've been here starting at 7:23 to 7:25.
GORDON Suddenly there's a rustling in the trees.
I'm hoping it's the hogs we've been waiting for.
Come on, baby.
GORDON It's nightfall in Texas and
I'm hunting for feral hog.
I can hear the hogs and I can smell the hogs.
I just can't see them.
Come on, baby.
Damn.
Oh well. That's hunting.
That's so annoying because we're perfectly set up for it.
And you even smelled good too.
Time's like tonight you can never underestimate
the intelligence of a hog.
They are clever animals.
One smell or waft of a shampoo,
you know even your voice crackling.
That moment's gone.
Is there any chance you can get me some hog for the end of the week, please?
I think I can talk to some friends. Maybe some family can help us out.
Thank you. Damned frustrating. Good job, bud.
Tonight wasn't our night.
But he's assured me he's gonna get me some.
So they say it's that good, I've gotta hold on to that.
But I just don't like going home empty handed.
GORDON Because we're so close to the border,
I want to add some Tex Mex flavors to my menu at
the final cook.
I'm about to meet an expert who still makes
the traditional corn tortillas today,
which may just give me that edge over Justin.
Emanuel.
Gordon, how you doing?
Very well thanks bud, how are you?
I'm great. Welcome to Texas.
Oh my lord, good to see you my man.
GORDON Emanuel Chavez is a local chef
whose life is fueled by his passion for the traditional tortilla.
Super important. Mm-hm.
You can't come to Texas and not represent the
other side of the border and I'm gonna show you how to do it.
Please.
We're gonna do it together.
Please, please, please.
GORDON Emanuel starts with a lesson on how to
make the perfect masa, a dough made from corn.
So right here we have cornico.
It's a native seed from Mexico.
This is our base for our tortilla,
which turns into masa.
So the idea now is to grind it?
Correct. So it's a blue?
It is a blue corn, it stays blue.
Wow. It's gorgeous.
We're gonna make blue tortillas, shall we start?
Yes so...
So you're gonna grab a little handful of these cornicos.
You gotta start from the top.
Gotcha.
You gotta do so almost like a pasta motion so
with your wrist you're gonna roll forward and
then roll backwards.
There you go. There you go.
Oh my God.
Wow! They're incredibly, uh, powdery now isn't it?
That's the, that's the masa coming out.
That's the starch. The starch.
You're doing great.
The challenge for me was the, the grinding.
So you're sort of rolling and spinning,
rolling and spinning.
It's all in the wrist.
Man that's incredible.
Grab a little bit and just make it into a ball.
Like a little ball.
It looks dry but it's actually quite wet.
Oh no, it's perfect.
Yeah. It's a perfect masa.
That's lovely. You did a great job.
GORDON Masa made and with Emanuel's brisket
already simmering I'm dying to make a tortilla.
But we're not done.
Before we finish our tacos we need one more ingredient.
One more ingredient.
I'll show you where it's at.
Seriously?
The Pequin pepper.
Pequin pepper?
The national pepper from Texas.
Wow.
Bloody hell. Are they...
Longhorns. Texas Longhorns?
Absolutely yeah. Stop it.
They're gorgeous huh? Oh my goodness.
Man, they are beautiful.
Look at those. How majestic are they?
They're big boys too.
Okay, let's not get them disturbed.
Let's go. Oh okay.
Where are those peppers?
They're right there in that corner.
That's them there? That's it right here.
They're gorgeous aren't they?
That's incredible how they just grow wild like that huh?
So red and green?
Red and green yeah. Red super-hot right?
Yeah, I'm gonna try a green one.
Just to be safe. Go from there.
Yeah. Oh.
Man.
That's Texas right there.
So the idea is to lightly press them and
then finish them in the stew?
Absolutely. That's what we're gonna do.
Man, excellent.
All of them in there?
Yeah.
GORDON Peppers crushed and added to the brisket,
it's time to finish making the tortillas.
That should be fine.
Yeah there? Yeah.
That's beautiful.
Actually you have done well today, that's perfect.
Man look at that.
Yeah you got it on your first try.
Wow. Wow.
And straight into the skillet?
Yeah, and you're gonna do one motion.
Don't toss it, just gently love it.
Gently. Make love to it.
There you go.
Wow look at the color of those things.
As soon as you see the edges start to cook a little bit,
like that one, I give it a flip.
Just flip it with your fingers?
Yeah just ready to flip.
GORDON Tortillas finished,
it's time to taste the fruits of our labor.
hell.
Oh my God, that is incredible.
Wow, what a delicious combination.
But it starts with the base.
The foundation of the Tex Mex tortilla.
Nothing's disintegrated, and I was slightly nervous about
how thin it was.
It's so pliable and the starchiness is absorbing all
that incredible flavor from the brisket.
Getting to grips with a authentic tortilla for
me makes that dish transform into something even more delicious.
I'd love to use these for the final cook.
Absolutely. Would you mind?
Not at all. You're a star.
Thank you. Thanks bud.
Good luck.
This week's been incredible.
And Texans are definitely tough.
They're a gritty bunch and trust me,
Justin's been satisfying their palettes for
all his cooking life.
So this could be one of my toughest cook offs yet.
Justin.
Gordon, welcome back. Watch out for the cow patties.
Bloody hell, what a week.
How was Texas? Did Texas kick your ass?
It did more than kick my ass.
You good bud?
I'm good.
Oh my goodness me. Oh, you feel tougher.
Now three amazing dishes.
One incredible week.
Fancy a bet?
Always down for a bet.
So not a big fan of the hat.
If I win, you get to wear a kilt.
If I lose I'll keep the hat.
Then you're totally gonna be wearing the hat cause
there's no way in hell I'm gonna wear a kilt.
Dude I'm gonna, I'm gonna kick your *.
You ready?
I'm ready to go. Let's go.
Yeah there's no way I'm losing to you.
GORDON I'm deep in the heart of Texas,
where chef Justin Yu and I are battling the heat to prepare a
meal worthy of the Lone Star State.
What a week.
Crazy but good.
Good, did you see any hogs at all?
Ah, do you know what, we heard them.
It's interesting you can actually smell the hogs right?
Because they've got their sort of musky sort of smell of...
Yeah they're mean. They're mean as hell.
But he doused me in hog piss.
When you live in Texas you end up being covered
in hog piss every once in a while.
GORDON If being covered in hog piss is what it
takes to get a beautiful pig like the one Rick brought me,
then I think I've found my new cologne.
So I'll do a rib. How can I not?
Yeah.
GORDON Unfortunately, Justin's also
using pork but this time in his signature dish.
Serious.
Kind of like a pork chili,
as opposed to the venison that we're normally used to.
We got this, still got the hoof on.
I'm gonna cook down some of these jalapeño peppers,
Fresno peppers.
All that spice is a little much for you, uh.
But you're gonna need it since you're gonna be wearing that hat.
Because there's no way in hell I'm losing to you.
You can't see yourself in a kilt?
You know what they say in Scotland?
It's what we have underneath that counts.
Now I get it Justin.
Texas is bigger, bolder...
Tougher. Yeah that's right.
So I'm gonna put these on a dry rub and then just sort of
grill them and then wrap them.
They've got a smoky rub there.
A little bit of coffee add to your chili.
Coffee as your rub. No?
I mean a little bit of bitterness goes a long way.
You gonna be cooking some beef?
I'm gonna do a bone in rib eye.
No fancy cuts here with tenderloins etc. I may do a,
a like a chimichurri.
You know with some beautiful onions.
Grill the onions as well.
Maximize on flavor right?
Who would have thought herding cattle with two young cowgirls,
13 and 16 years of age, helicopters flying everywhere.
It was ridiculous. Let me tell you.
I'm gonna also do some beef here.
I got some really beautiful hangar steaks.
I'm gonna sear them really simply.
We got that nice mesquite right there.
Nice look at those. How beautiful are they?
Oh wow, those are fantastic.
So I've marinated them in the dry rub.
Now just season them and...
Straight on the grill. Straight on the grill.
Can you imagine if I put these in a nonstick pan in front of you?
There's no way.
We chopped down all that Mesquite.
Exactly.
There's no reason we shouldn't use it.
Exactly that my man.
For the first time ever, in my career, I got up
to speed with the most amazing tortilla.
Yeah. So good.
So I'm actually having a little bit of
trouble coming up with a third dish.
Serious? Yeah.
You have some of Emanuel's tortillas?
Yes.
You think I could maybe steal a few from you?
Hold on a minute. Oh, come on.
Hold on a minute.
Basically you swindled one of my friends to get to
help you try to win.
I did my homework buddy,
that's what I did.
Well I was thinking about making a tostada out of it.
And I'm gonna need some tortillas.
Okay. Here you go.
I just need like four. There you go.
Thank you. Man.
This is a tough one this one.
You know that? It's a very tough one.
GORDON I've given up my tortillas.
But that's alright.
I'm fairly certain my ace in the hole will be something
Justin won't have on his plate.
Rattlesnakes.
Please tell me I've done something you've never done.
Have you even gone hunting for those things?
Every once in a while you walk into the chicken coop
and they'll be eating the egg and you gotta chase it down.
They meant business, let me tell you.
But a lot sweeter than I expected.
So what are you doing with the rattlers?
I'm gonna sort of roll them in a little bit of cornmeal.
And then give them a quick sauté.
And I think then they'll be better in a short of
broth stroke sort of soup.
How do you think this rattlesnake would go over in
your London restaurant?
They would be up in arms.
Yeah, look at the color of that rattlesnake now.
Then I'm gonna put that into the broth and
then start that lovely flavor.
Grill those onions and let those onions sit on top.
Yeah. What'd you think?
That sounds pretty Texan to me.
You learned pretty well.
It sounds like Justin Yu is gonna be in a kilt
for the next six months.
I mean, I'm telling you that's definitely not gonna happen.
So I'm gonna use that liver and
the heart from the boar.
Yes.
I'm actually gonna hit it with a little bit of whiskey.
Probably take a little myself.
Justin. You want some?
You trying to get me drunk?
Any way to win. Oh my God.
Look at that.
Now that is a rib eye, true Texan style right?
That's right.
So these hangar steaks I'm just gonna do pretty quick.
But just salt and a lot of confidence is what
you're looking for.
Salt and confidence.
Now that sounds like Texas right there.
So these little sweet onions, I'm just gonna hit them on
the grill for literally 30 seconds.
Look how beautiful they are.
Those are fantastic. You forage them yourself?
Well with the help of Bree, yes.
So beautiful.
That foraging honestly, pecans.
It's pecan. It's not a pee-can.
It's not something you piss in.
GORDON My friends from the past week are arriving.
GORDON It's the moment of reckoning.
And in Texas that means something.
While Justin has grown up with these flavors,
it's my turn to show my new friends that this old Scot
can hold his own in the Lone Star State.
This stew looks like it's just about ready.
It's gonna need to be bud.
Yeah.
Cause I've got that kilt in the back of my wagon.
That cowboy hat's gonna look real good on
you for a long time.
Um, a little intro for the dishes.
Bob, we'll start off with that incredible rattlesnake.
I've dusted it in corn, beautifully grilled it and
I made a broth out of all those hog bones.
And then finished it, Bree,
with those amazing sweet onions that we foraged.
Alright so we've got a pot of wild boar chili.
Rick hooked me up with a really fantastic boar leg.
I just stewed it down with just peppers.
Dish number two.
So I got the ribs, slightly smoked and then grilled.
Finished with barbecue sauce and then I used some of
the tenderloin and grilled them as well.
Finished with some toasted pee-cans.
Pecans.
Come on now, get it right.
And then we took Emanuel's tortillas and
made Tostadas with 'em.
Refried beans on the bottom,
nopales sautéed with some poblano peppers.
And then served with chiwawa cheese.
I had some tortillas but somebody stole them.
Okay?
Well sometimes when you gotta win, you gotta win.
Yeah, you're home advantage you know.
All the way.
And then the final dish has to be some of
the best beef on the planet.
I mean just incredible.
So I grilled the rib eye, did a dry rub and then finished
them with like a chimichurri with a nopales,
literally marinated those rib eye in that chimichurri.
So we took some of your hangar steak,
grilled it simply with salt over a nice hot mesquite fire.
We're serving that with baked potatoes.
We took the liver and the heart from the boar,
marinated it with a shot of whiskey.
With a little bit of that those wild onions
you guys foraged.
Enjoy. Enjoy please, cheers.
Thank you. Thank you.
They are tucking in big time.
I mean it looks like they're really digging after
that beef first, I would too.
Look what, look what Bob's doing with that rattlesnake.
Almost eating it like a little chicken wing.
Yeah. Okay is that good?
Who do you thinks pulling it out?
Cause I'm pretty sure I pulled this out.
I like Justin's. I like Gordon's.
What, the beef? I like Justin's.
Gordon's rib eye was really good with the flavors.
I liked the lime and the cilantro and
all the different things happening in it,
cause I've never had a steak like that.
I like Justin's better.
It's pure beef and you can really taste all of
the amazing natural flavors that it has.
Very rare.
Gordon's is more like a piece of art,
but that right there, that's Texas.
What do you guys think about Justin's pequin tostadas?
Think they're great.
They were so good.
We're gonna talk about Gordon's ribs.
I liked his ribs.
I liked the fact that they got,
Gordon's ribs, they got a little bark on 'em.
He's got the moisture in there which a lot of people lose.
And he didn't just cover it with sauces.
That's some good pork right there.
Right looks like they're ready, shall we?
Yeah let's figure this one out.
Okay happy faces.
Hey, Gordon.
Are we happy?
Very happy.
Why don't we start with the beef first.
There was one that really just screamed Texas for me.
Right.
You know everything was great on that dish.
The one thing it was it just wasn't Texas.
Texas is steak on a plate.
Gotcha. So a little bit too much garnish?
The potatoes had no business being there.
In Texas the beef needs to be the statement of the plate.
Don't go overboard right?
Message understood loud and clear.
Let's talk about the hog.
Man those ribs had the bark on it, the smoke,
had the sticky so you gotta lick your fingers
and get another napkin.
It, it was a great dish.
I, I gotta give it to him,
he can smoke a rib.
That's Texas yeah. Don't get excited.
We're not done yet.
I'm just saying that dish was good.
Slow your roll.
GORDON It's neck and neck.
Justin's taken the beef and I've won with the pork.
It all comes down to Justin's stolen tostadas
against my rattlesnake.
Bob, did we do the rattlesnake justice?
You took a very unconventional meat and
you gave it a, a very unique flavor,
it's not quite Texas.
But I absolutely enjoyed it.
And then the tostada?
Good flavor.
It's definitely Texas in a bite for me.
I'll take the snake. So who's got the edge?
Justin. Woo! Sorry bud.
No, no, listen. That was a close one.
Bless your heart Gordon. You're just not from Texas.
Yes thanks for that Bree, um.
Congratulations bud. Seriously.
Justin is a talented chef.
He cooks with such bold flavors and no frills.
At one stage it was neck and neck but he had the edge,
because he was Texan through and through.
Well I'm glad I don't have to wear that kilt.
I've had an amazing week.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart and
I am coming back to Texas, okay?
We'll welcome you back. Thank you so much.
Yes? Take care bud.
Cheers. See you soon.
So long. Bye ladies.
What a rewarding journey Texas has been.
I knew Texan's were a breed of their own but never in
my wildest dream did I know they possess that much grit.
GORDON I've hunted for venomous rattlesnakes
with just a stick.
And herded cattle with the help of a helicopter.
It's true, everything is bigger in Texas.
Everyone is tougher in Texas.
And on that note on to my next journey.