Iron Chef Gauntlet went whole hog this week in the quest to find the next Iron Chef.
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Sometimes you get the delicious bacon, and sometimes you get the pigs feet. This week on Iron Chef Gauntlet we truly went whole hog as our brave competitors found a whole pig on the altar.
Not all cuts are created equal though and it was luck of the draw as to which pig pieces each chef got. You might think that hog would be in the wheelhouse for any chef, but Shota Nakajima struggled. Nakajima is a traditional Japanese chef and pig isn’t his favorite ingredient.
Last week Chef Sarah Gruneneberg was at the bottom, but this week she was at the top as her dumpling of sweetmeats and pig’s cheek won over Alton Brown’s sophisticated palette. A win in Iron Chef Gauntlet isn’t always a good thing though as it sets you up to pick who will be facing the chef on the bottom in the head to head cook-off. In the end, Grunenberg picked Jonathon Sawyer to face Nakajima head to head.
Nakajima and Sawyer wouldn’t have it easy though, as the secret ingredient turned out to be bananas; not something either chef wanted to see up on the altar. The judges for the head to head face off were Anne Burrell and Iron Chef Jose Garces. It’s got to be intimidating having your food judged by an Iron Chef and Anne Burrell.
In the end, Nakajima decimated Sawyer and held on to his spot in the competition. Sawyer is an incredible chef and it may be that trying to do too much is what got him in the end. Iron Chef is a cut above though and you have to go big or you end up going home.
Iron Chef Gauntlet continues to present us with the very best in food competitions and leave us hungry for more!
What did you think of Iron Chef Gauntlet “Nose to Tail?” Let us know in the comments below.