| Grill Masters: Part Four | |
| Season 12, Episode 14 | |
 | |
| Air date | August 12, 2012 |
| Winner | Kent Rollins |
| Episode Guide | |
| previous Cake Walk? |
next Oui, Oui, Confit |
Four grill masters face off for the last slot in the $50,000 finale. Will anybody lose their cool when they spy something called speculoos in the first basket? During the entree round, the competitors strive to make kick-butt pork butt dishes, which also include fruit leather. Can the two remaining chefs grill up some terrific desserts using every meat lover's worst nightmare?
Contestants[]
- Chad Ward, Competitive Barbecue Champion, Whiskey Bent BBQ, Lakeland, FL
- Kent Rollins, Cook and Chuckwagon Owner, Red River Ranch Chuck Wagon, Byers, TX
- Corinne Trang, Chef and Educator, Westport, CT
- Rick Browne, Chef and Author, Seattle, WA
Judges[]
Meal[]
Appetizer[]
Ingredients: Short Ribs, Watermelon, Speculoos, Fennel
Rick presented Dinosaur Rib w/ Grilled Watermelon & Speculoos Satay Sauce. Rick's sauce truly works like a satay sauce, and the grilled watermelon is great. The rib is too big and too rare, being inedible at the center.
Corrine's appetizer is Grilled Beef with Fennel Salad & Asian Dressing. Corrine has a perfect sized appetizer, and the speculoos gives body to her vinaigrette, which is the most creative use of the speculoos. The beef is a little rare, and the judges point out that Corrine finished with 2 minutes to spare.
Kent fixed Grilled Rib w/ Speculoos Sauce & Fennel Watermelon Salad. Kent's sauce is fantastic, and he is the only one to cook his beef enough. Kent's presentation is atrocious.
Chad served Beef Rib on the Bone with Fennel Fruit Salad. The salad in the bottom is great, and the judges like his use of charred fennel frond as an herb folded into it. Chad's rib is too big and mostly raw.
The judge's decision is that Chef Chad is the first chef to be run out of turn for not having a clear flavor profile and serving a raw short rib.
Entrée[]
Ingredients: Pork Butt, Baked Beans, Clams, Strawberry Fruit Leather
Corrine's entrée is Pork Lettuce Wrap with Clam & Beans. The judges appreciate her point of view in the dish and the exotic Asian flavor profile. They like the beans with the fruit leather. The pork and clams are undercooked.
Kent fixed Strawberry Glazed Pork Steak w/ Beans and Clam Slaw. Kent's pork is very tender and the beans are packed with flavor. The slaw is amazing and the best usage of the clams. He also steps up his presentation from the last round, although he didn't really put in any effort to make it look nice.
Rick did "East/West" Surf and Turf with Beans and Apples. The judges are happy with his pork, and the beans are very flavorful. While the clams are tender, their broth is really salty and tough to eat. It feels like Rick served two seperate dishes.
After looking at the entrée's, the judges decide that Chef Corrine will not get to compete for the final spot because of undercooking her clams and pork.
Dessert[]
Ingredients: Tofu, Green Plantains, Maple-Bacon Ale, Mangos
Kent made 'Cowboy' Banana Split w/ Mango Salsa & Chocolate Bourbon Sauce. The irony of Kent's absolute hatred for tofu is that the tofu in his dessert is delicious and makes his sauce special. The judges also love his mango salsa. Kent didn't know how to cook the plantain and ends up undercooking it.
Rick's dessert is Mango Plantain Chocolate Parfait. The dessert is an absolute hit with the judges, as it is well-balanced, whimsical, and transformed the tofu nicely. The only flaw is that Rick did not directly grill anything in the dish. That is something to think about considering this is a grilling-themed tournament.
While the judges decide that either chef could hold their ground in the Grand Finale, their choice is to chop Chef Rick because of his errors in the first two courses. Kent is made Chopped Champion and takes the final spot in the Grill Masters Finale.
Gallery[]
Notes[]
| Chopped Season 12 | |
| << Season 11 • Season 13 >> | |
| #01 Grilltastic! | #10 Grill Masters: Part Two |
| #02 Sunny Side Apps | #11 Belly Dance! |
| #03 A Guts Reaction | #12 Grill Masters: Part Three |
| #04 Chocolate Challenge | #13 Cake Walk? |
| #05 Pride of New Orleans | #14 Grill Masters: Part Four |
| #06 All-American Competition | #15 Oui, Oui, Confit |
| #07 Orzo it Seemed | #16 Grill Masters: Finale |
| #08 Food Network Stars! | #17 Drawing a Flank |
| #09 Grill Masters: Part One | |