Gordon Ramsay's American Food Adventure | America 250 Special | Uncharted MEGA Episode | Nat Geo

GORDON: God, we are in the middle of nowhere Lane, look at it.

You turn around, look, it's just water and water and water.

I am so keen to catch something.

A redfish would be a dream.

Ooh, ooh! What was that?

LANE: Something was going after your lure.

GORDON: What was that?

LANE: That was big, whatever it was.

GORDON: Lane, what is that? What is that over there?

LANE: It looks like a shark to me, I don't know.

GORDON: Look at the size of the thing.

♪ ♪ This is South Louisiana, a place locals call, "The end of the world."

I'm here to explore the legendary Cajun cuisine.

Often made with local game, this southern food was influenced by a melting pot of cultures from Europe, Africa and the Americas.

My journey through the Bayou begins just a couple of hours south of New Orleans, in some of North America's most extensive wetlands.

GORDON: Thanks guys.

Now when it comes to going off-grid in America's south east, the marshes here in Louisiana honestly has to be one of the uncharted yet.

Now down here on the Bayou, the locals have been surviving on some of the strangest creatures you'll ever put in your mouth, and it's fair to say that those animals could make a meal of you.

But fortunately for me, I've got a badass marine turned award winning chef to watch my six.

Eric!

ERIC: Chef, how are you? GORDON: Good to see you bud. ERIC: Good to see you as well.

GORDON: Eric Cook is one of Louisiana's top chefs.

Long before Chef Cook could cook, he was a punk rock New Orleans native who went full metal as a combat vet in the US Marines.

Now he runs voodoo-inspired Gris-Gris, an award winning restaurant that specializes in southern cuisine, using only the freshest ingredients found in Louisiana's wetlands.

Eric swears Cajun cooking comes from the soul, but his dishes are so bloody delicious, I wonder he hasn't sold his own.

ERIC: How was that ride?

GORDON: That was insane.

Man, it's got hot now all of a sudden.

ERIC: Oh man, the weather down here is definitely unpredictable, I think you're going to find that out real soon.

GORDON: Where have you brought me to?

Because it feels like we are in the arse-end of nowhere.

ERIC: This is the end of the world, we call it.

It really is a spectacular place.

You know, and the food you find down here is some of the most bizarre you're going to find in the world, but it's also some of the most plentiful and flavorful if you know what you're doing with it.

GORDON: All sourced locally?

ERIC: All sourced locally, all made locally, like hog head cheese.

Literally the head of the hog, you boil down.

GORDON: And so it's set naturally with a gelatin in there, that's just naturally jelly, and that's all hog?

ERIC: Yep, just some spices in there, some natural herbs in there.

GORDON: Wow.

ERIC: And once you get out of this protein world, you go into things like satsuma jelly.

Satsumas are in season.

GORDON: Out here?

ERIC: Absolutely.

The Mississippi River is running right in our backyard.

So now you get these incredibly fertile soil.

So transplanting citrus into here, Meyer lemons, satsumas.

GORDON: That's delicious. ERIC: Isn't this great? GORDON: Bloody hell.

So for me, it's like this incredible little larder, because you want for nothing, right?

ERIC: Exactly right. It's a swamp pantry.

GORDON: Your troop as a marine must have loved you out in the wilderness, cooking those incredible dishes.

ERIC: I laugh about it because, you know, I never was, you know, a trained professional cook in the military, you know, but every time we stopped somewhere, we'd pop the engines of the trucks, of the Humvees, and I would cook on top of the Humvee, on the engine.

GORDON: That's amazing.

My son's just joined the training for the Royal Marine Corps in the UK and the first message he sent back said, "Dad I'm missing your food."

Now he understands what it's all about.

ERIC: That's it.

GORDON: And this, and in the pot there, what's in there?

ERIC: We've got wild boar andouille gumbo.

Look at this color.

I'm sure you're super experienced on how to make a roux, but you've got to make a roux like this.

GORDON: That's the secret, isn't it?

ERIC: That's it. Look at that dark color.

Take some of this popcorn rice, put it right on top.

We'll do a little green onion.

GORDON: Don't get fancy on me now Eric.

ERIC: I'll try not to. GORDON: Thank you. Bloody hell.

ERIC: Look at that color. GORDON: Even the smell there.

ERIC: Smell that aroma, that dark, dark fudge roux is the basis of all good southern cooking.

GORDON: Wow. That is delicious.

A roux is a mixture of flour and fat, used to thicken sauces.

It's the foundation of many southern classics.

Traditionally animal fat was used by Cajuns who have lived off this land, but Eric tells me subsistence is getting harder each year.

ERIC: We're losing probably a football field a day right now with land erosion.

GORDON: No. Seriously?

ERIC: And that doesn't include when big storms come in and we lose chunks at a time, you know.

GORDON: A football field a day?

ERIC: It's an amazing, amazing challenge we face here in south Louisiana.

GORDON: That's incredible.

ERIC: But the one thing we do have though, and one of the bigger problems here that we have down at the marsh unfortunately is an invasive species population rolling in, called the nutria.

GORDON: And what is that, like a water rat?

ERIC: It is.

It looks like a straight tailed beaver, is what it looks like.

GORDON: Right. ERIC: You see these canals, they run all the way through here, and they tear through all this which makes it easier for erosion to happen.

GORDON: Wow.

ERIC: There's actually a bounty on those guys now.

GORDON: Is there really?

ERIC: You can actually go out and you can get $6 per tail.

But, you know, we're trying to get a better way to, not only, remove this invasive species, but manage it, conserve it, and then if we can incorporate maybe, you know, its meat into dishes, and locals do.

GORDON: In terms of, we're now saying there's a rat on the menu?

ERIC: Exactly right.

But what you have to do, is you have to make it approachable, that's what you have to do.

So the first thing you do is you lose the word nutria rat, call it a "Ragondin".

GORDON: Call it a what?

ERIC: Ragondin. Right? So now...

GORDON: You've gone all French on me.

ERIC: Right, exactly right.

So what you do is just come in and you kind of incorporate it, gumbos, fricassees, you know, étouffées.

GORDON: Stop it. We have a rat gumbo.

Are they tasty?

ERIC: They're not bad. GORDON: Rat gumbo. ERIC: You're absolutely...

If I can find one, I'd throw it in there right now for you.

GORDON: (bleep)!

(laughter) (bleep).

You've been a marine for too long.

ERIC: You have to eat what you have to eat to survive, that's exactly right.

GORDON: A long way from his last tour of duty, Eric's still working with people on the front lines, volunteer first responders who rescue storm victims.

We'll be feeding them at the end of the week, so I need to master Cajun cuisine, not only for myself, but to honor these unsung heroes.

ERIC: You have to learn to make that roux.

You can make a roux, right, but it's got to come from here.

And the only way it's going to come from here is getting out there.

So we're going to send you on a mission.

Get out there and hunt, because at the end of the week, we'll see what you have making that dark Cajun roux.

GORDON: Head to head?

ERIC: Head to head. Tip to tail.

GORDON: So get out there and hunt, come back with a plethora of ingredients like this swamp larder here.

ERIC: Absolutely.

GORDON: And then we go toe to toe for that roux.

ERIC: Absolutely. Let's put you on an adventure, show you where it's coming from.

GORDON: I'll see you at the end of the week. Yeah?

ERIC: Yeah. GORDON: Maybe. ERIC: Maybe.

GORDON: For my first mission, Eric has hooked me up with good old boys Walter and Cody.

Together we're just three guys with killer accents and even better hair, doing our part to tackle this nutria problem.

In the 1800s about 20 of the South American rodents were brought here for the fur industry.

WALTER: Come and see Gordon, I'm going to show you one of their nests.

GORDON: Now, millions run wild.

WALTER: So that's what they do, they sit here, they'll cut the grass, pile it up under them, and they'll make a little home.

GORDON: As they're growing, everything else is devastated, isn't it?

WALTER: Look what one nutria did to this patch of grass.

Just think what a million of them would do right here.

Alright, let's go see if we can find some more.

GORDON: Gearing up for our hunt, the camera crew and I are ready for battle.

(thud) (bleep). (bleep) What the (bleep)?

After hitting a cypress knee, we nearly use my camera operator Brenda overboard.

GORDON: What the (bleep) was that? A root?

WALTER: Yeah, that's the cypress root.

GORDON: Bloody hell.

Now firmly re-seated, the hunt is back on.

WALTER: See them right there?

Right there, Gordon, Gordon, get him, get him, get him.

Right, here, right here, right here.

GORDON: I finally get a look at the swamp rat that's destroying this fragile Ecosystem.

(gunshot) WALTER: Got him? GORDON: No.

And they must be bulletproof because I never miss.

WALTER: Alright, we'll get the next one.

There'll be another one.

GORDON: Everywhere we look, nutria are diving out of the way.

WALTER: Oh, right in front of us, right there, right there Gordon.

Right there, right there!

WALTER: See him? Get him. Get him.

GORDON: (bleep)!

ERIC: Get him right here Gordon, right here, right here, right here.

Get him, get him.

WALTER: Good shot.

GORDON: Finally I hit my target.

He looks like a rat on steroids.

He looks truly vile.

(bleep)! Bloody hell.

I can't wait to eat it.

Can we taste one now?

WALTER: Yeah, we could taste one.

I have some fixed up for us.

GORDON: On a good day, how many nutria do you think you could kill?

WALTER: A good day?

200 or 300.

GORDON: 200 or 300? WALTER: Oh yeah. GORDON: Times $6 per tail.

WALTER: They're eating us out of a home.

WALTER: And you've got to think, we have everything against us.

We have mother nature against us as far as storms, we have animals after us, we have just like a fight every day with this marsh.

GORDON: Wow.

Walter, as always, "Mr. Improvise", out pops his flask and he's got this stew, this rat stew in his flask.

It doesn't look the most appetizing.

You can call this thing nutria, ragondin, water rabbit, but trust me, every bite, you're still eating a rat.

Let's go.

It's weird eating this here with the things underneath your feet, I'm telling you, huh.

See that's delicious.

WALTER: Not bad, huh? GORDON: See, that is delicious.

It's like a rabbit.

WALTER: No game-y taste.

GORDON: But there's no fat in that.

There's no fat in my mouth.

WALTER: Very lean.

GORDON: This is delicious, seriously.

Did you make this?

WALTER: My mom made that. GORDON: Your mom?

WALTER: Yep. GORDON: What's her name?

WALTER: Julie.

GORDON: You tell her I love her.

WALTER: I sure will.

GORDON: She's introduced me to rat now.

I'm not too sure I'm going to use it at the end of the week, but it's good.

I mean, can we not just change the name.

Say you're cooking a romantic dinner for the girlfriend, and it's just the two of you...

WALTER: Well nothing's more romantic than tell her you're eating nutria.

GORDON: Are you, are you...

That's why you're still (bleep) single.

WALTER: Yeah.

GORDON: Tasty as it was, I'm not sure nutria will crawl its way onto my big cook menu.

I'll let Walter keep the meat and the $6 bounty.

Heading inland, my destination is a town named for notorious pirate turned war hero, Lafitte is where I'll meet a local who I'm told knows the best fishing holes around.

GORDON: Shaw! How are you bud?

SHAW: Oh hey Gordon, how you doing today?

GORDON: Very well thank you, good to see you bud.

SHAW: Oh man, you ready to go fishing or what?

GORDON: I am. This thing looks amazing.

What's it called?

SHAW: Man, it's called the Swamp Shark.

It's only one of a handful of boats like this in the whole world so we're going to have some fun today.

You gotta hold on, now!

GORDON: Hold on.

(laughs) GORDON: That's insane.

So now I understand why it's called a swamp shark.

SHAW: That's it brother.

GORDON: Bloody hell.

Are there some big fish out here?

SHAW: Oh yeah man, there's some fish out here.

This is fisherman's paradise.

GORDON: Amazing. Shall we?

With a name like fisherman's paradise, you know we're sure to get a few fish on the line.

Come on fish.

Shaw uses a dad joke to try to hook his first victim.

SHAUN: You ever did the fish call?

GORDON: No, go on.

SHAUN: Never did it? Here fishy-fishy.

GORDON: But the fish aren't biting.

I just saw one, just rose over there.

SHAUN: See how they do that to you?

GORDON: Yeah.

SHAUN: Make you feel confident, then you throw for two hours looking for them.

GORDON: Come on man...

Come on.

Are you sure there's fish in here, Shaun?

SHAUN: Don't worry, we got a backup plan for you.

It's a little ways away from here.

GORDON: But still local?

SHAUN: Local can be 40 miles.

We're going to need a different ride to get there.

GORDON: Bloody hell.

GORDON: Come on man, come on.

Off the coast of South Louisiana, my near desperate fishing expedition just got a whole lot more interesting.

Bloody hell.

Captain, how are we sir?

LANE: Just fine, just fine.

GORDON: My pilot and fishing guide is local legend Lane Panepinto.

LANE: Let's go see if we can get these big fish man.

GORDON: Yes sir.

Our destination is 40 miles offshore to the eastern most point in Louisiana, to an uninhabited chain of islands marking the boundary of Chandeleur Sound.

Now how long have you been flying?

LANE: We've been up about 45, 50 minutes into the wind.

GORDON: You've been flying only for 45 minutes?

LANE: Right, yeah.

GORDON: Is that all you've been flying?

LANE: Well I read the book last night.

Come on. I'm good.

GORDON: You're good? LANE: (bleep)!

GORDON (over radio): Can I, can I do anything?

LANE (over radio): No, just hang on.

GORDON (over radio): Hang on. Oh (bleep).

LANE: Yeah.

GORDON: The barrier islands have been battered like much of this coastline, and they'll likely be gone within decades, but for now it's said to be the best fishing in the Gulf.

LANE: Here we go.

GORDON: Wow.

That was a smooth landing, as smooth as my butt-cheeks.

GORDON (over radio): My God, this is so beautiful Lane.

GORDON: God, we are in the middle of nowhere, Lane, look at it.

You turn around and look, it's just water and water and water.

What kind of fish do you think we'll catch?

LANE: Probably more redfish right now than anything, but we may get in some nice trout also, you know.

So we'll see what happens.

We're just going to take what the good Lord up above gives us, you know.

GORDON: Yep. I am so keen to catch something.

A redfish would be a dream.

After another hour of casting, I'm both desperate and determined.

I can't disappoint Eric and the first responder guests at the big cook.

Have you ever gone out and not caught anything?

LANE: They're here. We've just got to find them.

GORDON: Come on baby.

Everyone here is sure the fish are biting, but it just occurred to me, what if we're the bait?

Lane, what is that?

Lane, what's that over there?

LANE: That looks like a shark to me, I don't know.

GORDON: A shark.

Look at the size of the thing.

I'd say we need a bigger boat.

But we don't even have a boat.

GORDON: Food. Oh boy.

LANE: Don't let me catch the first one on you there Gordon.

GORDON: Thankfully the shark appears to have found tastier prey elsewhere.

It's a good thing, if it got any closer, I was going to fill my waders.

LANE: Oh! GORDON: You got it? LANE: Got it.

GORDON: What is it? LANE: Nice trout. Oh! GORDON: That's a beauty.

LANE: Woohoo.

GORDON: Wow, and look at that, there's yellow inside.

LANE: Yellow mouth, that's what we call them, yellow mouth trout.

GORDON: Lane lands a beautiful speckled trout.

I've fished most of the day without as much as a bite, and I've got full on fish envy.

Suddenly I get a very big nibble.

Ooh, ooh. What was that? What was that?

LANE: Something was going after your lure.

GORDON: What was it?

Oh (bleep).

(bleep).

Did you see that turn around at the last minute there?

LANE: That was big, whatever it was.

GORDON: What the (bleep) was that?

LANE: Some love, show me some love.

GORDON: I don't want a lot of love, just a little love.

Come on baby.

I can't go back to Eric empty handed.

Come on man.

Just give me a trout, give me a redfish, give me anything.

LANE: Well, you're getting something there.

GORDON: Yep.

LANE: There you go. Stay with him.

Get him in the net, get your net, get your net, get your net.

Get him in that net before he get's off.

GORDON: (bleep)!

LANE: Yeah!

GORDON: Woohoo!

LANE: God, that lure came right out of his mouth.

You see what I'm saying?

That net's your best friend brother.

GORDON: Man, boy you said, get it in there quick.

(bleep). Woo! Finally! Oh ma!

LANE: Watch he don't, watch he don't shake, he's going to shake.

GORDON: Oh my god.

LANE: Watch he don't shake, watch he don't shake, he's going to shake.

GORDON: I (bleep) love you.

Oh bam!

LANE: Here we go, that's Chandeleur Island trout at its best.

GORDON: Good job. Man.

Now making my way further inland, I'm reminded yet again that everything I see is within that flood zone.

There's no telling if and when all of this in front of me could be lost at sea.

But for now, this is where you'll find the best freshwater ingredients, in the surrounding ponds and marshes.

So I'm meeting with two seafood restaurateurs who have promised to teach me all there is to know about a Louisiana staple, crawfish.

How are you both?

-What a journey. -How are you?

TIENG: How you doing Chef? NU: Hey, how are you doing?

GORDON: How are you darling.

TIENG: This is my cousin Nu. GORDON: Good to see you.

TIENG: We kind of have a little set up here for you for a little crawfish, how we normally do it in the backyard, but of course this is kind of our backyard.

GORDON: Right. TIENG: But before then, we've got to go get the crawfish.

GORDON: We haven't got them yet?

NU: Not yet.

TIENG: No. GORDON: Where are they?

TIENG: That's what I need you for.

GORDON: They're out there? TIENG: Yes sir.

GORDON: Wow. TIENG: Let's go.

GORDON: So how many traps are out there?

TIENG: Roughly about 900 traps Gordon.

GORDON: 900? TIENG: 900.

GORDON: Are you kidding me?

TIENG: I'm running about three, you're doing the rest.

GORDON: 900?

TIENG: That's it. Captain Wilbur.

GORDON: Wilbur, good to see you. Let's go.

TIENG: Let's go.

GORDON: How old were you when you first started fishing for crawfish?

TIENG: I would say probably like seven or eight.

GORDON: Seven or eight, amazing.

TIENG: That's the only thing we know how to do in the summer.

I was born in Vietnam.

My whole family as a refugee kind of left the country, I don't remember much of it at all.

But as a child, this was what we did, catch crawfish, and we enjoyed every bit of it.

GORDON: The good old days.

TIENG: Yeah, the good old days.

I'm going to load this first one right here.

GORDON: This first one here?

So, lift them up.

TIENG: Lift them up, kinda empty it.

GORDON: There's not that many, you know, little ones go back.

TIENG: Got the next one coming.

GORDON: I'll get this one.

TIENG: You're going to get it?

Let's go.

GORDON: If you don't mind.

Here we go.

(bleep) It's (bleep) empty man.

What the (bleep)?

TIENG: It's not an easy business there Ramsay.

GORDON: So far no good.

This is one ingredient I was banking on, and if the next row of traps don't improve, we're not eating.

Bloody hell.

(bleep) man. Is that it?

TIENG: Lift them up. Kinda empty it.

GORDON: There's not many, you know that?

I'm in the marshes of South Louisiana with local Viet Cajun Tieng.

We're collecting crawfish traps, and so far the haul is as bad as my language.

(bleep)!

These are (bleep) empty man.

What the (bleep)?

TIENG: It's not an easy business there Ramsay.

GORDON: But as we get further into the marsh, the traps begin to fill up a bit.

TIENG: There you go.

GORDON: It's fine that size, no?

TIENG: Yeah, that's the perfect size to (bleep) eat right there.

GORDON: 900 of these (bleep) things?

TIENG: Yeah.

GORDON: Whey!

TIENG: These are a really good size right now.

Are you enjoying it so far Gordon?

GORDON: I love this.

TIENG: There you go, now you're getting a little bit better.

GORDON: That's 900 pots on a daily basis.

Now we've done a handful.

The yield is there, but my god you've got to work with your back.

TIENG: There you go.

GORDON: There's some big ones in there.

These are big.

That was a slow start, but a very strong finish and we got half a basket full.

So in there first off we've got lemon, garlic...

TIENG: That's all base. GORDON: That's your base. TIENG: That's all base.

NU: Here we go, this is our Louisiana seasoning.

GORDON: All that?

NU: All this.

TIENG: Roughly about 20 pounds of seasoning that's going in this baby.

GORDON: All that seasoning.

NU: All this, yes.

More salt, there you go.

TIENG: I'll take this.

GORDON: So... That is crazy.

NU: It's a lot of seasoning, yeah.

GORDON: More seasoning?

TIENG: This is cayenne pepper.

NU: Be careful. GORDON: All of that?

TIENG: All that. Just all of it.

Never enough seasoning.

GORDON: You're crazy.

My goodness me.

Look at this thing.

It's like Harry Potter meets Louisiana.

Bring that up to the boil?

NU: Yeah, let's bring it back to the boil.

TIENG: Something about the south, if you don't, if you under-season it and don't have a bite, they just won't eat it.

GORDON: I can promise you that is not under-seasoned.

Oh my god.

If the heat doesn't kill the crawfish, the seasoning will.

TIENG: So this is pretty much the crawfish that we've just caught, washed and pretty much now we're going to just dump it in there.

There you go. The whole thing.

GORDON: Wow.

And you leave it to soak so all that spice absorbs through the tail.

TIENG: In the head. NU: In the head. GORDON: Oh, in the head.

It's amazing the way they changed color.

NU: Yeah.

GORDON: The very well-seasoned pot hits a rolling boil, so we kill the flame and after a quick 20 minute soak, we're nearly ready to tuck in, but first, Nu shares her secret recipe she often uses to finish the crawfish.

NU: This is our butter garlic sauce.

It has Cajun spice, some celery seed, some lemon pepper.

GORDON: That is delicious.

NU: Yeah, with a lot of garlic.

GORDON: So I've never seen this style before, so what would you call this style?

TIENG: The Viet-Cajun.

GORDON: So it's a sort of cross between a Vietnamese and a Cajun?

NU: Yes.

GORDON: So far I've learned cooking crawfish Viet-Cajun style means when it comes to seasoning, you can't be shy.

Apparently that applies to eating them as well.

TIENG: Oh man.

NU: And then you start enjoying the head, this is the best part here, so I use my nail.

(sucking) That's the best part and that's how you do it.

Everybody eats it differently.

TIENG: Well with me, I just...

I'm a guy so I get down and dirty with it.

NU: That's where all the flavor is.

GORDON: You're chewing the head?

TIENG: Yeah. And then.

For me I just pop it in and take out the meat right there.

GORDON: And push the end.

TIENG: Suck out the meat, that's it.

GORDON: I'm going to go your way, in there like that.

NU: See how the crawfish, you cook it and the meat's so...

There you go.

TIENG: Seems like you've been here your whole life.

GORDON: Now I know why you go through two sacks a day.

TIENG: It's like eating candy, you pop it in your mouth and just...

GORDON: Amazing. Messy but delicious.

I love the take on it.

Now crawfish may not look as glamorous as a beautiful big lobster, but here in Louisiana they're a staple.

At the beginning I thought it was too heavy on the seasoning, but at the end, with that garlic and that butter and that chili, I may cherry-pick some of those cool ideas for the final cook.

My mouth is on fire.

Tieng take care bud.

TIENG: Thank you brother.

GORDON: I'm down to the final day before I go head to head against Chef Eric, and I'm not quite feeling battle ready.

So I've enlisted the help of a local forager, who was raised eating delicacies found in the swamps of Louisiana.

Ponch how are you sir?

PONCH: Hey.

GORDON: Man, what a journey.

Are you good?

PONCH: Yeah, yeah, welcome to paradise.

GORDON: Thank you man, pleasure.

PONCH: You made it, huh?

GORDON: Just. This place is extraordinary.

PONCH: You haven't even seen any of it yet.

You've just been kind of seeing the top end of it, but we're going to get down into there.

GORDON: There's even more magical ingredients somewhere in there.

PONCH: Exactly.

Good thing about Louisiana, we like to eat, like to have a good time, we like to show off for people, and there's something to eat everywhere.

GORDON: Dangerous?

PONCH: It is dangerous, a lot of alligators on this property.

They're typically not aggressive.

GORDON: Right.

PONCH: But we need to give 'em a wide berth if we see any.

GORDON: Are you armed?

PONCH: I've got a knife.

GORDON: Right.

PONCH: Is that good enough?

GORDON: Yeah, I've got my knife, yeah.

PONCH: Right. GORDON: Fingers crossed.

PONCH: Yeah, I didn't bring a shotgun, but I thought about you ahead of time; we got you some waders right over there.

GORDON: Cheers, bud. Thank you.

Chest waders, helmet, knives and ATV's; I've never felt so prepared for a forage in all my life.

PONCH: Are you ready?

GORDON: Yes.

PONCH: Follow me.

GORDON: Nothing can stop me...

Except Louisiana mud.

Oh, bollocks!

GORDON: In Louisiana's uncharted swamps, I'm searching for the freshest ingredients.

And maybe a tow truck.

Oh, bollocks!

(bleep)! It's (bleep) down here, man.

PONCH: Yeah, you know?

GORDON: That was not a good start.

PONCH: If you've got any more boot, now's the time to use it.

GORDON: Oh, no, no, no.

Trust me, they're already full of mud already.

PONCH: Oh, man!

GORDON: That's it, that's it.

PONCH: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That's good, that's good.

I feel like we've done our duty here.

Well, we more or less got him out right now.

GORDON: Gotcha.

Ponch decides it's safer if we walk.

I hope the swamp rats don't eat our ATV's.

PONCH: This is what we call Cajun celery, or chadron.

GORDON: Oh, that's edible?

PONCH: Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, chadron they call it.

In England, it's bull thistle.

So, you chop it up and put it like with vinegar, salt and pepper, just a little simple salad like that.

GORDON: Wow.

That does not look edible does it?

PONCH: No, it doesn't.

I guess that's the idea of the plant is trying to make itself seem as unedible as possible.

So, you ready to tackle this beast?

GORDON: Yeah, so.

PONCH: Alright, off with its head.

GORDON: (bleep) They are sharp, aren't they?

PONCH: Huh-huh. You gotta want it, man.

Way down there.

The more you get, the more we can eat.

So, now you can semi-safely pick it up from the bottom.

GORDON: Wow.

PONCH: And whack all those spines off it.

GORDON: Bloody hell. That's incredible.

PONCH: Yeah.

Light on flavor, but it's watery like that, it's crisp.

It's got those same veins running through it.

GORDON: Certainly now, starting to look like a head of celery.

So, you'd eat this traditionally in a salad?

PONCH: Huh-huh. Yeah.

GORDON: Wow, it's very watery, isn't it?

PONCH: Huh-huh. Watery and crispy.

It's got a bit of flavor to it.

GORDON: It's almost like a cucumber as well.

It's got that cucumber.

PONCH: Huh-huh, you're right.

A lot of edible things outside that you'd eat if you were really in a pinch.

Alright, we'll not get too full on that.

We're after a few more things down there in the swamp; I want to surprise you with this one.

GORDON: Now, this is swamp swamp.

PONCH: Yeah, this more what you're expecting when you come to Louisiana, right?

GORDON: Yeah, crazy.

PONCH: Kinda watch your step through here.

The other thing we're looking for in here is mushrooms.

Do you eat mushrooms?

GORDON: I love mushrooms.

PONCH: Good, good.

These are some real tasty ones; they're oyster cluster mushrooms, the ones we're looking for in here.

It's getting real dark.

Let's hurry up and see what we can do here.

GORDON: There's gotta be snakes in here.

PONCH: Oh yeah.

Nothing you can do about it.

We can't ask 'em to move, we're in their backyard.

But the good thing is, the water is still plenty cold.

GORDON: Gotcha.

PONCH: And so, reptiles and amphibians are gonna not be too spry.

GORDON: Louisiana's humid climate means mushroom hunting happens almost year round.

PONCH: So, what we're looking for is the oyster clusters.

They're gonna be white, fan shaped.

GORDON: Gotcha.

PONCH: Yeah, yeah, look, look.

Alright.

GORDON: You got one?

PONCH: Now we got something going.

GORDON: It's like a little cluster.

PONCH: These are some pretty young ones, just came out a couple of days ago, and you can see these are wadding out just a little bit, and they've lost that color.

They're turning a bit brown.

So, these aren't the biggest ones, but you wanna try one right now?

You like 'em raw?

You like mushrooms raw?

GORDON: Yeah, I love raw.

PONCH: They've got a real good flavor to 'em.

GORDON: They taste peppery, with a hint of apricot, and give me some ideas for tomorrow's big cook.

Really good.

That is a shock for me, just the natural raw flavor of that.

Yeah, it's almost like multiplied by ten, in terms of, and they're not even cooked yet, so.

Butter in a cast iron pan, shallots, garlic, and thyme.

Oh my God.

The sun now finally set, we have one last ingredient to forage.

And this one is best found after dark.

PONCH: Yeah, we're gonna be looking for bullfrogs.

If you're talking about stuff that's out there, good to eat and free, it's hard to beat frogs.

GORDON: Ponch says this here is good old fashioned Louisiana frogging.

This time of year is when the bullfrogs come out of hibernation, and their legs are a local delicacy.

PONCH: The general idea is you shine that light out there, you're looking for the eyes of the frog.

But sometimes, you see its belly or, kind of, a chin showing up.

Hey, look, look! Hey, I see some.

You see 'em?

GORDON: No. Is that a frog? (bleep) yes.

PONCH: Keep your headlight on his eyes, don't move, don't move.

GORDON: Oh, there's two.

PONCH: Two of 'em.

Hey, you want to go for the two-for?

GORDON: Where's the (bleep) alligators?

PONCH: Oh, right under the boat.

They agreed not to mess with us on this one.

Put your sleeves up. You got gloves on still.

GORDON: I know. Really?

PONCH: You wet them gloves, I'm going home.

GORDON: (bleep) What's wrong with you?

PONCH: I'm messing with you.

GORDON: (bleep) seriously?

PONCH: Alright now look.

Alright, if you're any good, grab 'em aggressively, catch 'em by the fly.

GORDON: Just at the top of the head?

PONCH: Huh-huh. There you go.

Basket right here.

Oh, nice, nice.

GORDON: That's a big one, man.

PONCH: Yeah, check him out.

GORDON: (bleep).

PONCH: Big old fat legs like we were talking about.

There's a lotta good leg meat right there.

GORDON: Yeah, look at that.

Oh, (bleep) that one's...

PONCH: Uh-oh, get that one!

There you go. There you go, good.

I'm bringing you along all the time.

Two-for-two partner!

GORDON: Now, frogs legs are on my menus, especially across Europe, on all the restaurants.

A huge delicacy.

So nice to be out here in the wild and actually catch your very own.

These things are beautiful though.

Do they get bigger than this?

PONCH: Oh, a hair maybe but that's a pretty darn big frog right there.

(smooch) GORDON: Let's go.

It's so hard to see, look, they're same color as the lilies.

All I need now is a (bleep) alligator to pop up and eat it.

PONCH: I can't see 'em, you need to get closer?

GORDON: A touch more, a touch more.

PONCH: Yeah.

There you go, three in a row, man!

You're a natural.

GORDON: (bleep).

Who knew I was a frog whisperer?

I could stay here all night, but I've got a job to do tomorrow, and right now I've got the oddest list of ingredients, this side of Hogwarts.

I can't wait to taste them.

It will take some real magic to pull it all together.

GORDON: Five days ago, Chef Eric Cook sent me deep into the Louisiana Bayou.

I've faced down sharks, gators, giant bullfrogs, crawfish and rats the size of a hog.

Eric!

ERIC: Hey-hey, good to see you.

GORDON: Likewise, man.

ERIC: Good to see you made it back alive, in one piece.

GORDON: Just.

ERIC: Just one piece.

GORDON: You've started already, right?

ERIC: Oh, I got a jump on you, you know?

I was waiting for you but...

Look at that.

GORDON: Wow, so you're literally toasting that off.

ERIC: Oh, absolutely.

GORDON: Oh, what a week. What an incredible week.

I understand now.

ERIC: You understand the diversity a little bit?

GORDON: Incredible.

From the Chandeleur Islands to the middle of the swamp.

The bullfrogs.

ERIC: Oh man, amazing huh?

GORDON: And the nutria, by the way, oh my God!

How big are those things?

ERIC: They get big.

GORDON: Honestly, they're like black Labradors.

ERIC: Oh yeah, with those big gnarly teeth in the front.

GORDON: Bloody tasty though.

I've swam with sharks, I've dodged the alligators.

And after surviving an experience and all that, I strongly believe that I'm set up for this amazing cook.

Eric's a talented, incredible chef, so fingers crossed.

I just wanna get that roux on and get that thing dark.

Dark and smoking.

This roux will serve as a hearty base for my gumbo.

If the roux is wrong, my gumbo won't be right.

ERIC: Are you doing a gumbo, already?

GORDON: I am.

I'm cooking that out.

ERIC: That's a good color.

Look at that.

GORDON: I mean, I've never taken a roux this dark.

Like a drill instructor, Eric has led me through my basic training.

Now, we're going head to head, to see who makes the best roux.

ERIC: Now, I'll tell you, getting that roux that color is what you want, you know, that almost, you know, fudge like peanut butter color and depth.

Whole different level.

And now you're doing something different than I am, right, on your gumbo?

What you got going on?

GORDON: Chicken and andouille.

ERIC: Yeah, I'm gonna do wild boar and homemade venison.

GORDON: I can learn the ingredients fairly quickly, but according to Eric, the secret to gumbo isn't what you put inside; it's what inside you.

ERIC: Gumbo changes block to block, everywhere in South Louisiana.

When you find that you get that smell, you get that love, feel that soul right?

And that's what we talked about when we're doing these dishes, when we sent you out earlier in the week.

GORDON: Well, you said "understand it" didn't you?

ERIC: Right. You gotta feel it in your soul.

Now, I've something I wanna show you.

GORDON: That's beautiful.

ERIC: Isn't that gorgeous?

These are nice, this is a select crab.

GORDON: Are they from the Gulf?

ERIC: Yeah. Well, these are right out in these marshes.

GORDON: So, the meat you're gonna take out of the claws, right?

ERIC: We're gonna stick in all in here, just like this.

GORDON: So, you keep the whole thing whole?

ERIC: Just like this.

We're gonna start with redfish coubion.

I mean, look at that guy.

Look at that fish.

GORDON: That's beautiful.

ERIC: I mean, that's all spotty tail right there.

GORDON: Love that.

ERIC: You've got those beautiful frog legs over there.

Look at the meat how tender and white and delicious.

GORDON: Yeah, I'm gonna dust in a little bit of flour, and a touch of paprika, cayenne.

They need a little bit of heat in there.

ERIC: Spectacular, huh?

You know, folks tend to over think the ingredients that we have down here, and sometimes you just let 'em speak for themselves.

You know what I mean?

GORDON: Absolutely.

So, you've stuck the whole redfish on there like that?

ERIC: I did, yeah.

GORDON: Wow. That's beautiful.

ERIC: Now, look at those guys, huh?

GORDON: I was just amazing at the size of the bullfrogs.

ERIC: This is all beautiful, but I've noticed no nutria on the menu, huh?

GORDON: It's a tough one.

It's a tough one.

There's that little bit of skepticism still going on in terms of...

ERIC: Rat in the kitchen. GORDON: So, rat in the kitchen.

This trout hasn't got anywhere near the strong hold the redfish has, so I'm gonna start cooking it in these incredible satsumas, okay.

ERIC: That's the way to do it.

Let it all just speak for itself.

GORDON: So good.

ERIC: Satsuma and blood orange.

GORDON: If you give me the little clue, trust me, I'm gonna piece it together.

ERIC: I think I gave you too much.

GORDON: Huh? Oh, stop it. Come on.

ERIC: I'm mad now. GORDON: Really?

ERIC: No, I'm not mad. GORDON: Come on.

ERIC: I'm not mad at all.

Shrimp. Shrimp.

GORDON: Our dishes nearly complete and just in time.

Hi guys.

Ladies, hello, welcome.

MAN: Hey, hey, hey.

GORDON: The guests have arrived.

Thank you, good to see you.

Hi sir, how are you?

Madam, how are you?

A group of home grown first responders.

These volunteers rescue storm victims, often giving supplies and food to those in need.

It's an honor to cook for them.

But I'm feeling the pressure to deliver those home cooked Cajun flavors they deserve.

ERIC: You know, what better than this?

You know, get a bunch of folks together, cook 'em a home cooked meal, that's the southern hospitality.

We're lucky we have such a great community round here, right?

GORDON: They're all in one, right?

ERIC: That's it, cause we're all spinning around the big planet together, right?

GORDON: I'm gonna quickly sauté off those oyster mushrooms.

I literally found them in the, sort of, right in the middle of the bark, and a little cluster underneath.

But I'm gonna use that bacon fat, with a little bit of a garlic, and that's me.

You good?

ERIC: I'm good.

I think my barbecue shrimp are there; I'm liking the way they're looking, like the way they're tasting.

I know, this gumbo's ready.

GORDON: Can you imagine all those marines now saying, "Why didn't you cook like that for me?"

ERIC: I bet a lot of 'em are right now.

They're saying, "Where was that when we were overseas, man?"

GORDON: That is it, look.

I'm gonna sprinkle them over.

ERIC: Oh my goodness, yeah.

GORDON: And just knock them over.

Oh my God.

And that finishes off my cassoulet of frogs legs.

ERIC: Yep. Excellent job.

I feel good about it.

GORDON: You're one tough (bleep)!

Putting the finishing touches on my gumbo, we're nearly ready to serve up this Cajun feast.

But I've got one last play I think will even the odds.

I just hope Eric will go for it.

GORDON: Under the direction of Chef Eric, I've learned how to thrive off the ingredients found in the hostile wetlands of South Louisiana.

ERIC: That's a good color.

Look at that.

GORDON: I mean, I've never taken a roux this dark.

And while I appreciate his guidance, he's ex-military on a mission.

So, I've got one last tactic to level the cooking field.

ERIC: I'm good, how are you?

GORDON: Yeah, all good. That looks amazing.

ERIC: Looks good, huh?

GORDON: Right, a quick suggestion.

You're competitive.

Let's switch these out.

ERIC: The old switcheroo.

GORDON: Can we stop it?

Yeah, but they know you, they don't know me.

So, what do you reckon?

ERIC: Yeah, let's do it yeah.

GORDON: Pass me that ladle please.

You good?

ERIC: I'm ready. GORDON: Let's go.

Good luck.

ERIC: Good luck.

GORDON: Okay. So nice to see you all.

ERIC: How's everyone doing?

MAN: Doing great. ERIC: Excellent.

GORDON: Now, in here we have a venison and wild boar gumbo.

A beautiful trout that has been grilled, finished with a satsuma beurre blanc.

And then my bullfrog frog legs, finished with a cassoulet over an intense heat.

Enjoy!

ERIC: I've got a chicken andouille gumbo, whole roasted chicken, fresh picked, local meat andouille.

Deep, deep dark roux.

Trinity of course.

On the end, I've got a whole redfish coubion, whole blue crabs, cracked, seared down the sauce, local Gulf shrimp, charred lemon squeezed on top of that beautiful tomato sauce.

At the very end, we've got a New Orleans style, or a South Louisiana style barbecue shrimp.

Something you can just dig your hands into and get dirty, and peel and eat.

Enjoy y'all.

MAN: We can do that. ERIC: You got it.

GORDON: Nice to see you all. Please enjoy.

ERIC: Y'all enjoy.

GORDON: I've served Eric's venison and wild boar gumbo, while he served my chicken andouille.

And once this group digs in, I like my chances.

What an amazing table.

ERIC: Yeah, what a great group.

GORDON: Fantastic first responders, but just think what they've done over the last two decades, dealing with some of the torrential, horrific storms.

MAN: Heavenly Father, bless this food we're about to receive.

May it nourish our body.

Lord, thank you for the opportunity to be here, to be able to taste some wonderful food for two world class chefs.

On this amazing honor.

In Jesus' name, amen.

GROUP: Amen.

MAN: Now we can eat.

MAN 2: Boys, this is gonna be better than them MRE's that we're used to.

GORDON: Starting the meal with a blessing, seems a fitting gesture.

WOMAN: That's a good looking roux right there.

That's all I'm saying.

ERIC: Look at them, getting down now.

GORDON: Because watching them tuck into Eric's dishes, I feel like I'd better start praying myself.

Now, look what they're doing to those shrimp.

They are devouring those things.

ERIC: Look at them looking for the eyeballs.

That's the dead giveaway.

GORDON: For now, we'll enjoy the silence that accompanies our Cajun feast.

ERIC: Cracked that crab?

GORDON: He's cracking them with his teeth.

ERIC: Bit it with his mouth.

He just bit it right off.

It's a tough table.

GORDON: It's a very tough table, especially with teeth like that.

ERIC: Alright, let's find out.

GORDON: It's very quiet here.

What happened?

WOMAN: Very good. GORDON: Very good.

Shall we start with the shrimp and the frogs legs?

How were they?

WOMAN: The frogs legs were really good.

ERIC: How do you feel about the old barbecue shrimp down there, with that charred lemon?

MAN: The shrimp were great.

They were a little hard to peel, but the taste was awesome.

ERIC: Yeah, good Gulf shrimp.

We'll call it even, we'll call it even.

Let's get to the fish.

This is what we got here.

How about that redfish?

MAN: This was great.

Everything in it, the crabs, the shrimp, the fish, was really seasoned nice.

WOMAN: But that was amazing. That was amazing.

GORDON: Oh, the trout.

ERIC: I should never have given you the damn satsumas.

GORDON: You gave me the keys.

ERIC: I should have just lied to you and threw 'em on the ground.

GORDON: I was shocked when Eric said, these satsumas are local.

I said, "Really?"

I started tasting them, the strength of them was just incredible.

That's two all, and we're down to our final dish: the gumbos.

While I feel I've captured the essence of that dark, thick Cajun roux, I have no idea who'll come out on top.

The jarhead, or the forehead.

Two gumbos.

How as the venison and wild boar?

MAN: Awesome, first class.

WOMAN: A little spicy though.

That one had a lotta, lotta heat.

GORDON: But a little bit too much spice, or?

WOMAN: I think it was a little too much.

ERIC: Too much spice? WOMAN: Kinda salty.

ERIC: The chicken andouille what do you guys think?

WOMAN: That roux was, yeah.

MAN: That was on point. Deep flavors, man.

ERIC: On point?

MAN: It had a little heat.

That's what we like down here in South Louisiana.

ERIC: I dropped this one off, didn't I?

Didn't I drop this one off?

GORDON: You dropped it off.

The chicken andouille was my gumbo.

ERIC: We switched.

MAN: That kinda reminds me of mama's cooking right there.

GORDON: Oooh! Wow.

MAN: I don't know what you wanna do with that.

GORDON: I'll take that.

ERIC: So, what do you think?

You know, he spent the week out in here in the Bayou down here in South Louisiana, do you think he's got the grasp?

MAN: I think he's got it.

MAN 2: He figured it out so fast.

GORDON: Can I come back?

MAN: Of course. WOMAN: Absolutely.

GORDON: I've had an amazing week so I couldn't think of a more fitting table of guests today.

You're there, in the eye of a storm so, thank you.

WOMAN: Thank you.

GORDON: From the bottom of my heart, continued success and gratitude for all you do.

And you, great job, buddy.

ERIC: My pleasure. Great job! You nailed it.

GORDON: Alright, I'll see you in Scotland next time round.

ERIC: Yes, sir.

GORDON: You ready for Scotland?

ERIC: Oh, am I ready? I'm absolutely ready.

GORDON: You think you can handle it?

ERIC: Absolutely, I can handle it.

GORDON: Thanks guys, take care.

Don't forget to send me that recipe for that gumbo.

ERIC: No.

GORDON: This past week has really taught me a lot on how to survive off this incredible land here, in Louisiana, especially across this very fragile Ecosystem.

And these hearty Cajuns have not only survived but thrived whilst doing it.

And trust me, at the same time, they're enjoying every minute of it.

And on that note, I'm off for my next adventure.

♪ ♪ (engine revving) GORDON: That doesn't sound like a car, that sounds like, oh my goodness.

What a car, man.

Is that him?

DEREK: That's him.

GORDON: Are we good? WILLIAM: Yeah.

(laughing) GORDON: Derek, tell my wife I love her.

DEREK: Alright.

(screeching) GORDON: Holy (bleep)! Woo!

(bleep) bananas, man.

Oh my God!

GORDON: I'm in the legendary Smoky Mountains, a bio diverse wilderness steeped in history.

From the native Cherokee people to moonshiners, to NASCAR, this land has a past as diverse as its cuisine.

And I can't wait to explore it all.

GORDON: Although they call these the Smoky Mountains, rivers are a plenty and I start my incredible journey fly fishing with a legendary local chef, William Dissen.

Now, he said meet me somewhere on the river.

SAM: Hey. GORDON: Hey, good morning.

SAM: Hi, how are you?

GORDON: You're not Chef William, that's for sure.

SAM: I am not, no, no, no. My name is Sam.

GORDON: Nice to meet you.

Uh, you're dressed up as if you're about to climb or?

SAM: Do you wanna meet Chef William?

GORDON: Yes please.

SAM: Okay, yeah, right down this way.

GORDON: He's down here? SAM: Uh-huh.

GORDON: I'm gonna follow you. SAM: Alright, come on down.

So you wanna come this way?

GORDON: Are we there yet?

SAM: Uh, nearly. It's right over here.

GORDON: What the hell is that?

Holy (bleep). Oh my lord!

He's down there?

SAM: He's down there.

GORDON: William! WILLIAM: Hey, Gordon!

GORDON: I'm coming!

WILLIAM: Welcome to Smoky Mountains.

GORDON: Bloody hell. Let's do this, girl.

SAM: Woo!

GORDON: Man.

SAM: This first section's pretty slick, so lean back a bit, take smaller steps.

GORDON: (bleep) this is slippy as (bleep).

GORDON: My journey has just begun and already the mountains are showing me who's in charge.

SAM: Yeah, yeah. GORDON: (bleep)!

SAM: You're fine.

GORDON: Repelling down anything, you need to get that firm grip and then relax.

(bleep).

It's very hard to start that off when you can't even stand up straight.

I've got no grip, (bleep).

And I was literally gliding across those rocks like Bambi on ice.

Halfway down, my rope got stuck.

You're going under that water and it's chilly, so you're holding your breath.

There's a powerful amount of water coming full frontal.

GORDON: It's like taking a cold wet punch to the face over and over.

This is not the southern hospitality I've heard so much about.

(bleep)!

GORDON: When I finally reach the first plateau, I look down and see the sheer rock face and realize I still have a long way to go.

♪ ♪ GORDON: Welcome to the Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina.

That was (bleep) insane.

WILLIAM: Well, you were like Daniel Day Lewis coming down the waterfall, man.

GORDON: Good to see you, bud.

WILLIAM: Yes.

GORDON: William Dissen is a Smoky Mountain's legend, a multi award winning chef, with a focus on fresh, healthy and sustainable food.

He works with a network of local farmers, fisherman, and artisan producers to create some of the best dishes this region has to offer.

GORDON: What an amazing spot.

WILLIAM: This is one of my favorite places to get out of the kitchen, to come and relax.

I've got your gear here, we can head on downstream.

GORDON: Bingo.

GORDON: After that repel, I'm wetter than a Scottish summer and I'm excited to dry off and get out the rod and reel.

GORDON: And they're gonna be what Brook Trout?

WILLIAM: Brook and Brown Trout.

GORDON: And brownies, love that.

My first time in the Smoky Mountains.

WILLIAM: I really love this region because it's such a beautiful place.

You have fertile land and, as you'll find out, lots of wild food everywhere.

And if you look back to the Native Americans and the Cherokee, in particular, who lived in this region, you know, no wonder they decided to make this their home.

It's kind of like a little food-topia.

GORDON: Got ya. What lies beneath?

Oh (bleep). Was that me or you?

WILLIAM: I think it was both of us.

There's a big sense in community and local in this region and so that's really important because at the end of the week, we've gotta cook for all these locals.

And when we cook at the end of the week, I've got a little bet for you.

GORDON: Go on.

WILLIAM: So when you're in the Smoky Mountains, you're gonna need a truck to get around, there's a lot of rugged off road.

I've got a really sweet truck that you can borrow.

GORDON: Oh that'll be nice, thank you.

WILLIAM: Yeah, you're welcome.

I'll let you borrow it though, under one condition.

GORDON: Go on.

WILLIAM: If they like my food better, you fly my family and I to London...

(laughing) GORDON: (bleep).

WILLIAM: And you treat us to dinner at your restaurant.

GORDON: Right. And if I win?

WILLIAM: If you win, I'll let you keep the keys.

GORDON: You are...

Oh, you'll let me keep the truck?

WILLIAM: I'll let you keep the truck.

GORDON: Are you sure?

So game on. I'm competitive.

He's incredibly competitive and I've never competed for a truck.

So extra motivation.

I'm gonna give William a run for his money.

Game on, big boy.

WILLIAM: Let's do it. GORDON: And quick favor.

WILLIAM: What's that?

GORDON: The fact that we didn't catch any, or I didn't catch any trout this morning, any chance you could pull me a couple for the final cook, please.

WILLIAM: I'm sure, I'm sure I could get a few, but that's the last favor I'm doing for you this week.

GORDON: You are competitive.

Uh, listen, tight lines.

Good luck, I'll see you at the end of the week.

GORDON: I want this truck, so I need to get my hands on some of the most unique ingredients found here.

Luckily, I've already got trout on the menu.

GORDON: But here, we have over 2,000 miles of amazing rivers and streams in the Smoky Mountains, so I want more.

Now, William's hooked me up with an amazing craw fisherman and fingers crossed, today I'm gonna get my hands on those beauties.

GORDON: Keith. KEITH: Ah, Chef Ramsay!

GORDON: How are you, sir. Good to see you.

KEITH: Nice, good to see you.

GORDON: Now, Chef William said that we've got a strong possibility of getting more protein ahead of the big cook.

KEITH: Yeah, so I brought a means of transportation for you.

GORDON: Yes. Did you forget them?

KEITH: Chef William explained to me you're a man that enjoys a challenge, so, um, I brought these.

Ha-ha, yeah.

So these are hand paddles.

GORDON: For, for your...

KEITH: This is, no, they go on your hands, see, just like this, um.

GORDON: Hand paddles? KEITH: Yeah.

It's very intuitive.

GORDON: Oh my lord.

KEITH: You've got long arms, I think you're gonna rock this.

Let's get suited up.

GORDON: Let's go captain. I'm in your hands, my man.

This is so beautiful.

KEITH: Yeah.

It's one of the most wonderful things about paddling white water, is you see places few people see.

GORDON: Man.

GORDON: Keith makes using these hand paddles look easy, but it isn't for me.

The only thing harder than paddling with them would be cooking with them.

KEITH: And it should seem rather intuitive, but you wanna just keep your boat in line with the water, you're exposing the side of the boat to catch a rock and tip you out.

GORDON: Kayaks are amazing fun, but when you've got a paddle, you know, you've got so much more control.

KEITH: Go around this. GORDON: (bleep)!

When you're paddling with your hands, then 15, 20 minutes in, you're gonna get tired.

Ah, (bleep).

KEITH: Stay away from that rock!

GORDON: (bleep). KEITH: Oh no!

(laughing) GORDON: This is exactly what I was hoping to avoid.

KEITH: Now you see why I don't want you to touch the rock.

GORDON: Keith, this stays between you, me and the river.

With my ego in check and my frozen nether regions tucked in my stomach, you bet your ass that won't happen again.

KEITH: Alright. Right this way.

Woo-hoo! Nice.

GORDON: It's fine until you get into that fast water.

When you hit that fast water, then you've gotta be a rudder as well, very quickly, and then you've gotta turn left, lean left, turn right.

Lean right.

KEITH: Alright.

You see this little wave, we're gonna clip the left side of it.

GORDON: (bleep) my boots.

And then brace yourself.

KEITH: Nicely done, sir!

Yeah, that's your first class three.

(laughing) GORDON: After sticking the landing on my first class three rapids, I was feeling pretty pleased with myself.

KEITH: Come hard, this way.

Get in the glacier bango, point this way, quickly!

GORDON: But then, out of nowhere, Keith's soothing southern drawl takes on an urgency I haven't heard before.

As soon as I realize why, I almost lose my lunch.

GORDON: Keith come back, don't leave me here.

Oh (bleep).

GORDON: The river is pulling me towards raging rapids that drop into a series of vertical waterfalls.

And the last thing I wanna do is die wearing these hand paddles.

GORDON: (bleep).

(rushing water) GORDON: I'm on a river in the Great Smoky Mountains and it appears my day of carefree fun is over.

GORDON: Holy (bleep).

GORDON: Along with possibly my life.

♪ ♪ KEITH: Oh!

(laughing) GORDON: What a moment that was.

That was a big blur for 30 seconds, descending down those rapids because I thought I'd lost it.

And then all of a sudden, boop, you pop up, take a breath and then stay calm.

So what a ride.

GORDON: Smoky Mountain sleigh ride completed, it's finally time to focus on finding the crawfish I came for.

KEITH: This is where our traps are set and hopefully, uh, when we get there, we'll have some protein in 'em!

(laughing) GORDON: Good job, my man.

KEITH: Alright. GORDON: Good job, high-five.

KEITH: So you see what I've got here, I recessed it into the river bottom.

And then inside, um, bacon.

GORDON: Bacon, stop it.

KEITH: Yeah, uh, that's what I had, um.

So hopefully this worked.

I'm gonna just move away the ramps.

As you can see, it's very high tech.

GORDON: Man. KEITH: Woo, look in there, yeah.

GORDON: May I? Oh my God.

KEITH: So we have 28 different species of crayfish in North Carolina.

We don't have the giant ones they have in Louisiana, but they taste about the same.

GORDON: That is incredible, all because of those little bits of bacon.

KEITH: Yeah.

GORDON: Did you design this trap?

KEITH: I did. If you wanna break down the cost of it, um.

The jug was cheese balls and this is a Gatorade, um.

So it was $5 for the cheese balls and at the Dollar Store, that Gatorade was only $1.

So it's a $6 trap, unless you like cheese balls and Gatorade and then you can say it's a free trap.

GORDON: You'd make a lot of money as a chef, you know that?

Making sure there's no waste.

They look amazing.

Oh my God, good job.

Keith is the perfect nut bag, you know to be in a forest with, because he utilizes everything.

So what a trap.

Good news is, tiny bit of bacon and we got a dozen crawfish.

Big cook, in a couple of days.

I don't know if that's gonna be enough.

KEITH: Oh we have more traps.

I went all out.

There's $24 worth of traps out here, so.

GORDON: I'll take care of that.

Amazing.

♪ ♪ Now the Smoky Mountains are one of the oldest mountain ranges anywhere in the world and also one of the most biologically diverse.

Amongst these trees are some of the best ingredients a chef could ever ask for, mushrooms.

GORDON: Alan. ALAN: Hey.

GORDON: How are you, sir, are you well?

ALAN: Yeah, great. How are you doing?

GORDON: Good to see you. Uh, congratulations.

They say that you are the best forager and I would love some mushrooms for the final cook.

ALAN: Well there's some right here, watch your step.

GORDON: Oh (bleep). No stop it.

ALAN: Uh-huh. GORDON: So it is.

ALAN: Uh-huh. GORDON: And what is that?

ALAN: That is a Boletes, like a Porcini.

GORDON: These are beauties.

Obviously, I'm gonna need more than three mushrooms.

ALAN: Well let's get in the woods.

GORDON: Let's get in the woods.

This is a beautiful trail, my goodness me.

ALAN: This is super bio diverse area.

GORDON: Wow.

ALAN: We have more here than probably anywhere outside of the tropics in the whole hemisphere.

GORDON: Serious. ALAN: Keep your eyes open.

GORDON: Yes.

GORDON: My eyes are open and I'm ready to spot some fantastic ingredients.

GORDON: Oh look at that one there.

ALAN: Yeah. GORDON: How bright is that?

ALAN: Oh. Oh!

GORDON: Just as I reach down to grab what looks like a perfect mushroom.

GORDON: That is so beautiful. ALAN: Uh-huh.

GORDON: Alan stops me in my tracks.

ALAN: Yeah, it's gorgeous but, you know, that could be deadly.

GORDON: Really? Seriously?

ALAN: Uh-huh. GORDON: My God.

ALAN: They're called Destroying Angel, the deadly one.

GORDON: Wow. Is that poisonous?

ALAN: Yeah, one will work.

GORDON: Bloody hell, so no eating those.

GORDON: Unfortunately, our first find could have killed my guests before the second course.

After that, you'll never get a decent Yelp review.

ALAN: Oh great, check it out. See this?

GORDON: What is that?

ALAN: This is basically a puff ball on a stick.

They call it hot lips because of the mouth right there.

And if I'm lucky, when I squeeze this.

GORDON: (bleep). ALAN: See what came out.

GORDON: Wow.

ALAN: It's edible, it's just like rubber bands.

GORDON: Gotcha. ALAN: But, you know.

GORDON: But not very flavorsome.

ALAN: No, just chewy.

GORDON: Our second find wasn't gonna kill the guests, but something that spits in their face isn't going on my menu.

ALAN: Alright, we're off roading it now.

GORDON: Off roading.

(laughs) Oh.

ALAN: Keep your... Oh. GORDON: Come on.

ALAN: You did it. GORDON: Bloody hell.

Look at that. Now that, that right there.

ALAN: That's the prize. GORDON: Is the money.

Oh my God.

ALAN: You hit it.

GORDON: So is that the head? ALAN: Yeah, this is it.

GORDON: Bloody hell.

GORDON: Hen of the woods is not only unique and beautiful, it's one of the best tasting mushrooms on earth.

ALAN: I would just come under and try to, don't even slice.

GORDON: Just lift it up?

ALAN: Yeah, yeah, it should come out whole.

GORDON: Wow. ALAN: Yeah.

GORDON: That is beautiful. ALAN: Thank you.

GORDON: Oh my God.

It's almost like a beautiful piece of coral, isn't it?

ALAN: Like a sculpture, yeah.

GORDON: Look at that.

ALAN: I think you got what you needed.

That's, that's gonna be a feast.

GORDON: That is beautiful.

Almost looks like a piece of art.

It's like a bloody flower arrangement, look at that.

ALAN: Uh-huh.

GORDON: But this is the money, let me tell you.

This is gonna give me a little edge.

I know William's busy.

I know this is his home town, he's got a very successful restaurant, but he's not out foraging the way I am.

So 1-0 to Ramsay.

ALAN: I hope that gives, uh, William a run for his money.

GORDON: Thank you.

That's gonna kick his ass, man.

ALAN: That I wanna see.

GORDON: I've already got some incredible ingredients that, fingers crossed, I'm gonna impress my guests.

But I know another way to try and win them over, alcohol.

And, as you can see, I'm in the absolute perfect spot because, right here, is called the moonshine capital of the world.

GORDON: I'm meeting with a family that operates a legal distillery in town.

But today, they're showing me how this corn whiskey was made the old fashioned way, deep in the woods hidden away from prying eyes and a Sheriff's shot gun.

GORDON: Derek, how are you, captain?

DEREK: Great, nice meeting you.

GORDON: It's an absolute pleasure.

What an amazing drive up and I'm excited to, fingers crossed, get my hands on some moonshine.

DEREK: We can make that happen.

GORDON: Amazing.

What's so special about your moonshine?

DEREK: We've got an old family recipe that goes back about 200 years.

GORDON: Wow.

How long have you been making moonshine for?

DEREK: Oh, I started when I was 14 year old.

GORDON: You're not allowed to drink till you're 21.

DEREK: I, I know.

GORDON: My mom got me on whiskey at the age of 12.

She put it on my tooth to numb a toothache.

DEREK: Right. It'll do it.

GORDON: Mom gave me whiskey at the age of 12 for a toothache.

This guy's been drinking moonshine, you know, since the age of 14.

Listen, we're brothers, we're joined at the hip.

We're joined by moonshine.

DEREK: Let's start shelling right here.

It takes a lot of corn.

GORDON: Derek is gonna show me how moonshine was made back in the day.

No shortcuts, just good old 100 year old technology and some dried corn kernels.

GORDON: Man, it's like going for a workout at the gym, this thing.

(rattling) How old is this thing?

DEREK: That's a 1906. GORDON: 1906?

DEREK: I think it is. GORDON: Man.

GORDON: It takes a little bit of elbow grease, but this rusty machine does the trick, sheering the kernels clean off the cob.

(rattling) DEREK: I think that'll do.

GORDON: Straight in? DEREK: Yep, put that in.

GORDON: The second step is to get the kernels ground down with some more state of the art machinery.

GORDON: So this is 1906, how old is this thing?

DEREK: This is 1918 to 1921.

GORDON: Now, how do we start this baby, where's the on button?

DEREK: We gotta crank the tractor.

GORDON: Hold on a minute, we have to start the tractor to get this machine on?

DEREK: Right.

GORDON: Speaking of age, the quickest way to turn me into a nine year old boy is to put me on a tractor.

GORDON: I had no idea we were making moonshine with a tractor, trust me.

And in the bloody rain.

DEREK: We're in rain, man. GORDON: We're in the rain!

Oh (bleep) my foot.

DEREK: That's good, right there.

GORDON: Moonshine! DEREK: That's it. We're go.

GORDON: It's too, uh...

That's incredible.

GORDON: As the corn grinds, I remember that making moonshine is illegal and I'm not sure where the line is, where I go from internationally renowned chef to guy in a Smoky Mountain jail cell.

GORDON: Into the bag?

Are we gonna get busted by the cops?

I've got a wife and five kids?

I ain't got no criminal record.

DEREK: Okay, alright.

GORDON: What we doing with this now?

DEREK: We're gonna load it up in Cody, my son's, car...

GORDON: Is that him? DEREK: That's him.

GORDON: That doesn't sound like a car, that sounds like, oh my goodness.

(engine revving) Cody.

CODY: How's it going? GORDON: How are you, captain?

CODY: Good to meet you.

GORDON: Good to see you, my man, we good?

CODY: Yeah.

GORDON: We're going up to the still, right?

CODY: Oh yeah, come on in.

GORDON: What a car, man.

Derek, tell my wife I love her.

DEREK: Alright. GORDON: Let's go.

GORDON: I was worried about getting arrested.

(tires screeching) Now I'm worried about staying alive.

GORDON: (bleep)! Holy (bleep)!

(tires screeching) GORDON: Holy (bleep)! Woo!

GORDON: I'm here in the Smoky Mountains getting a crash course on moonshine and fast cars.

In fact, NASCAR's roots stem from moonshiners racing their illegal hooch through the snaking back roads, trying to avoid the Feds.

And the way Cody drives, the Feds don't stand a chance.

GORDON: Woo! Holy (bleep)!

CODY: That's how you drive a Hot Rod.

GORDON: We've gotta walk from here?

CODY: Yeah, all the way up to the top of the mountain here.

GORDON: Okay.

GORDON: Normally, moonshine is made at night, under the cloak of darkness.

Lite only by the light of, you guessed it, the moon.

GORDON: Bloody hell. This is it?

CODY: Yes sir.

GORDON: How long has this set up been like this?

CODY: The still is over 100 year old family still.

GORDON: Wow.

CODY: In general, you'd wanna move 'em from time to time, you know.

GORDON: So as we're not found out?

CODY: Yeah, yeah.

It's all gotta be put up right before you use it and then hidden.

GORDON: But this is serious stuff, this stuff, right?

CODY: Yeah. GORDON: Is this bit legal?

CODY: Well, depends how you look at it.

GORDON: Why?

CODY: This is legal to make the beer.

If you distill it, then it's illegal.

GORDON: Got ya.

CODY: First thing we're gonna do is, um, go ahead and put your corn in.

And then we'll do what's called cooking it.

Take this hot water we got over here and we dump it in and we'll stir it up.

GORDON: (bleep).

Go back decades and what moonshiners put up with, you know, how much graft went into making this stuff.

We take it for granted now and we see it in the shiny bottles, but this is where it all started.

CODY: The water start going in.

GORDON: Oh (bleep).

CODY: Oh you'll spill some, don't worry about that.

It happens, it's a messy process.

GORDON: That's right up to the top now.

CODY: Alright. GORDON: Yeah.

CODY: So the next step would be to light it.

Now if you do that, it's illegal, you're, um, breaking, you know, federal law.

A pretty serious one.

GORDON: I need to find a way of getting one over William, so we have no moonshine ready?

CODY: I got some. GORDON: Okay.

CODY: Same recipe, same everything.

This is brewed in my distillery in Nashville.

GORDON: Got ya.

GORDON: The only difference between the outlawed hooch made in the back woods and the legal stuff Cody makes now is taxation and permits.

GORDON: 50% alcohol. CODY: Yeah.

GORDON: But Cody assures me my taste buds won't know the difference.

GORDON: Cheers, man. You gonna take a swig?

CODY: Hell yeah, I'll drink out of the jar.

(coughs) GORDON: (bleep).

(coughing) I feel like a (bleep) flame thrower.

(laughs) GORDON: Is that not strong for you?

CODY: No, no. I'm used to it. GORDON: Oh my God!

(coughs) CODY: I do have a toned down version, if you want the apple pie.

GORDON: So this is the apple one?

CODY: Yeah. GORDON: So, may I?

CODY: Yeah, go for it.

(coughs) GORDON: Oh, sweet as well. CODY: Yeah.

GORDON: And a nice, sort of almost like a caramel flavored apple at the end.

That's the winner.

I'm hoping things like that moonshine, especially the apple caramel moonshine can help elevate this thing.

Good man.

North Carolina is the second largest producer of hogs across the whole of the USA, so there's no way I'm going into the final cook without pork.

GORDON: With only two days before I go head to head with William, I'm on my way to meet a super talented butcher who prepares something the locals rave about.

(car horn honks) It's called livermush and with a name like that, it has to be good.

GORDON: Matt.

MATT: Hey, how're you doing? GORDON: How are you, bud?

MATT: Good. Good to see you, glad you made it.

GORDON: You good? MATT: Yeah, absolutely.

GORDON: Oh my lord, absolute pleasure.

Now, William said that the livermush is a delicacy.

MATT: Absolutely.

GORDON: From a Chef's point of view, I'm dying to get my hands on it.

What's so special about it?

MATT: It's a staple of western North Carolina.

GORDON: It doesn't sound appetizing.

MATT: It's got a weird name.

GORDON: Livermush. MATT: Yes sir.

GORDON: Is it like eating pressed pork? Is it...

MATT: It's kind of like pate, but in a different way because instead of having a panade in it, it's got corn meal as a binder.

GORDON: And did you say pate?

Cause you've gone all posh on me, a little bit of French in that.

MATT: Yeah, a little bit, a little bit.

And kinda like a southern cousin of pate, if you will.

GORDON: Gotcha.

MATT: Go ahead and dice up some pork shoulder, dice up a little pork liver and we'll add it to our pot of simmering stock over here.

GORDON: Gotcha. Gotcha.

Now, is it something that you would eat Thanksgiving, Christmas?

MATT: It's more of a breakfast food around here.

Absolutely. I'm dead serious.

(laughs) GORDON: Stop. Stop. (bleep) you got the guns on there.

Okay, gotcha.

GORDON: Every layer you peel away from the Smoky Mountain onion is fascinating.

Who would have thought of pork liver as a breakfast staple.

I can't wait to cook this for my kids.

GORDON: So all the pork? MATT: Uh-huh.

GORDON: And what's that just boiling water?

MATT: It's pork stock. GORDON: Pork stock.

MATT: Yes sir.

Fortified it with a few trotters, to give it more gelatin.

GORDON: Trotters are pig's feet.

Between those and the liver, this is shaping up to be one of those sausages most people don't want to see made, but I do.

GORDON: So that cooks for how long?

MATT: About an hour.

GORDON: Shall we take a coffee, a little beer, what shall we do?

MATT: Let's go see the pigs. GORDON: Go see the pigs.

MATT: Yes sir, they're not far.

You're gonna need these.

GORDON: Is it like wallowing deep mud?

MATT: Oh yeah, yeah, we're gonna go to the wallow for sure.

GORDON: Matt, seriously.

GORDON: I've actually raised a few pigs in my time and, if they taught me anything, it's that I never want to raise pigs again.

This won't end well.

GORDON: My God.

♪ ♪ (snorting) GORDON: My God, they are gorgeous.

Beautiful.

ASHER: Hey guys. GORDON: Hi, good morning.

ASHER: Hey, welcome.

GORDON: You good? Good to see you, bud.

MATT: I think I'll drop him off with you, man.

ASHER: Awesome. GORDON: Dude see you later.

ASHER: Let's do it. GORDON: Um...

These are gorgeous.

ASHER: These are. These are our Mamas here, we call 'em sows.

GORDON: Asher has been raising hogs for over 15 years and he tells me what makes these ones special is that they're kept outside year round, which encourages natural behaviors, like rooting and foraging.

GORDON: And the age, how old are they?

ASHER: Uh, these girls are about two and a half.

GORDON: Really.

ASHER: And then Owen, Owen's kind of our senior boar on the scene here, he's about five.

GORDON: Look at him.

Owen, come on, sat there wallowing in mud with four gorgeous pigs around him.

What is he, 400 pound?

ASHER: No these guys pushing, he's probably 600 to 650.

GORDON: Man.

GORDON: Owen is my new hero.

I want him to become my best friend and tell me the secret to keeping my wife happy while I just blissfully lie around in my boxer shorts.

ASHER: We're gonna give him some apples first, just to butter 'em up.

And just like feeding a horse, just kind of stick it out to him.

GORDON: Gotcha Hey man, hey.

Hey, big man. Come on.

Come on, bud.

Hey. Man.

GORDON: Owen wants nothing to do with me, I think he knows I'll never be the player he is.

ASHER: Why don't you get one of these girls, they'll take one.

GORDON: Man, hey, man.

Hey, come here.

ASHER: Oh they're getting pumped.

GORDON: They are beautiful.

ASHER: Well, shall we feed 'em some grain too?

GORDON: Yeah.

Oh. Hey.

ASHER: Here, pig, pig.

GORDON: He is amazing, Owen, my God.

Come on.

ASHER: Take a look on the back, you see the goods.

GORDON: Uh, oh my lord!

(laughs) GORDON: (bleep), like two footballs down there.

That is insane.

GORDON: I wonder what size shoe Owen wears?

ASHER: Spread that bucket over about half of these pales.

GORDON: Gotcha ASHER: Here pig, pig, pig.

GORDON: Jeez. Hey, hey. Hey.

(bleep). (bleep).

ASHER: Yeah, you gotta move quick.

GORDON: You've gotta move very quick.

ASHER: Other things they eat besides the feed here is stuff that's out in the pasture.

GORDON: Gotcha.

ASHER: So they're eating roots and bugs and mushrooms and they forage and that adding parts of flavor in the meat that you don't get from being inside.

GORDON: No.

The pigs, the way they feed.

The Granny Smith treats.

They're moving pens every two or three weeks for a much greater feed.

They're wallowing in the mud 24/7, it's an amazing find, that quality of pig.

I'm gonna head back down and get tucking into this liver, livermush?

ASHER: Livermush, you got it.

GORDON: Good to see you, bud. AHSER: Thank you so much.

GORDON: Beautiful pigs.

They were incredible.

Has that boiled?

MATT: Yes sir.

GORDON: So it has to be very, oh wow.

That's gonna be very gelatinous.

MATT: Yes. We're gonna strain it with this spider over here, we're gonna take the solids out and then we're gonna grind 'em.

GORDON: And that's fully cooked.

I love those little aromats in there as well.

(grinding) MATT: There you go.

Beautiful. Perfect.

Alright, we'll kill that.

Give that a little stir and we'll see what it looks like.

GORDON: And so now it's getting to the mushy part, so.

MATT: Mhm. Now you're seeing why it's named that.

GORDON: That's why it's called livermush.

MATT: We're gonna add one of those containers of corn meal.

GORDON: That's enough? MATT: That's it.

That's ready to go. Yes sir.

And we would pour that into a pan and we would let it set in the fridge and then we would come out and it would look something like this guy right here.

GORDON: Wow, so that's it there.

MATT: That's it there.

And you feel how dense it is now.

GORDON: Yeah, it's very dense.

MATT: Absolutely. GORDON: That's amazing.

So in we go, hot pan.

GORDON: After a quick sear on the grill, we put this on a traditional southern biscuit and tuck in.

GORDON: It's got a beautiful color on there, right?

MATT: It does, it does. Here you go, sir.

GORDON: Thank you.

Oh my God.

(laughs) That is delicious.

MATT: What's better than that?

GORDON: (bleep).

Livermush, doesn't sound the most appetizing on a menu, but let me tell you, honestly, delicious.

It takes me back to my commis chef days in Paris, just getting down to the basic ingredients and transform it into something magical.

Oh my God, wow.

That has got me going, honestly.

MATT: Good, I like it.

GORDON: Uh, wow.

At the beginning of the journey, William's going on about livermush.

I'm like, mush?

Are you kidding me? Liver, mush, really?

I get it now.

So hats off to Smoky Mountain's heritage because it is delicious.

GORDON: Take care. MATT: Yes sir.