You know, people are asking me all the time,
"Hey, Guy, that one joint you checked out
in that one city when you were doing Triple-D,
how're they doin'?"
You know, I don't know. We should check it out.
Over the years, I have seen and tasted it all.
This is ridiculous, dude.
But it turns out it was only the beginning.
'Cause Triple-D joints have been blowing up
and we're going back to see what's cooking.
Like on this trip,
prepare to have your culinary mind blown.
Really?
In Orlando,
there's New York style pastrami
inside an egg roll.
Seriously?
Just a wonderful blend of flavors.
And in Charlotte, North Carolina,
a Nashville hot chicken sandwich.
Here's what's wrong.
-Nothing. -Thank you.
[Guy] And a hot dog spot.
I mean, what more do you need?
Plus a hushpuppy crab cake mash-up.
They're all doing this dance inside your mouth.
[Guy] Sure to make your mouth water.
Well, lookit, perfect them babies are.
My mouth just... you can hear the sirens going off.
Familiar faces, new places,
and more off-the-hook flavors.
This is Triple-D Nation.
Back in 2017, I was in Orlando, Florida,
tracking down a food truck
that was delivery New York style deli meats
to the masses.
These days, he's a lot easier to find
since he's stationed in just one spot.
But he's still rolling out deli favorites to his fans.
This is The Pastrami Project.
-Hey, man. -Let's try the Reuben.
The quality of food that comes out of this one food truck
is amazing.
You would think you're at a New York deli.
Pastrami on rye.
[man] He's taken some classics,
turned them into some unique menu items.
You got Reuben egg rolls.
Ever since Triple-D, it's just been getting more popular.
[Guy] That was bound to happen once rumors started flying
about George Markward's passion for making meat
the old-school way.
How'd you learn to make pastrami?
I went back and looked up old recipes,
old ways and techniques of doing it.
Everything that I'm doing here
is the way they did it 100 years ago.
[man] He uses fresh ingredients every day.
I have never been disappointed.
We did Triple-D in a black truck
in this parking lot.
We hung out and we talked pastrami.
Right.
We're gonna make a brine
for an approachable-sized piece of pastrami.
-Approachable? -Yeah.
Start with pink salt, allspice, coriander,
whole cloves, whole black peppercorn,
nutmeg, mustard seed, bay leaves, red pepper flake,
ginger, cinnamon, a little bit of sugar,
kosher salt, garlic cloves.
Are we gonna let this simmer?
We let it simmer and meld.
-Okay. -We're gonna ice it.
Ice it so we don't poach our meat.
-Exactly. -Got it.
And how long will the flat sit in here?
-A week. -Really?
Let's see what we got.
All right, beautiful brisket.
Then it gets a dry rub of black pepper and...
-Coriander. -Coriander. Got it.
What are we smoking it with?
-Hickory. -What temp are we gonna run at?
[George] About two and a quarter
-about five, six hours. -Yeah.
I'm such a pastrami junkie.
My mouth just... you can hear the sirens going off.
What are we serving it on?
Rye bread with spicy mustard.
[Guy] Oh!
That's a normal portion?
Well, yeah.
Give it a try.
It's tender.
You're not confusing it with a lot of other stuff.
Every bite you get is just creamy, delicious.
I mean, like...
that level of pastrami. Excellent job.
-Thank you. -Excellent job.
Pastrami sandwich.
I was warned to expect a 300 to 500% increase
after it aired.
It was 950.
[Guy] That's awesome.
[woman] His pastrami is the best in town.
He can prepare it any way and it's fabulous.
[George] Take the ingredients of a Reuben
and turn it into a taco or egg roll.
Who would've thought that pastrami and sauerkraut
is fabulous in an egg roll?
But the way George does it, it's wonderful.
[Guy] What did you bring me?
Reuben rolls.
Take some egg roll wrappers,
spicy mustard, Russian dressing.
We'll put a piece of Swiss cheese in here
and then sauerkraut.
Pastrami, dice it in little bits.
Egg roll wrappers have to be sealed.
I'll use the sauerkraut juice
because it's got more flavor than water.
We'll roll 'em up tight.
Then we go to the fryer about seven minutes.
Everything that's in a Reuben in a fried egg roll
with real Russian dressing for a dipping sauce.
It's real Russian dressing?
[George] We start with a premium mayonnaise
and then we add the caviar.
-Seriously? -That's what the little red dots are.
Add Worcestershire sauce, ketchup,
generous portion of horseradish,
onion powder and then it's mixed.
The egg roll's delicious.
It's got great tang, great crunch.
But the fact that you put the caviar in it
to make it real Russian dressing...
It's gotta be real.
Two Reuben rolls.
Super crunchy. And having the pastrami inside,
it's like a sandwich, but in an egg roll.
It just makes it taste even better.
Just a wonderful blend of flavors.
All right, give me an update on how things are.
Now, I heard the truck is parked full-time somewhere?
Yeah. After being on the show,
I started getting comments like, "We can't find you."
-"Where are you?" -I need to be in one place.
-Right? -I put it in one spot,
which is in downtown Orlando.
I get people come off the plane,
they come straight to me.
They flock.
Reuben egg rolls.
There's a lot of food trucks you could choose from.
This one is one of the best.
There's always a line here.
You're the prince of pastrami.
No one's called me that before.
I'd be the mayor of Flavortown having a summit meeting
with the prince of pastrami.
And coming up...
What else did you bring me?
...it seems like we have a lot to discuss.
Braised beef brisket with donkey sauce
on house-made rye.
It is the condiment of the people of Flavortown.
Dude, that's no joke right there.
I'll be right back.
I'm here in Orlando, Florida.
I love this state.
It's got great weather.
You got a real eclectic mix of people.
And with a mix of people like that,
you get great food.
So when I hear there's a dude doing New York style pastrami
out of an old tool truck,
you know I gotta track it down.
Pastrami on rye.
Do most people understand real pastrami?
The people who come come
because they've seen the show.
I get a lot of people like,
"I've had real pastrami in New York City."
-"I've been to Katz's Deli." -It's like, "Here, have a taste."
"Aah! Where have you been?"
It's like, "I've been right here."
Lox on a bagel with cream cheese, onions and capers.
Everything that he does is pretty much from scratch.
So that always makes a huge difference.
Just like being on a street side of New York City.
[George] I do tell people
I try to be the New York deli here in the southeast US.
Brisket sandwich with donkey sauce.
The best brisket I've ever had.
[Guy] What is this monster?
This is the braised beef brisket with donkey sauce
on house-made rye.
Years ago, you made the mistake of saying aloud
how to make donkey sauce.
I think... No. You know what--
I took notes.
I celebrate that you appreciate donkey sauce
because it is the condiment of the people of Flavortown.
-I kick it up a little bit. -Talk to me about it.
We start with garlic, confit'd,
add salt, pepper, Worcestershire,
a generous amount of onion powder.
We're gonna add mayonnaise.
Spicy brown mustard.
So, what do you think?
The donkey sauce is donkey sauce plus.
Donkey sauce XL.
This braised-- Are we braising it?
-It's braised in its own fat. -Okay.
Generously salt and pepper it.
Cook at 400 degrees for three and a half hours.
It's perfectly seasoned and just let the meat speak for itself.
Absolutely.
The rye is real rye. And you make this rye?
I make my own bread.
-Okay. -Right in the truck.
In the truck?
[George] We're gonna start with water.
Sour cream, yeast, salt, unbleached flour,
caraway seeds, sugar, wheat gluten, rye flour.
And then we knead.
Then we'll let it rise and we'll bake it in the oven
for about 400 degrees for one hour.
You have definitely been anointed
in the donkey sauce crew.
I love it.
Brisket sandwich with donkey sauce.
The meat is tender. The sauce is fantastic.
Excellent bread. I enjoy it every time.
The brisket is to die for.
Very moist and tender, juicy.
Worth the mess on your face.
You knew you were missing it as soon as you tasted it.
[Guy] You're a culinary celebrity.
Well, I try.
Congrats, man. I'm very happy for you.
Delicious. When you make the commitment.
But that's how you've been
about the whole Pastrami Project.
[George] Right.
I'd call the project a success.
-Thank you. -Well done.
Coming up in Charlotte, North Carolina...
And why do you call it the... [fumbling word]
...a very specific kind of spot...
It's like a hot dog emporium.
Thank you. We take it very seriously here.
...is going rogue.
[woman] They do wings.
Onion rings up.
That's legit, man.
[Guy] In the quaint city of Charlotte, North Carolina,
you might be expecting me to hit up barbecue joint
after barbecue joint.
But in a big-hitter town like this,
you can expect way more than just barbecue.
So, in 2016, I went exploring
and I found a place dedicated to the dog.
So, obviously, you know I had to check it out.
This is JJ's Red Hots.
I got a smoked cheddar jalapeno brat with rings.
The best place to hit for a hot dog is JJ's.
Cheddar jalapeno brat.
Guy definitely chose one of the best restaurants in Charlotte.
I've got a Southern Girl with tots.
It takes hot dogs to another level.
[Guy] And the family raising the bar
on the humble hot dogs,
that's Jon and Melissa Luther
plus their kids, Jack and Jesse,
the two namesakes of this place.
The kids are gonna take this over.
They're gonna retire you to Miami, son.
I gotta teach my son how to mop a floor first.
-But, yeah. -Oh, no, I started my son, Hunter,
washin' dishes for the first two years.
[man] We've watched the kids grow up here.
For us, as a family,
it's kind of just the place to go.
Great atmosphere, great people, great food.
It's like a hot dog emporium.
Thank you. We take it very seriously here.
JJ's has such a wide variety of items,
especially when it comes to the hot dogs.
[man] My favorite thing on the menu
will be the Chili Cheese Coney.
Chili, some cheese and some diced onions on top.
We got our chargrilled Sahlen's dog.
A little bit of chili.
Jack and cheddar cheese.
And then some finely-chopped onions on there.
You don't want 'em too big.
The Chili Cheese Coney.
[Guy] Here's what's wrong.
-Nothing. -Thank you.
Here's what's right.
Everything.
I got a Coney with fries.
It was really cool to see Guy have the Chili Cheese Coney
since that's my favorite hot dog.
They have so many different types of hot dogs,
I can't even count 'em.
My favorite thing at JJ's would probably be the Kasekreiner.
I got a Kasekreiner with tots!
It's a traditional Austrian style sausage.
-[Guy] Let's do it! -We got pork butt.
-85/15 chuck. -Okay.
We got, uh, kosher salt,
-ground mustard, white pepper... -A lot of it.
...a little garlic powder
and a little bit of sugar for a little bit of sweetness.
We're gonna go into the mixer.
-We're gonna whip it-- -Nice guard!
I was so thinking about wearing a neck tie
and then trying to make sausage at the same time.
-Yeah, don't do that. -And you can't do it now.
We'll get that incorporated a little bit.
Then we gotta add the ice water.
Take it up a notch.
Now this nice beautiful cubed Emmentaler cheese.
-[Guy] Emmentaler. -It's an aged Swiss.
Into the big sausage press.
Now get your casing on there.
Nice and easy.
-Link it off. -Yup.
So we're gonna take this and smoke this also?
[Jon] We do hickory at about 225.
About an hour and a half.
All right, what are we making?
House-made hot blonde mustard.
Do the voodoo that you do.
Okay. A little ground mustard powder.
-[Guy] There you go. -Kosher salt,
paprika, turmeric for color, a little cayenne...
[Guy] Got it.
...garlic powder, cumin.
And then our wet ingredients, of course.
-We have cider vinegar-- -Our wedding ingredients?
-Wet ingredients. -Wedding ingredients.
Wedding ingredients.
You gotta marry everything together.
All right, here we go. Cider vinegar.
We have our own sweet pickle brine.
And then we do our own pickled jalapeno.
-Got it. -A little bit of clover honey.
This is our Carolina Blonde Ale.
Finally, our horseradish.
-[Guy] Whoa! -Whisk it all together.
[Guy] It's gonna go on top of this dog?
[Jon] Correct.
And why do you call it the... [fumbling word]
[Jon] That's how they call it in Austria.
Kase means cheese in German.
-Okay. -And then kreiner means kreiner.
Oh! Kreiner means kreiner.
Kasekreiner right here on our potato roll.
Then we're gonna hit that with a little kraut.
[Guy whistles]
[Jon] House-pickled red onion.
Hot blonde mustard.
Plate this up now with our fresh-fried onion rings.
And that is our Kasekreiner.
That's legit, man.
There's good snap of that casing.
The hot blonde mustard works in there perfectly.
The little char from the grill is really the kicker.
[Jon] After Triple-D was here,
the Kasekreiner became quicky
our biggest-selling sausage.
But, uh, we don't do just hot dogs.
Onion rings up.
Smoked wings, Ogre Sauce.
[woman] They do wings,
the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich.
I mean, what more do you need?
We got a Nashville hot chicken for Triple-D Nation.
The Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich is amazing.
Three chicken tenders, it has honey sriracha on it.
It's sweet with that little kick to it.
Now we're making the breading for our Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich.
paprika, chili powder, kosher salt, sugar,
onion powder, garlic powder, some cayenne, black pepper.
Add that spice mix to our all-purpose flour.
Next step is we take chicken tenders
and we put 'em a little bit of a dredge.
Go into the fryer for about three minutes.
We go three tenders on here.
And then we're gonna top that
with our beautiful honey sriracha
and our fried jalapenos.
And we do our own pickled jalapenos.
[Guy] Can I teach you how to say that word correctly?
-Which? -Jalapeno.
-"Jalapeno." My bad. -Jalapeno.
-What did I say? -Jalapee-no.
-That's wrong? -Jalapeno.
-I mean, I wanna give you like street cred.
-Got it. Right -Jalapeno.
-Jalapeno.
[laughs] I learned a lot that day.
And here I have the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich.
The spiciness balances with the sweet really well
and you just can't really find it anywhere else.
[man] It has this wonderful heat to it
that's not overbearing.
And the fried jalapenos on top are amazing.
Just for science, I'm gonna take one more bite.
And I don't-- of course, I don't need it.
[man] Guy definitely took this place to another level.
It deserved that level,
but it's really cool to see them
get the credit they deserve.
JJ's would be the first place I recommend
for somebody to come when they come to Charlotte.
Did you hear 'em?
-What? -Hot dog angels.
-Were they singing? -Oh, they were singing.
And next up,
we're going across town...
Even in Charlotte, it's gotta be about Guy.
...to a Triple-D double-dipper...
Do you remember the Penguin?
Everybody remembers the Penguin.
...that's going full throttle.
We basically have everything
but the kitchen sink in this one.
It was 2015, when my buddy,
NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer, and I were racing
and reminiscing all around Charlotte, North Carolina.
Do you remember the Penguin?
Everybody remembers the Penguin.
[Guy] A funky little joint and a great time.
The more homemade stuff we can do, I think the better.
Well, it closed. But the guy, Greg, opened up a new joint
over here on the west side.
Now, there aren't many Triple-D restaurants
that have been around the block twice
for two different places.
But, this guy, well, he was definitely worth the repeat visits.
This is Pinky's Westside Grill.
Triple G, pimento cheese.
Pinky's vibe is 10 out of 10.
Nothing like it in Charlotte.
[woman] It's just a lot of really unique stuff
that you're not gonna find on a menu anywhere else.
Velvet Elvis comin' up.
[woman 2] I was here the first time that Guy came.
I was seven. So it was a little while ago.
[Guy] Think I can pick up a little part-time gig here?
-[Greg] Oh, yeah. -Wow.
-That's pretty out of bounds, huh? -Yeah, that's awesome.
That was back in 2007.
Then I stopped by Greg Auten's new place in 2015.
Things have changed. To see how you reopened.
It's bigger.
It's badder.
[woman] I love that there's a car on top of Pinky's
because it used to be a Volkswagen garage.
[Guy] It was called Triple "G" Automotive?
-Yup. -I thought when you called this the Triple G Burger,
it was Guy's Grocery Games.
Even in Charlotte, it's gotta be about Guy.
Ding Dong Chicken in the window.
[man] It's got everything from salads
to wings to burgers.
Asian Pork Burger up.
All right, what are we making?
Korean barbecue sauce for the Asian Pork Burger.
We're going in with soy sauce, sesame oil...
[mocking Greg's drawl] Sesame "ole."
You have that in the South.
...black pepper, fresh garlic, rice wine vinegar,
fresh ginger, one Granny Smith apple.
That's the key right there.
[Greg] Sriracha sauce.
I don't know. That could it right there.
Brown sugar.
And I'm thickening it with a cornstarch slurry.
So this cooks down, you hold that as a sauce,
it goes to the burger.
Now we're into the pork burger itself.
Fresh ground pork, cilantro, garlic, green onions,
rice wine vinegar, five-spice powder,
-sesame oil here... -Sesame "ole."
...dried mint, sriracha sauce.
I'm big on sriracha.
Sriracha's good stuff, man.
[Greg] Sambal chili paste, red curry paste.
We basically have everything
but the kitchen sink in this one.
[Greg] Fish sauce.
That's actually an adjustment on a race care. You know that?
-What, fish sauce? -"Everything but the kitchen sink."
-It means-- -You're all over the track.
See? He knows.
Chili flakes, curry powder,
lime juice and mirin rice wine.
We're just going hands in.
Let these cook up a nice little crust on 'em.
[Greg] Yup.
A little bit of the glaze.
The cilantro and honey slaw.
You know, you always wonder how these restaurants get on this show.
You don't wonder anymore if you try that.
The balance of the flavors. The crunch of the slaw.
When the sauce kicks in, that's the best.
-Real deal, man. -Got all that stuff in?
Damn right.
Korean Pork Tacos.
Greg's always adding new stuff to the menu
like the Korean Pork Tacos.
It's really just like that burger
with the same sauce and the slaw.
It's awesome.
[Greg] Start with the Boston butt.
Cut some holes in it.
We're gonna insert garlic cloves.
Cut lines in it.
Some olive oil, you season.
Some cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, dried oregano,
chili powder.
We're gonna put in some bay leaves.
We're gonna cover it.
We're gonna put it in, 300 degrees for eight hours.
That's ready.
We're gonna shred.
crisp it up a little bit on the flat top here.
Flour tortillas.
Pork.
We top it off with our house-made cilantro and honey slaw.
Sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, mayonnaise, granulated garlic,
seasoning salt, red onions, carrots, cilantro,
honey.
Back in with our hands.
Now we're gonna finish it off.
Korean barbecue sauce
that I made with Guy on Triple-D.
Korean Pork Tacos.
[woman] The Korean barbecue sauce has like a good punch to it.
The honey cilantro coleslaw is good on everything.
And the pulled pork is always moist, tender,
so delicious.
You can't help but just make a mess of it.
[Greg] After Triple-D,
we were able to open another spot
in Huntersville, North Carolina.
[woman] Huntersville's about 20 minutes north.
It has a different vibe than Charlotte,
but it's still great food as well.
Corn Dog Shrimp in the window.
Well, lookit, perfect them babies are.
[Greg] Get in after it.
I tastes like a corn dog.
Sweet and crunchy batter.
Straight from the fair.
-Straight from the fair. -Straight from the fair.
[man] It's a diverse menu.
They have things you've never heard of before.
Dropping Crab Puppies.
[man] And the Crab Puppies are great.
Adding the crab in there, which everyone loves,
it's the perfect bite.
Start with the hush puppy mix,
which is a flour and white cornmeal mixture.
It already has the dried eggs in it.
And baking soda.
Dry fish paste, Old Bay Seasoning.
Next, our water.
Get your hands in and squeeze.
This is the star of the show right here.
Claw crab meat.
They're going in 300 degree oil.
Let 'em fry for five minutes.
We serve with a side of our malt vinegar tartar sauce.
Mayonnaise, malt vinegar, chopped parsley,
yellow onion, seasoning salt,
black pepper, granulated garlic.
And here we are with our homemade Crab Puppies.
Some Crab Puppies for ya.
-[woman] Awesome. -[man] Yeah.
It's like a hush puppy with a crab cake.
So it's got the crisp. It's got the crab.
It's got it all.
[man 2] They're nice and crispy on the outside
and they get soft towards the middle.
And they're all doing this dance inside your mouth.
Buffalo Shrimp Tacos in the window.
Everyone has a place at Pinky's.
I have a cousin named Pinky.
And his real name is Greg.
So, Pinky, Greg, I mean, this was meant to be.
You're a good man.
Hey, guys. How are you doing today?
Triple G Burger, pimento cheese.
Nashville Hot Chicken for Triple-D nation.
So that's it for this road trip.
But don't you worry.
Generous coat of donkey sauce.
-I've got one minute on tots. -Thank you, tots.
Anything else for you guys?
Y'all enjoy.
We got plenty more joints to look back on
all over the Triple-D Nation.
Who's gonna be a good little kreiner?
You will wear it.
-You will wear the costume now. -You will wear the costume.