[Guy] Cheese burgers, bacon burgers, chili burgers, juicy lucies,
there are hundreds of different varieties of burgers,
and I feel like I've tried 'em all.
Wow!
But tonight's out-of-bounds burgermeisters may just prove me wrong.
Oochie-goochie.
But we're about to put their skills to the ultimate test.
My mind was here but my body wasn't.
My brain is fried.
Who will win up to $20,000?
It's burger ballers right now on Guy's Grocery Games.
-Why am I doing the work? -Forgot one, right here.
-Here you go. Check that. -You're killing me.
So, let's meet our burger chefs.
Now first up, we have Braunda Smith,
who serves a donut brunch burger at her San Antonio bar and grill,
and knows she can handle any challenge 'cause she's got six kids.
[Braunda] I have six kids. We literally are the Brady Bunch.
Where else are you gonna go but Lucy's to get the cinnamon roll burger,
Korean bulgogi burger...
I can make a great burger out of anything.
[cheers]
Six kids?
Next we got Chris Gooch, chef and owner of a New Jersey burger joint
and bonafide surfer dude,
in search of a tasty burger and a tasty wave.
Surf's up. [chuckles]
I am a surfer. I grew up surfing the Jersey shore.
I lived in Hawaii for six years.
At Hearthly Burger, we have a surf burger on our menu.
Hearthly's is not just fast food. It is real chef cooking.
Yeah man. Missed your hand.
Then there's Ashlee Northington.
The owner of a Louisville restaurant who's all about unorthodox burgers.
[Ashlee] Happy Belly Bistro started as a food truck.
We make some super crazy burgers,
because burgers are not intimidating at all.
Everybody loves to try a good burger.
So you can kind of express yourself, you can really get crazy with it.
There you go. Come on.
And finally Jay Lizardo, the founder of a stuffed burger chain
that features a burger called the buffalo mac daddy.
I believe I reinvented the burger.
At Rock Burger, we're known for stuffed burgers.
The buffalo mac daddy has got mac and cheese, buffalo chicken fingers,
all on the inside of the burger.
There you go,
-big man in the house. -[Jay] What's up? How you doing, brother?
Who's your mac daddy?
Well, chefs, we have picked the four of you
because we know you're burger ballers, and you have the confidence
that you can think outside the--
-[Guy and Braunda] Bun. -[Guy] There you go.
[all chuckle]
The burger baller with the lowest score after the first round
will unfortunately be eliminated.
But the chef with the highest combined score after two rounds
will get to shop Flavortown Market
-for up to, give it to me-- -[all] $20,000.
[contestants cheering and hooting]
[Guy] First challenge tonight, I want you to hit it out of the park
by making the judges a Heavy Hitting Burger.
I don't care whether you make a quarter pounder,
half-pounder or a table pounder.
Hang on a second. Pound.
-Oh, no. -Oh, no.
That's right, tonight you can only use six pounds of ingredients,
because this is Watch Your Weight.
Oh, my gosh.
You're gonna get to do one shop.
Once you think you have the items you want,
you have to weight your food on the scales, right over there.
Hunter, get over to the scales.
What a good kid.
You have 30 minutes to shop, weigh, prepare and plate your Heavy Hitting Burger.
-We're ready. -Let's do it.
I'm nervous.
I know how your minds are working.
You get only six pounds of ingredients.
Three pounds of condiments, I think about two pounds of beef, one pound of buns.
Oh, no, no, I'm being serious. I'm not saying go for that yet.
-[contestants exclaiming] -Oh, my God!
He's not taking any of it from me.
[Jay] Six pounds to make a Heavy Hitting Burger.
Living the burger dream.
I can do my take on a roast beef on a kummelweck bun.
Kummelweck bun is caraway seeds and kosher salt
on top of a brioche bun.
I'm known for stuffed burgers. So, I'm going to throw some cheese inside the burger.
Eight ounces, one pound, two pounds, four pounds.
Doing the math while I was shopping.
So, with the roast beef on kemmelweck,
traditional component is a au jus French dip.
-Okay, I'm ready. -[Hunter] All right.
Meat, French dip, that puts you at two and three quarters.
[Jay] Roast beef and some cheese.
[Hunter] Three and a half.
-[Jay] Brioche bun. -Four and a half.
-[Jay] A jus. -[Hunter] Five.
-[Jay] Perfect. -You have another half pound.
Once you go back to your station, you're done.
-I'm ready. -[Hunter] Okay. All right.
Five and a half pounds, there's nothing else I want. I'm good to go. Let's go.
[Ashlee] Heavy hitting to me means over six pounds of ingredients.
I'm making a smashburger because I can grab very few ingredients.
It's fatty, it's salty, kind of, just letting the burger speak for itself.
Bacon, good melty gooey cheese,
What's gonna make my burger special is the chipotle aoli sauce.
[chuckles] Four and almost three quarters.
Cheese, right at six, there you go.
-Good luck. -Thank you.
[Hunter] Six pounds is not easy.
-No, it's not. -It is not easy.
Here we go!
Heavy hitting and six pounds. Like, that doesn't make sense.
What ingredients have the most flavor in 'em without having to use too many of 'em?
For my Heavy Hitting Burger, I'm making the maple shroom burger from my restaurant.
All right! Maple shroom! Here we go!
And the next thing I grab is brioche buns.
Buns.
Gooch just picked up random buns, just threw 'em in,
like, "Yeah, this'll work."
[Chris] I need an onion.
Mushrooms are light.
At Hearthly, our maple shroom burger, it's mushrooms with maple syrup aoli.
-What do you got? -Ground beef.
[Guy] Two pounds.
[both] Mushrooms.
[Chris] Buns.
Maple syrup.
-[whistles] Right. -And this.
-An onion. -[Guy] Right at six.
-[Guy] Go for it, buddy. -Thank you, Chef.
They have the confidence, but do they have the condiments?
Watch out for the chicken.
[Braunda] Why!
I would think of a heavy hitting burger being, like, a mega stack.
It's really, really terrifying to go mega heavy hitting burger off of six pounds.
I really wanna make my big kahuna burger.
My husband's favorite burger.
Really wanna get all that yum-yum in six pounds.
That's a lot of meat.
Those buns in there, that's five and a quarter.
-That lettuce is gonna be way, way too much. -[Braunda] Ugh.
I can't do this burger.
Imma have to scrap this.
I'm having to reshop.
-Better hurry up. You've got 24 minutes left. -[Braunda] I'm going.
[Braunda] I'm going. I'm going.
I'm gonna do a Lola burger melt.
Named after my daughter.
A single smash patty on Texas toast,
caramelized onions, a little sauteed mushroom, and Lola's sauce.
-Okay, so, you have cheese, meat, onion, you're good? -[Braunda] Yeah.
All right, good luck, Chef.
So, here to help us keep our eyes on the fries,
are the burger-loving judges.
Now first, we've got Northern Carolina restaurateur,
who serves her gourmet burgers with truffle fries,
-Chef Crista Luedtke. -Thank you so much.
Celebrated restaurateur whose double burger with melted Italian cheese
in maestro sauce is legend,
in so many ways,
the legend himself, the one and only Chef Scott Conant.
And a man who's eaten burgers at virtually every fair and festival in North America,
Canada, the Moon, food fanatic, the one and only Noah Cappe.
Let's talk about the great burger.
It comes down to the classics. You gotta have a good, juicy patty,
smashed or traditional backyard size.
Patty melt.
Not a traditional burger in any way,
but there's something very nostalgic, and I think that's what a good burger is.
Nostalgia.
The burger has to be messy.
Multiple napkins need to be involved.
You guys are gonna be satiated.
-I love it. -You're gonna have your satiation taken--
-This is a satiation station. -[chuckles]
[Guy] All right, dude. What are you on?
I'm doing a maple shroom burger.
-Maple shroom burger. -Yeah, with fried onions.
-Yeah! -[Chris] Yeah.
So, I guess if you're gonna get the whole onion then it's worth doing.
Exactly, we use it two ways.
Bro.
[Chris] First I start sweating out my onions with my mushrooms.
To get that true umami you have to cook it for a really long time,
and that becomes that gooeyness of the umami.
Smoke these mushrooms, bring it for me.
Next, I'll start with my fried onions.
Knowing you can only have six pounds, I really relied on the pantry.
AP flour, paprika, salt, pepper.
Dude, I forgot something.
Of course I forgot milk for the onions.
No! I knew that was gonna happen.
I needed the milk to make the flour stick to them.
Whatever, I'll use some oil.
Maybe some of this butter instead.
I tried to create a little milky paste.
Shooting from the hip here.
Cornstarch from the pantry. Sometimes you gotta think fast
and come up with something quick.
I'm thinking, "All right, this can work."
-Six pounds of ingredients. -[chuckles]
-That is not-- -Do you think that's a lot or a little?
I think it's a little. I mean if you think about eight ounces per patty,
that's already two pounds of just burger meat plus the packaging.
I didn't know you were a mathematician.
I did that pretty quick, right? [chuckles]
All right Chefs, you've got 20 minutes. 20 minutes to be plated.
And you're being asked to create a giant, sumptuous, over the top, big boy burger,
But then with the restriction of it can only be six pounds of ingredients.
[Guy] Okay, Chef. What's on the menu?
[Ashlee] Chipotle smashburger with bacon bits.
Any reason you just cooked that bacon straight like a strip of bacon?
I just like the cook it gets on it. I want it to be kind of crisp.
Okay.
[Ashlee] I have a lot at stake right now.
If I win I wanna put that money towards my food truck.
Food truck was what took care of me and my family.
Kept a roof over my head. When it got took we were all super distraught.
Ashlee, a drunk driver smashed into her food truck.
Ruined it completely.
So, she's here today to make the money to get that food truck.
[Ashlee] Now while my bacon's on a flattop, I'm going to work on my chipotle aoli.
That has to carry me a long way 'cause I can't put a lot of ingredients on my burger.
It's tangy, it's spicy, it turned out perfect.
[Guy] All right, Jay-rock, where are we at buddy?
My dish is a roast beef on a weck burger.
It's two different kinds of cheese,
but the bun is gonna be topped with extra cheese.
[Guy] Cheese, cheese and more cheese?
-[Jay] And more roast beef, you know, au jus-- -[Guy] Okay.
Beef on weck, normally, is just a delicious, juicy,
roast beef that is so moist and delicious.
Infusing that into a play on a burger? Hey-o!
I wanna start my stuffed burgers and get them going on the grill.
I use a griddle because a flattop holds all the juices.
I'm gonna use this au jus to cook my roast beef and baste my burgers.
Water on a grill will create steam if you cover it.
It helps melt the cheese, it creates a moister burger.
Stuffed burgers are very hard to cook.
I have no idea whether the burgers are done or not.
It's all in my head. So, huge risk.
Gonna finish those in the oven?
No, they'll finish.
-Okay. -Hopefully.
[Guy] 15 minutes! 15 to go!
The weight got me.
Braunda, I don't want to make you nervous, but you really have to hurry up.
I got this. My mind was here, but my body wasn't or vice versa.
The first thing I'm gonna get started on for my Lola melt
is these onions and mushrooms.
Get 'em in a skillet.
I am sweating that clock, I am sweating them onions,
I am sweating it all.
Yeah, so when Lola was ten,
she was in the kitchen with me and she goes,
"Momma, I want to make a burger."
She really just came up with her "Lola melt."
A single smash patty, on Texas toast.
Caramelized onion, a little sauteed mushroom.
So hopefully Lola comes through for the win, right?
Cook, babies! Cook!
All right.
Get this meat going all nice.
Some people may think maple and mushrooms are a wild combo.
Trust me, once they try this burger, they'll know it's heavy hitting.
All right, let's start smashing.
When you do a smash burger, you kind of create, like, a crust,
which we call beef candy.
Almost sweet, but like, beautiful saltiness.
Look at that. The way you massage it.
[Chris] It's all about that sear,
that beef candy, that goes with the maple syrup.
Oochie-goochie.
What do your friends call you? Do they call you Gooch?
Yeah, they call me Gooch.
Gooch was my favorite character in Top Gun.
Hey-o!
It was Gooch, right?
Oh, yeah, that's Goose.
Oh, Goose. Goose.
-The whole time I've been thinking it was Goose. -He was the man, though.
I wish it was Gooch. That would've been cool.
Now it's time to work on my maple syrup aoli.
The mayo.
Maple syrup. We're gonna go big.
So, what it does is it balances that salty beef
with the sweet, smooth aoli.
-How you doing, Ash? -[Ashlee] I'm doing all right.
Got some fire working over here.
-Yeah, looked like it. -[chuckles]
Bacon's finally done. It's super crispy.
It has a few borderline burnt pieces, which I was looking for.
Now, I'm gonna work on my patties.
Some brown cumin, salt and pepper.
The key to making a really good smashburger,
you don't wanna make it too big.
You want it to be crisp and you wanna cook it on high heat.
Also, cook it in that good bacon grease.
I can't claim, you know, to cook some really good burgers,
if I can't come here and put out a good burger.
-[Guy] What's going on here? -[Jay] An au jus.
You had the room for that?
I had the room.
This guy have a magic cart?
Beef on a weck, very popular item in Western New York.
Provolone cheese on top of my buns.
Cover my buns with the burger top as well to melt the provolone cheese.
Flip the burger. It looks good to me.
Get the cheese on top.
Put the roast beef on top.
I'm happy with the burger, the way it's turning out, but--
Oh, no.
I forgot one ingredient.
Horshoe sauce.
Horshoe mayo is mayo and a horseradish mix.
A spicy mayo of sorts. Makes it so much better.
[Braunda] My burger's going.
So, now I gotta make my tobacco onions.
Which is crispy fried onion.
I'm gonna use what's here on this pantry.
Flour, paprika, cayenne pepper,
I made tobacco onions out of nothing.
What is this you just mixed this in here with?
I just made, kind of, a little flour flavored water.
-Flour flavored water? -Flour flavored water.
I told you we're broke. I got a million children.
When I win today, I want to give the money to my kitchen staff,
because they've worked so hard for me.
They've been with me since I opened Lucy's.
And they so deserve it.
Braunda might pull this off.
She got a late start but she's really kind of picked up the pace.
Plus if she wins, all the money's going to her staff.
[Crista] So she is motivated today.
Chef, this is an impressive onion for no batter.
[Braunda] Thank you!
[Guy] Two minutes! Two minutes to go!
[Chris] First I put the bun down. And then, maple syrup aoli.
Patties are looking good, there's some beef candy on the edges.
Golden and crispy deep fried onions.
Mushrooms are cooked exactly how I wanted 'em.
It's got umami.
I drizzled a little bit more maple aoli on top of the mushrooms.
[Guy] You got 90 seconds! You gotta get plated!
[Ashlee] I'm gonna start out with my perfectly grilled buns.
Chipotle aoli on the buns.
Ooh, Ashley's got a good crust going on her burgers. Look at that.
-[Noah] Oh, yeah. -[Scott] It's looking nice.
[Ashlee] Two patties per burger.
And then my chipotle aoli, crispy bacon bits.
Hoping it tastes as good as it looks.
-[Guy] One minute! -[Jay] Come on.
I put the bun down.
I put the burger with the melted mozzarella,
and roast beef on top of the bun.
I just gotta talk about the roast beef situation on the burger.
-You saw it as well? -Looks so good! [chuckles]
[Noah] Is that cheese on top of the bun?
Wow, wow, wow, wow.
[Jay] Put my caraway seeds and kosher salt on to make it into a kummelweck bun.
[Guy] 30 seconds to plate!
[Braunda] I'm down to the wire.
I know that I've got to put this burger together.
Then I go and grab those burger patties,
and I just kind of invert them so that cheese is kissing.
Then I add my onions and my mushrooms.
Quick little version of my Lola sauce, mayonnaise, paprika.
Cap that sucker off with those tobacco onions.
Five, four, three, two, one.
And that's it.
[judges cheering]
[Guy] All right, time to see if anybody's Heavy Hitting Burger
knocked it out of the park.
Let's take it to the judges, right this way.
All right, judges. Here we are.
This is game one of Watch Your Weight.
And our chefs, well, they had to prepare a Heavy Hitting Burger
using only six pounds, they had to weigh in over at the produce department.
Chef Ashlee up first.
Let's hear about this burger.
So, I've made you all a double smashburger,
that has some bacon bits on there and a spicy chipotle aoli.
Y'all might need some extra napkins.
Ashlee, this is not good.
This is fantastic.
Aw, thank you.
I think you nailed it.
You got crunch from that bacon, you've got the spice and the heat.
You've got this ooey gooey cheese.
And only using six pounds of ingredients?
-That's tough. -Thank you so much. Thank you.
And that brioche bun is so perfect,
because it eats like a potato bun
with the amount of moisture that you have inside there.
Thank you. Thank you.
This is two bites.
There was so much sauce,
it was towing the line of almost too much.
Heard.
All right. Up next, Chef Jay. What do you got, Jay-rock?
My version of a juicy lucy on steroids.
It's a roast beef on kummelweck, stuffed with provolone,
mozzarella, topped with roast beef,
and au jus,
and I topped the crispy brioche bun with provolone.
There is a lot going on here, Chef.
Great cook on the beef.
I love the usage of the roast beef and the au jus.
You really get that beautiful depth of beef flavor.
The experience starts when you first put your eyes on it.
And for just a burger, the plating was really nice.
It's got, like, an artsy kind of feel to it.
[chuckles]
I love this technique of putting the cheese over the top of the bun.
I think it's great. It's different. It's unique.
-Thank you. -But I would say that it could lean a little salty.
-Less salt. -[Crista] It's kind of begging
for a horseradish-y mayo to sort of cut through that fattiness.
Chef Braunda, what do you have for us?
Chefs, I made for you
my Lola smash patty burger melt,
with cheddar cheese on a Texas toast, caramelized onion,
sauteed button mushroom and my tobacco onions.
It is a joy to watch you cook.
Flavors are spectacular.
So much cheese and so delicious and so juicy.
Definitely a Heavy Hitter Burger.
These tobacco onions, they are delicious.
Thank you, Chef.
My burger was a little overdone.
I took that first bite and it was cooked.
With the chaos of the late start,
you ran into a bit of a rush and maybe those burgers
-sat on that grill a little too long. -Yeah.
All right, up next, Chef Chris.
What do you got for us Gooch?
So, I got you guys my maple shroom burger.
I tried to get, like, the nicest mushrooms I could find,
and then I match it with some sweet maple syrup aoli
to try and just hit that sweet, salty note.
Listen, Chris, this is delicious.
That fat drop of sweetness, perfect toast on the bun.
It captures all that residual fat that's kind of leaking off of the burger itself.
Thank you, Chef.
Mushrooms.
Very interesting, kind of bold, out there choice to make the headliner,
for this over the top burger, but it worked.
Maybe a little bit too much maple.
You could've gone for something to cut through that richness.
Yeah.
[Guy] All right. Thank you very much.
Heavy Hitter Burgers, I think everybody delivered.
Gonna send you back to the kitchens.
We'll call you back when we have a decision. Thank you.
All right, judges, 20 points available in gameplay.
20 points available in taste, ten points for plating.
Any chef's burger here underwhelming?
[groans]
Ouch.
I think y'all did a great job.
You should be proud. Unfortunately someone will be checking out.
Let's take a look. We'll start with my man, Jay.
Jay, 16 out of 20 in gameplay.
17 out of 20 in taste.
Nine out of ten in plating for a 42. Wow.
[Ashlee] Good job.
[Guy] Ashlee...
17 out of 20 gameplay, nice.
18 out of 20 for taste.
Eight out of 10 for plating for a 43,
edging Jay out by a point.
Chris...
15 out of 20 in gameplay,
17 out 20 in taste,
seven out of 10 in plating for a 39,
not as strong as that.
Braunda, you got to beat a 39 to stay in the game.
14 out of 20 in gameplay.
15 out of 20 in taste.
Got to be better in plating. Seven out of 10
for a 36, three points behind Chris.
You know, Braunda,
I definitely know you have the skill and the talent.
Unfortunately, 36 doesn't keep you in the game.
I think I did my family proud.
Don't leave me hanging. Nice to meet you, chef.
-You too. -[Braunda] And I think I did Lola proud.
Okay, chefs, this is the final battle of the Burger Ballers.
Chef Ashlee, congratulations.
-Thank you, chef. -[Guy] Taking the lead.
Whoo!
For your final challenge, I want you to give the judges
a cheeseburger and a side.
My advice to you,
don't let anything slide.
Slide...
-Slide, slide, slide... -Slide?
-[Guy] Slide! -Something's coming.
-[exclaiming] Whoa! Like that! -[amusing instrumental music playing]
Hunter, when I said that I wanted a game
where we were gonna call it sliders,
I wanted them to make slide-- what is this?
Oh, sliders? I thought you meant, like the game, like shuffleboard sliders.
-No, no, no no! -Oh, I got excited.
I'm like, we're really gonna have some fun, do a little gambling.
You know what? I want each one of you to slide your slider
onto the burger board to pick up
your mandatory whammy ingredient
that must be included in both your cheeseburger
and your side.
Combo.
[Guy] We have boxed mac and cheese.
Pineapple.
Peanut butter.
You go outside, you're on instant ramen? What?
Which is still not a bad thing. Instant ramen is pretty good.
I'm going to give the leader the advantage, you can go first
or you could assign who goes first.
I'll go first.
Have you ever done this?
[Ashlee] No, I have not.
[Guy] So, it's not a hit,
-it's a... it's a... -[dramatic music playing]
All right, don't air that.
What do you want to get?
-Mac and cheese. -[Hunter] Mac and cheese.
Mac and cheese would be the way to go.
[Ashlee] All right, let's do it.
[suspenseful music playing]
-[all exclaiming] -[funny music playing]
[Guy] Okay, instant ramen for you.
-Jay-rock. -All right.
-Okay, are you ready? -What are you going for?
-I'm okay with the ramen, honestly. -[Guy] Really?
'Cause I already have it in my head what I'm going to do.
-So Ram-- -Ramen.
Oh, you're just going to bunt for the ramen.
-I want the ramen. -[Guy scoffs]
Oh, my God.
-Lunatic. -Gooch, what are you looking for?
I'm looking for pineapple. Hawaiian style.
-[drum roll] -Let's see what happens.
No!
-[Guy] Peanut butter. -That's cool.
That's cool. I like it, buddy.
Okay, Ashlee,
-ramen, -Jay-rock,
ramen,
-Gooch, peanut butter. -All right.
30 minutes to prepare your cheeseburger and side. Now, please remember,
your mandatory whammy ingredient
has to be in your cheeseburger and in your side.
Please watch the pucks on your way out.
Three pucks in the way. Well, these two are in the way.
This one's not, so...
Hang on, what are you doing?
-Stretching there? -What are things in the, uh, yard that bother us?
-The, uh, gopher? -Yeah.
[stammering] No, I just said...
I thought you said go.
I know they thought I said go. I didn't.
-Now I did. -You said it, yeah.
[cackling]
All right, I need...
I need to make a cheeseburger and a side using peanut butter.
Peanut butter, peanut butter.
Okay, I might as well get the big one in case I need more.
Peanut butter...
All right, something Asian. Ground pork. In my restaurant,
I do a banh mi pork burger.
I'm going brioche again.
I'm making two different sauces with peanut butter
that normally I do with sesame, which is very similar to peanut butter.
Kimchi aioli
and soy ginger dipping sauce.
Ginger syrup. Let's go, all right, I'm on.
For my side, I'm going to make cauliflower bites.
I know I'm in the bottom here.
I got to do something creative, I need to hit it out of the park.
All right, be right back.
[Ashlee] Instant ramen noodles.
Those don't really go in a burger.
Okay, this is overwhelming.
When I think of a great cheeseburger and side,
I think classic staples that everybody enjoys.
I'm going for a rosemary focaccia.
Rosemary adds extra taste to my burger.
For my side, I'm going to do beer battered onion rings
and dredge the onion rings in some ramen crumbles.
So I wanna grab soy, and then a beef-flavored ramen.
I don't want my side to taste just like the ramen on the burger.
While I'm cooking, I have to figure out what I'm doing
with the ramen for my burger.
I'm in first place but the game ain't over until they blow the whistle.
Ugh.
Ramen burger, what else could we do with the ramen?
Actually, I'm going to try it.
I wonder if I can pull that off.
When it comes to cheeseburgers and flavor time,
you have to be creative and do something that is your own.
I'm making a spicy ramen upside down burger.
I'm going to use a pepper jack cheese on the inside.
Where's the ramen?
Who doesn't like spicy ramen?
Sliced jalapenos.
For my side, I'm thinking I'm thinking I'm going to make a tater tots poutine.
I'm so close to being in the lead.
If I can create something that's unique,
I can win that $20,000.
The reason I want to do this one
is because I think that this is a difficult challenge.
Crinkle-cut?
There's my ramen.
Here's some pepperoncini's.
This is the hard part, guys. Two chefs have ramen.
And then in the non-ramen station,
we have peanut butter in both the cheeseburger and the side dish.
That's the big ask. To repurpose ramen.
and peanut butter. I wouldn't want to be in that challenge.
[Crista] Yeah, I wouldn't either.
-Not if you want to win 20 grand. -Nope!
-Jay-Rock, Ashlee, Gooch! -[dramatic music playing]
You got 22 minutes.
This is an interesting one.
So, we've got ramen in two stations
and then in the non-ramen station,
we have peanut butter.
I got some peanut butter in here to smooth it out.
Chris, is that chunky or smooth peanut butter?
[Chris] Smooth.
I'm going to use it in the pork to keep it moist so it doesn't dry out.
I've never put peanut butter in meat before.
Going nuts.
For my cheeseburger and a side, I'm going to make
a banh mi burger and cauliflower bites
with a peanut butter and soy ginger sauce.
I'm going to get these things on.
[crackling]
I'm making two different sauces.
First I make my sauce for the burger.
Kimchi, peanut butter, aioli.
Melted peanut butter in mayo.
Soy sauce, kimchi.
So, I also need to incorporate peanut butter in my side dish
so I make a peanut butter soy ginger sauce.
Melted peanut butter in mayo, soy sauce, ginger syrup.
It's interesting, it's good.
-[dramatic music playing] -If I win today,
the money is going to go to my newborn daughter.
Get the college fund rolling.
She's 10 months right now and she is the sweetest piece of pie.
I got to come back and win this thing.
[Ashlee] Instant ramen, easy to cook.
But really hard to incorporate in a cheeseburger and a side.
I just figured I'll kind of use the ramen noodles
as a breadcrumb for my onion rings.
Cutting them, coating them in some olive oil,
season them really good
with the beef season packet that's in the ramen.
And next, I'm making my beer dredge.
I'm going to dip them in beer batter and then I'm going
to dip them again in the ramen.
I want that beer flavor to soak in and that seasoning to soak in,
just really coat it really good.
All right. Come back to those.
I have to figure out what I'm doing
with the ramen for my burger.
I want to try to attempt to make a ramen crisp.
If I can make the ramen crispy,
then it can just give my burger a little bit more texture.
And then I get my patties seasoned up
and get those on the flat-top.
[sizzling]
Now it's time to get to my ramen crisps.
Season them with the soy season packet that's in the ramen.
And then throw them straight on my flat with a little olive oil.
My main focus is just to make sure that it cooks up crisp.
And that it's big enough to actually cover my burger.
My brain is fried.
Give me a second, I'll know what I'm doing.
For my cheeseburger and side, I'm making a spicy ramen
upside down poutine jalapeno cream cheese burger,
with, uh, beef ramen seasoned tater tots.
I don't know if it's going to work, but we'll see.
This is probably the craziest burger I'm going to ever do.
So, I'm going to get my cream cheese melted down for my jalapeno cream cheese.
While my cream cheese is melting, I'm going to get my Canadian bacon on.
I want to start my burgers.
I'm known for stuffed burgers. I want to stay inside my comfort zone.
I'm so close to being in the lead
so I can win that $20,000 and help my father.
My father was just diagnosed with something called PSP, it's a rare brain disorder.
Winning today would help me set up my father's house the way I need to,
in order for him to have a good living situation.
-I got some Ramen. -[Hunter] Well, dad, what are you making?
[Guy] So, the idea is my fries will be chili cheese fries.
'Cause I want to make a ramen bun.
And a pork patty.
Make me four little patties out of that pork, please.
So there's the chili being made.
Can you check my noodles and see if they're done?
Colander, yeah.
[Guy] Cheese sauce.
This is ramen, flour...
[chuckles] With cheddar cheese, processed cheese,
and cook it.
And make a ramen bun.
[Hunter] I think that you're the only person
on Triple-G so far that has put ramen
and a bunch of cheese leaking out the bottom of it in a waffle iron. [chuckles]
[amusing music playing]
[Guy] We're going to see if that hot mess makes it.
In 10 minutes, you got to be plated.
[Chris] So as my patties are cooking on the grill,
the next thing I do is make my quick pickle.
For my banh mi burger,
after the red wine vinegar is boiling,
I pour it over the carrots.
For my side, it's time I start my cauliflower bites.
Then for the batter, I do whole milk because it's a little thicker.
Paprika and garlic powder.
Let's go.
I got to get moving.
My batter is a little thick.
Getting a little nervous that they're not going to cook in time.
[Guy] Seven minutes!
Chef Ashlee, how are we looking?
[Ashlee] I'm looking all right, chef.
So, I'm making a, uh, kind of a ramen crisp to go on my burger.
Just a little crunch.
I'm going to do some beer battered onion rings
with a dusting of ramen on that as well.
I dig it. I dig it.
[Ashlee] I flip my ramen crisps...
Whoo!
Turned out actually perfect.
So I'm going to fry my onion rings.
Coat my onion rings with a dusting of ramen noodles.
This is the moment of truth.
I want the batter to cook up really crispy but then I want the onion rings
on the outside to be kind of crunchy from the ramen.
It has to come out perfect.
-Guy, how are you doing over there? -I'm doing great, buddy.
-I'm just making a complete mess over here. -[Jay] Oh, same.
The burgers are cooking.
Whoo. For my side, I'm going to make a beef ramen seasoned tater tot.
On the poutine, there's jarred gravy.
While my tater tots are cooking, I'm going to work on my buns.
Cover the bottom bun with my jalapeno cream cheese,
pepper jack cheese.
I put my buns on the grill.
I have everything going at once.
It's a huge risk.
But I want to win so bad, and I need to take risks.
[amusing instrumental music playing]
[tittering]
[Hunter chuckling] You get it? Nice!
[Guy] This is ramen, cheese,
flour,
jalapenos.
Okay, give me one of those patties, kid.
Hurry on. Right on top of there.
[Hunter] Here you go.
Look at the cheese sauce going on top of Guy's burger right now.
[Crista] Is there a heart doctor in the house?
-Is there a heart doctor? -[laughs]
I played one on TV.
[Guy] I'm just making a complete mess over here.
Wings sauce, blue cheese.
[Hunter] Gonna be messy!
Good job, chefs. Good job.
-[whistling] -In my spare time today...
-Oh, my god. -...what I made for you...
Top ramen that was cooked and seasoned,
then mixed with cheddar cheese, processed cheese
served with a pork patty,
and, uh, jalapenos.
And the fries done with chili--
-I think I just had a heart attack listening. -[Guy] So, I would just
-jump into this ramen-- -[Crista] I think I'll just try that bit first.
Oh, my god.
-I'll be in my trailer. -You outdid yourself.
[chuckles] "I'll be in my trailer."
[cackling]
Anyhow, good talk.
You got 90 seconds. Got to get plated.
[Chris] So I put the bun down and then I spread the kimchi aioli.
I pull out the cauliflower.
They're hot!
I dredged them too much.
Way too much batter.
But, I'm feeling pretty good about this burger.
I lay my patty on the bun and then I put my pickled carrots,
and then the last thing I do
is I get my peanut butter soy ginger dipping sauce
into a bowl.
[Guy] One minute!
[Ashlee] My chef Ashlee sauce is pickles, ketchup, mayo.
This is the magic sauce.
Lettuce, tomato,
pull my onion rings from the fryer. They look great.
The juicy burger fills all my buns.
And then it gets topped with my instant ramen noodle crisp.
I like everything messy,
so I throw some more sauce on the top bun.
[Guy] 30 seconds to plate!
[Jay] I grab the tots.
I pull the ramen out.
[singing tone] Something's burning.
-[Jay] The buns are burnt. -Oh. boy.
I just hope the other flavors will overpower the burnt buns.
I put ramen on top of the burger.
Gravy.
Cover the top bun with Canadian bacon.
I dump the ramen noodles over my side.
Five, four,
three, two, one.
-And that's it. -Whoo!
Whoo!
[Guy] I got to tell you, chefs,
that was a real battle royale with cheese.
Let's take it to the judges.
Right this way.
All right, judges, this is it.
Game two of Burger Ballers,
and our chefs had to make a cheeseburger and a side
featuring the ingredients that they chose.
Chef Ashlee and Chef Jay,
they had to use instant ramen.
Chef Chris Gooch, he had to use peanut butter.
Chef Chris, you're up first, tell us what you made.
I did a Banh Mi burger
and I did a peanut butter kimchi aioli.
Put peanut butter in the ground pork to keep it moist while I was cooking it.
And then I got you guys cauliflower bites
with a peanut butter soy ginger sauce.
Chef Chris, this take on a banh mi burger,
really smart gameplay.
And you definitely made a cheeseburger,
the flavor of that peanut butter really comes through,
and that pork was nice and juicy.
Thank you so much.
I am a huge peanut butter lover.
So I think this is great.
Thank you, chef.
Your sauce actually works.
To have that peanut butter taste in there, you pulled it off.
And that's great news for you.
Because the side
was a bit of a barn-yard explosion.
Yeah.
I mean, there's one thing I know,
and that's the deep fryer.
You can see it's just underdone.
All right, up next,Jay-Rock, what do you got for us, bud?
I have my take on an upside down spicy ramen poutine burger.
Ramen's right on top of the burger.
And then on the tater tots, garnished it with some ramen.
This is upside down, inside-out, the way you turned it.
There is a lot going on on this thing.
Definitely a cheeseburger.
There is cheese three, four, five times in here.
Thanks.
The repurposing of the ramen, it worked on one,
but it kinda felt like it just kinda got slid over and dumped on top of the side.
Thank you.
I kept getting this incredible bitterness,
which I wasn't sure what was going on.
And then I looked at the bun.
[dramatic music playing]
What is going on there, daddy?
Yeah. A little bit of crisp on the bun.
And not to be outdone,
she's been sitting here patiently, chef Ashlee.
This is my spin on just, like a classic cheeseburger.
I did a ramen kind of crisp on the burger.
Beer-battered onion rings dusted in ramen noodle crust.
In the first round you gave us a really simple burger,
but everything was correct.
And I feel like you did that again here.
The gameplay is spectacular because you have this traditional burger
with simple flavor profiles,
and the ramen is actually lifting it up.
Which I never thought I would hear myself say.
[chuckles] Thank you, Chef.
I can get the flavors in the burger
that are almost like a French onion soup.
And then you get to the onion rings,
and it's a whole different flavor profile.
And you see the bits of the ramen in there,
and they add this like, fun, crunchy little pop.
-Really smart. -Thank you, Chef.
Thank you.
Ashlee, this was a fun one to eat,
it was a hard one to eat.
It's a wet burger.
I think your sauce was great,
but it wasn't thick and creamy enough.
Heard. Thank you.
Who'd think that there's gonna be this much drama-rama
in a burger battle?
It was awesome.
We're gonna send you back to the kitchen
and we'll call you when we have a decision.
-Thank you. -Thank you, Chef.
20 points available in gameplay.
20 points available in taste.
10 points in plating.
Whose cheeseburger was paradise?
Jimmy Buffet reference. Love it.
Chefs, I would love to go and have burgers in any one of your places.
-I'd love that. -Thank you, chef.
[Guy] Chef Chris,
peanut butter, is it your friend?
Let's take a look.
17 out of 20 in gameplay.
17 out of 20 in taste.
Eight out of 10 in plating.
For a 42, brings you up to an 81.
-Congratulations. -Thank you.
Chef Ashlee,
leading this motley crew with 43 points.
Let's take a look.
17 out of 20.
18 out of 20.
Wow! 18 out of 20 in taste.
Eight out of 10 for plating for a 40.
Another 43 for an 86.
-Good job, Ash. -[Chris] Yeah.
And, Chef Jay, one point behind in the first round.
Second round gameplay, 15 out of 20.
Taste, 16 out of 20.
plating, seven for a 38
bringing you to an 80. So, congratulations.
Chef Ashlee, you're our winner.
-Good job. -Well done.
Well done!
High numbers for both of you, but we're going to say goodnight.
-Thank you, Chef. -Thank you, guys.
What a pleasure, man.
[Chris] You win some, you lose some.
Hey, second place. I'm pretty stoked.
-[Crista] Way to go. -Appreciate it. Well done.
[Jay] I gave it my best.
I'm all about being a risk taker.
I took a shot at the ramen noodles.
Next time I'll go for the mac and cheese.
-I know the story. You have a food truck. -[motivational music playing]
But the food truck got hit.
I actually built it myself.
Invested everything I had in it.
Uh, six months into my journey
it got hit and totaled by a drunk driver at my house.
That was my only income.
Did you get the money for the food truck?
I did, but at that time I had lost so much...
You had to live off the money.
And I wanted to keep my business going,
so I kind of made lemonade out of lemons
-and just kept kinda going with it. -Wow.
You got a positive attitude, you got positive energy.
Thank you, Chef.
-Ladies and gentlemen-- -[Ashlee] Thank you.
Meet the burger ballers champ right here.
-Whoo! -[all clapping]
All right, chef. Go over and say hi to the judges.
Let's go shopping.
-You got kids? -All right, Chef.
I do. Her name is Bentley.
-[Guy] Bentley? -She told me to tell you, hi.
Great name. Hey, Bentley. How are you?
Your mom's doing great, by the way.
-Yeah, she's-- -Doing great.
Rocking the house right now.
All right, chef, here's the game plan.
Here in Flavortown market, we've got a couple ways
-you can win up to 20,000 bucks. -All right.
Now, the first one is, we can go on a shopping spree.
Okay.
Where we'd run around the market crazy
and grab five items.
Each time that you grab and you put in the cart,
-you get $4000 for it. -All right.
[Guy] You get all five items, you get 20,000 bucks.
Heard. Okay.
Two minutes to do that. Or...
right behind the sliding doors over there...
-is a check. -[suspenseful music playing]
It's already made out.
Let's say it's gonna be between the values of...
$14,000 to $20,000.
What do you think?
Whoo! Decisions, decisions.
-I think-- -Well, before you give me an answer.
Okay. [chuckles]
[stuttering] I don't know.
I think running around the store after all that you've been through today,
I think that sounds a little ridiculous.
And then I think about the check,
you know, $14,000 to $20,000.
-You don't know... -You know...
I think I would go with option three.
I think, I'm just gonna give you the $20,000.
Oh! Are you being serious?
You've been through enough in your life.
-Are you being serious? -You lost your food truck.
You came and you battled hard.
You get 20 grand.
-Whoo! -Thank you.
[judges clapping]
Oh my God, ya'll!
I am the Burger Baller champ.
$20,000 to get my food truck back up and running.
That is my lifeline. That is my baby.
Thank you so much.
-Thank you, chef. -There you have it.
Chef Ashlee cooked,
rocks the market and wins $20,000.
We'll see you next time on Guy's Grocery Games.
Adios.
-Thank you, chef. -You got it, you got it.