Man v. Food Nation Season 4 Episode 15: Harlem New York
Adam is visiting Rack & Soul BBQ in Harlem, New York to coach three Harlem Globetrotters on taking down their Squealer Challenge, a 2 pound po boy sandwich filled with pulled pork and doused in an insanely hot BBQ sauce. The basketball stars will have 15 minutes to eat their sandwiches and must suffer the burn for 5 more minutes to win the challenge.
First stop for Adam in Harlem is Amy Ruth’s, where they specialize in chicken and waffles. Adam hits the kitchen where the owner shows him how the dish is done. The owner uses her special secret spice mix to rub all over the chicken then lets the chicken marinate in the rub for 24 hours to soak into the meat. The owner puts together her homemade waffle batter and includes malt in the mix, which gives the waffles a light, fluffy texture. The owner dips the marinated chicken in flour and drops it in the fryer. The chicken has a deep golden brown color when coming out of the fryer. The chicken is loaded up on top of the Belgian waffle then soaked in maple syrup. Adam takes a bite of the waffle and chicken, rolls his eyes and let’s the owner know the specialty is delicious!
Stop two for Adam is at La Fonda Boricua. Adam is interested in their Grande Pernil with Mofongo which is a legend for its taste and platter sized portion. The Grande Pernil mofongo is made of roast port and deep-fried plantains, then mashed together. In the kitchen the chef shows Adam how he cuts slits in the pork to let the marinade soak into the meat. The roasted pork is pulled in chunks then added to the giant mortar and pessel. Hot and mild sauteed peppers cover the top of the Grande Pernil, and the entire mound of Mofongo is surrounded in roasted pork bits. The owner and Adam dive into the Grande Pernil and Adam dissolves into smiles over the flavor and heat from this mouthwatering dish.
Adam arrives at Rack & Soul BBQ, where the three challengers, Bull Bullard, Hammer Harrison, and “Slick” Willie Shaw are waiting to take on the challenge. Adam watches the chef in the kitchen put together the pulled port po boy sandwich. The chef builds the sandwich with the hot pork and watches as he adds pure capsaicin liquid drops to the sauce. Adam knows about capsaicin heat from other challenges, he dips his finger into the sauce and the heat combusts in his mouth. Adam is concerned about the major heat factor in this challenge.
The Squealer Challenge is ready to begin and Adam reminds the team to stick together. The Globetrotter team agree with the rules, if one of them cannot eat the entire sandwich they all lose. United they begin the challenge as Adam and the crowd cheer them on.
Bull, Hammer and “Slick” Willie take their first bite of the Squealer sandwich and are floored at how hot the sauce is. Bull shakes his head and tells the crowd he doesn’t know if he can eat more, the sauce is burning his mouth and throat so badly. The guys look at each other as they grimace in pain and Adam reminds them they all must finish the sandwich or they do not win the challenge. Bull takes a deep breath as the three take their second bite. As a team the Globetrotters face the sandwich chomping down the firey food as quickly as they can to beat the 15 minute deadline. The challenge is tough without any liquid to help the sandwich go down. Hammer and “Slick” Willie are down to their final bite while Bull is struggling to get his last few bites down. Hammer and “Slick” Willie finish and Bull is down to his final bite. With Adam and the crowd cheering and his teammates encouraging him, Bull devours the final bite of Hell. Adam reminds the Globetrotters they must hang in there for 5 minutes before cold drinks are on the way, if they can hold on through the 5 minute burn they win the challenge.
Bull, Hammer and “Slick” Willie are pounding the table, hands shaking, sweating and tapping their feet trying to maintain through the longest 5 minutes of their lives. As Adam and the crowd count down the last few seconds the Globetrotters hit the 5 minute mark and raise their hands in victory! Adam announces that today, in the battle between man and food, man won. Adam presents Bull, Hammer and “Slick” Willie with an official Man v. Food Nation title belt. When the Globetrotters pull out a surprise gift for Adam, a Globetrotters shirt with his name on the back, Adam is overwhelmed with their special gift.
