Justin likes being the local guy sometimes, but he actually grew up in Dana Point, California, so he's doing a pork breast taco. That will not jive with Carlos, who is the Mexican food guy. Carlos is also doing tacos. Teamwork, y'all, teamwork.
Finally, the pig is cut up and the chefs dart into Whole Foods for ingredients that don't look like they were alive that morning. Louis is doing popcorn. Yay, popcorn -- nobody gives a shit about kernels. Travis is making a pork ramen, wanting to play it safe by not making his own noodles. This stands out as a highlight and potential mistake.
That night, the guest judges and Boucherie masters cook for the chefs in their house. The pig is not there, physically, just in spirit and pieces. The chefs dig in to a bounty of food. I guess you could say they pigged out. Oh wait, Padma already made that pun.
It surfaces that Carlos and Justin are doing tacos/taquitos. It is edited as a potential competitive moment, but I don't think anyone actually cares about it.
The chefs wake up early and it doesn't bother Nick. Good for him. They arrive at the Bayou Barn, which is another outdoor cooking space. There's a wide variety of cooking options, but many of them are novel or unfamiliar. Justin is familiar with everything, of course, including this giant blowtorch cooker, but he acts like a real dick about the grill because he built the fire. Don't be a fire hog, Justin… just get the hog on the fire! Please hire me, Top Chef, I can make good pig puns.
Nina tells Justin to suck a dick, straight up. He is getting a little overprotective about that fire. Meanwhile, Stephanie spots an alligator in the trees and the Top Chef elimination sound effect plays. It's not actually a big deal, though, and Stephanie continues cooking her braised pork belly with crispy pig skin. Aww, crispy pig skin. Why.
Louis is surprised that, through this community-driven Boucherie, he has made lots of friends. He was not here to make friends initially, but it totally happened. A casual Tom Colicchio stops by with Donald Link. Shirley tells Tom the Chinese word for "killing a pig." Oops, we mean butchering, but do we? It's killing a pig, straight up. Travis makes up "Casian," a mix of Cajun and Asian cuisine. Nina is working on a ragu and second-guessing herself. Tom tells Donald Link that someone could really fuck up and make their jobs easier on this challenge.
Speaking of mistakes, Justin, keeper of the fire, let his flames get out of control. I'm pretty sure that alligator even caught on fire and he nearly burned down the Bayou Barn. The other chefs are glad, at this point, that their dishes were not on Justin's fire, which has caused his pork to over-cook. Toward the end of prep time, Nina finds her dish lacking so she adds Cayenne pepper.
The diners applaud, then mosey over toward the food to graze on that 300 lb. hog. Yum, pig parts. I don't see a photo of the pig or a memorial set up anywhere around the Bayou Barn. I'll remember you, pig. Ha ha, I just realized they had to cook the pig's asshole. Posthumous revenge!
The judges head for the stations, Padma dressed in a chambray jumpsuit that only Padma Lakshmi could wear. Brian plates first, with a "porchetta" with oyster mushrooms; the judges like it. Sara made a pork dim sum and it goes over well. Justin's wood-roasted pork breast taco comes up short, while Carlos's taquito is different and good. It has that hip tang, I guess. Awww, I miss you Dr. John. I'll name the pig after you. Both gone too soon from this show.
Shirley's food also goes down smooth, and while the plebeians like Louis's popcorn pork or whatever, Tom does not. Stephanie made a braised pork belly and she feels it's incomplete. Padma likes every aspect of it except the pork belly. Travis's "Casian" food is good but he didn't make his own noodles. Carrie made "crispy trotters," which is a fancy way of saying fuckin' feet. What part of the feet could it be? I don't want to know. I long for the time when we were all laughing and making hot sauce.
Nick folded together some pig neck and it is "super rich." Nina's pig's head ragu is spicy and the heat keeps coming. The Boucherie masters are polite about all the dishes, in the name of community.
The judges gather before the monitor to hear Tom say this is the most enjoyable food he's had in eleven seasons. He appreciated the multi-ethnic quality and authenticity in the dishes. Shirley had a good dish, Nina's stew did not fall flat after all, Brian's pork and Carlos's taquitos were also good. Justin's meat was dry, though, from being scalded by the flames of hell. Justin gets defensive and I like him less. Louis is also struggling, alongside Travis and his store-bought ramen noodles. Stephanie's dish isn't flavorful enough. The monitor turns off and Justin gets real butthurt about the leanness of the meat. How dare he say that about the porcine Dr. John (RIP)!
Nina, Shirley and Carlos are called to the Judges' Table first. They had, of course, the best dishes. Shirley made some kickass dumplings and was happy to do it, inspired by her heritage. Carlos was also inspired by his family and his soup and taco combo killed it. The judges declare that, by a very narrow margin, Carlos is the winner.
Justin, Louis and Stephanie are called up for some bad news. Justin is surprised to be there because he felt good about his dish, even in spite of that Jean-Grey-becoming-the-Phoenix-level fire. Padma tells Justin his dish was dry. Justin shrugs. Stephanie's pork was over-worked and all the flavor ended up in the broth. Still, the dish was not complex enough. Louis had good meat, but confusing popcorn. So, who committed the greatest sin? If Justin is not eliminated, I hope being in the bottom at least feels like a swift kick to the trotters.
The viewers think Stephanie should go home, but they don't know. I wish both Dr. Johns were here. Louis is sent home to pack his knives. The popcorn was just not right. I hope he's glad he made friends.
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