‘American Grilled’ on TV – competition plus cooking with local products

“American Grilled” is on Wednesdays on the Travel Channel.

All eyes are on the giardiniera.

After making the cut and practicing with likely ingredients, after surviving two quick rounds in which Cracker Jack, Vienna Beef franks, smoked cheese, deep-dish pizza dough and kielbasa had to be charred into cohesive, edible submission, it has come to this: A contestant has left a jar of Italian pickled vegetables – a must-use ingredient – untouched. In tortured unison, onlookers count down the final seconds.

The tension in the air is as thick as a two-inch T-bone, which also happens to be a mandatory ingredient – the one that commanded most of the contestant’s attention. Does the contestant realize it yet? See the forgotten relish that might end up costing a cool 10 grand?

It’s not happening on some highfalutin studio set. The competition in this new show, called “American Grilled,” has wound tight through 11 hours of a changeable Chicago spring day, outside the main entrance to Wrigley Field.

Its host is no buttoned-down big shot. Anchoring the judge’s table is David Guas, all sideburns and denim and muy macho voice. Back at his Bayou Bakery in Arlington, Va., weeks after filming in 13 cities, he’s able to admit that, yes, there was something “pretty bad-ass” about the experience.

“I had this surrogate, adopted family” that was the production company, the usually humble chef says. “The more they shot, the more they understood who I was.”

If the chef fits. . . .

Whether or not America needs another competitive cooking show, programmers keep stuffing time slots with them. Those that feature spatula wars outdoors, with fire, have coast-to-coast appeal, perhaps because they highlight regional styles. Or because we, the people, are drawn to smoke. In any case, the brains behind “American Grilled” on the Travel Channel are certain they’ve got a contender.

“It’s my favorite show,” says Patrick McManamee, the Travel Channel executive producer responsible for fun fests such as “Xtreme Waterparks” and “Bikinis & Boardwalks.” Headset disengaged for the moment, he is on location at Wrigley, an eager adviser at the command-monitor setup dubbed Video Village. “When I saw David grilling burgers in a guest shot on ‘Today,’ I knew he was our guy.”

The concept: “American Grilled” rolls into town. Guas is the sole recurring member of a judging panel that includes a barbecue personality and a relevant local figure. (The judges and production company heads have gotten acquainted at dinner the previous night – required each time, deemed a “brilliant” move by Guas.) Four self-proclaimed “grilling geeks” from the area must cook with products from local purveyors and can draw from a pantry of staples and carefully curated, local fresh foods. Video footage and references to the city will reinforce the network’s brand.

Neil P. DeGroot is another reason why McManamee is so keen. Watchers of TV credits have seen DeGroot’s name scroll by on eight seasons of “The Biggest Loser.” He has earned two Directors Guild of America awards; a bystander on the set, even for a day, can see how many hats DeGroot wears, and how well he wears them. For this gig, he’s executive producer of Original Media, the production company hired to film “American Grilled.”

He and McManamee “spitballed and theorized” about the show; could someone even complete a grilled dish in 20 minutes? DeGroot recommended unexpected locations and made sure that Elayne Cilic, whom he’d worked with before, was brought on as his co-executive producer. Other places on “American Grilled” besides Chicago: Annapolis; Charlottesville; Asheville, N.C.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Pensacola, Fla.; Louisville; St. Louis; Savannah, Ga.; New Orleans; Memphis; Austin; and Latrobe, Pa.

“The city itself is a character. The show is regional and the food is local,” DeGroot says. “That’s what sets us apart.” He was also adamant that the process be “organic.” Contestants cook in real time. They suffer no character arcs or trash talk. Judges decide who wins.

Guas and DeGroot, who with his wife owns a farm near North Carolina’s Great Smoky Mountains and feels passionately about the farm-to-table movement, hit it off right away.

“He’s a stress eater,” Guas says, referring to the way DeGroot absorbs pressure yet stays calm and loose and very much in charge.

As comfortable as Guas is on the small screen – he has appeared on “Today” 20 times since 2001, plus on various Food Network gigs – hosting has not been a cakewalk.

“The first three cities were bumpy,” he says. Shooting for “American Grilled” began last summer, and Guas was hired a mere two weeks prior. A format in which he chatted up contestants during each round was scrapped. It was too distracting for them, and too much like “those other shows.” He had to learn how to handle seven or eight pages of script yet exude an off-the-cuff vibe.

Mostly, he was reminded by DeGroot that the host’s on-camera work was not like the contestants’. ” ‘Dude, if ain’t right, we can do it again,’ is what he reinforced through that bug in my ear,” the 39-year-old chef says. “I can get into a business-y, get-it-done mentality.” By the time the team shot in the last location several weeks ago, he adds, “I tried not to have ‘judges’ face,’ at least.”

Guas’ own posse got to visit Latrobe, the last shoot. It’s safe to say that his publicist wife, Simone Rathle, has summoned all her professional acumen to help navigate her husband’s career. She’s his biggest fan.

Elder son Spencer, almost 12, says: “My father’s my father. That won’t change. He’ll always come to my baseball games” – although the rising seventh-grader says that when his teacher “unexpectedly did a report in class about my father having his show, it was cool.” Nine-year-old son Kemp wonders, “Now, is a limousine going to come and take us to school?”

o o o

The third-round giardiniera drama in Chicago seems like small potatoes compared with all that production manager Mo Krishna has to deal with. The 38-year-old Windy City native works 12-hour-plus days for weeks at a time. He scouts locations before the talent arrives and is responsible for a 30-person staff and the equipment that fits into one 25-foot truck, a 14-foot camera truck, a nine-foot “grip” truck, a cargo van, a jib trailer and five traveling vehicles. That’s how this Original Media team rolls, a separate entity hired by the Travel Channel.

“The crew we have is almost perfect,” Krishna says. He is inexplicably laid back, wearing a hoodie and backward cap. He takes small delight in pointing out the look-closer feature on the side of the largest truck, which doubles as a backdrop for this location. Its “American Grilled” mural, a mashup of flames and grates and grill-marked foods, sports bratwurst that are, in fact, bananas – the work of some graphics artist, Krishna guesses.

DeGroot gets to see the big picture because his production manager keeps tabs on just about everything else. Their admiration for each other is genuine, and mutual.

The routine is the same for each town: a day of prep, a day to shoot, a day to wrap. Permission to film in the shadow of the Ernie Banks statue at Wrigley took Krishna four weeks to secure. On this day he also has to play host to the MLB representatives on hand to make sure all baseball references were on the money. (No “s” at the end of Cracker Jack, they murmur at one point behind DeGroot in the Video Village, where a bank of mini-monitors shows all camera points of view. Another take, the host hears in his ear.)

Meanwhile, culinary director Clifford Endo Gulibert has scouted the local food scene and crowd-sourced for items that make sense for the episode. The trained chef in the porkpie hat has stocked all manner of kitchen appliances and utensils. He has culled beautiful produce from the farmers market. He has filled a mega-cooler with marrow bones, pancetta, eggs, cheeses and beer, and can’t wait for the semi-finalists to tackle those Flinstonian T-bone steaks. After each round, Gulibert pulls out styling tweezers to clean up the contestants’ plates, ever so subtly, for camera closeups. At the end of the shoot he gets to play Santa, dispensing unused food and beverages.

Meanwhile, the contestants are sequestered. Today that happens to be at the McDonald’s across the street. It’s tough to envision how those golden arches will play in post-production.

Krishna hired a local medic to be on the set all day. He has made sure that concrete weights prevent the wide umbrellas from lifting off, and that fire extinguishers are at each contestant’s space. (The doctor leaves happy with a modest stipend and several bags of produce from Gulibert.)

The unused ingredient has prompted a private, 40-minute powwow among the judges, who are standing off-camera and out of earshot. There has been no “American Grilled” precedent, exactly. How can somebody win all the marbles if a key element has been left out? How much should the contestant’s dishes from the two previous rounds count toward an overall win?

This has thrown off Krishna’s projected wrapup, some 8 1/2 hours after the talent arrived. But he knows how to go with the flow. He is, after all, a veteran of “BBQ Pitmasters” and other reality TV shows. He expects “American Grilled” will be a success. Whether the freelance crew can be reassembled is another matter.

McManamee weighs in, as does DeGroot. In the end, the judges’ ruling stands. The last contestant standing is not quite as excited as a winner of $10,000 ought to be; DeGroot gives a polite pep talk and, yes, that moment is replayed. The shoot’s done as light fades in the early-evening sky.

And the host has one more episode under his belt.

“I’m proud of it,” Guas says, adding it will be awkward for him to watch at a preview party back in D.C. “Maybe it’ll remind me to be funnier if there’s a second season. Maybe the country will get to see the real David.”

Grilled Smoked Bologna and Yellow Mustard Grilled Slaw Sammies

4 to 8 servings

Chef David Guas, host of the Travel Channel’s “American Grilled,” says he grew up eating fried “baloney,” slapping it on Bunny brand bread and squirting it with yellow mustard.

He now makes these grilled sandwiches for his two young sons, who especially love the cold, tangy crunch of an added slaw.

You’ll need to soak 1/2 cup of hickory or apple wood chips in water for 30 minutes.

MAKE AHEAD: The slaw needs to be made at least 30 minutes in advance, so its flavors can blend. It can be refrigerated up to 3 days.

From Guas, chef-owner of Bayou Bakery in Arlington, Va.

Ingredients

For the slaw

1 head green cabbage, cut into quarters (do not core)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup regular or low-fat Duke’s mayonnaise

1 teaspoon celery seed

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

1 medium Vidalia onion or other sweet onion, cut in half

For the sammies

Four 1/2-inch thick slices all-beef or beef-pork bologna (4 inches in diameter, 24 ounces total)

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

8 slices Texas toast bread (may substitute thick slices of any soft, white bread)

Steps

For the slaw: Prepare the grill for direct heat: If using a gas grill, preheat to medium-high (400 degrees) with the lid closed. If using a charcoal grill, light the charcoal or wood briquettes; when the briquettes are ready, distribute them evenly over the cooking area. For a medium-hot fire, you should be able to hold your hand about 6 inches above the coals for 4 to 6 seconds. Have ready a spray water bottle for taming any flames. Brush the grill grate.

Place the cabbage quarters on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil, then season liberally with the salt and pepper. Transfer the cabbage quarters to the grill; cook, uncovered, for a total of 7 minutes, turning the cabbage as needed to achieve a little char on all sides. The cabbage should remain somewhat crisp and not cooked through.

Immediately return the cabbage to the same baking sheet and place in the freezer for 20 minutes, until firm. Use a serrated knife to cut into very thin slices, discarding the cores. The yield should be about 4 cups of firmly packed cabbage.

Whisk together the mayonnaise, celery seed and mustard in a mixing bowl until well blended.

Grate each onion half on the large-holed side of a box grater, letting the grated onion fall into a bowl. Gently squeeze out/drain away any onion juices; the yield of onion should be 1/2 cup. Add the drained onion to the mayo mixture, along with the cabbage. Season lightly with salt and pepper; stir to incorporate. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the sammies: Prepare the grill for direct and indirect heat: If using a gas grill, preheat to medium-high (400 degrees) for 10 minutes with the lid closed. If using a charcoal grill, light the charcoal or wood briquettes; when the briquettes are ready, distribute them on one side of the cooking area. For a hot fire, you should be able to hold your hand about 6 inches above the coals for 4 to 6 seconds. Have ready a spray water bottle for taming any flames. Brush the grill grate.

Place the bologna slices over direct heat; cook uncovered for 2 to 3 minutes on each side to achieve good grill marks. Move them to the indirect-heat side of the grill.

Drain the wood chips; add them to the briquettes, then quickly close the grill lid and allow the bologna to smoke for no more than 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Spread the melted butter on one side of each slice of Texas toast. Place the bread slices buttered side down on the direct-heat side of the grill and cook, uncovered, for 45 to 60 seconds, to achieve good grill marks. Transfer to a cutting board.

When ready to assemble, lay each piece of grilled, smoked bologna on the ungrilled side of 4 pieces of the Texas toast. Top each portion with about 1/2 cup of the slaw, then complete the sandwiches with the remaining 4 pieces of bread, grilled side up.

Spear each sandwich with two evenly spaced, short bamboo skewers or long toothpicks. Cut in half; serve right away.

Nutrition Per serving (based on 8, using low-fat mayonnaise): 550 calories, 12 g protein, 32 g carbohydrates, 42 g fat, 16 g saturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 1,270 mg sodium, 4 g dietary fiber, 7 g sugar

Grilled Bison Hanger Steak

4 servings

Bison on the grill can be more tender than beef, says “American Grilled” host and chef David Guas, even though bison’s marbling tends to be more delicate.

Serve with a saute of rapini and roasted garlic.

MAKE AHEAD: The meat needs to marinate while the grill is heating up.

Bison hanger steak, sometimes called “butcher’s filet,” can be special-ordered at stores where Gunpowder Bison & Trading fresh meats are sold, such as Dawson’s Market in Rockville, Md.

From Guas.

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Coarse sea salt or kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

2 pounds bison hanger steak (see headnote)

Steps

Combine the garlic, oil, crushed red pepper flakes and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper in a gallon-size zip-top bag. Add the meat and seal, pressing out as much air as possible. Massage to coat evenly. Let it sit while the grill heats up.

Prepare the grill for direct heat: If using a gas grill, preheat to high (425 to 450 degrees) with the lid closed. If using a charcoal grill, light the charcoal or wood briquettes; when the briquettes are ready, distribute them evenly over the cooking area. For a medium-hot fire, you should be able to hold your hand about 6 inches above the coals for 4 to 6 seconds. Have ready a spray water bottle for taming any flames. Brush the grill grate.

Take the meat out of the bag; discard any remaining marinade. Season lightly with salt and pepper on both sides. Place on the grill and cook, uncovered, for a total of 7 minutes or until the meat’s internal temperature registers 130 to 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer (medium-rare); turn the meat as needed.

Transfer to a cutting board to rest for 8 to 10 minutes before cutting into 1/2-inch slices. Serve warm.

Nutrition Per serving: 300 calories, 49 g protein, 0 g carbohydrates, 11 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 160 mg cholesterol, 240 mg sodium, 0 g dietary fiber, 0 g sugar