Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (2006–…): Season 24, Episode 4 - Smoke and Seafood - full transcript

Hey. I'm Guy Fieri,
and we're rolling out

looking for America's greatest
diners, drive-ins, and dives.

This trip...
Aah!

...we're smoking up
some serious meat...

Don't get
no better than that.

...and diving
into some savory seafood.

All day.

In Baltimore...

Ohh!

...a swine-slinging
food truck...

Pork Emporium.



You're Pork Palace.
Enclosed Pork Patio.

...where the 'cue
just doesn't quit.

And there's more!

In Islamorada, Florida...
What?

...a funky, little shack...

You guys are too cool.

...where they cook
straight off the hook.

- Real deal, girl. Real deal.
-Thank you.

Plus, in Key Largo...

--I got it. Let's -- Come on.

...a full-fish experience...

Dude, that's huge.

...going crazy
with the catch.

That's a dusty road to
Flavortown right there, buddy.



That's all right here,
right now,

on "Diners, Drive-Ins,
and Dives".

So, I'm in Key Largo, Florida,
and of course it's raining,

but I'm right here on US 1.

Now, I've heard about this place
from just about everybody.

They say the food is outrageous.

They've got a fish market
in the restaurant,

but I don't know
how they came up with the name.

This is The Fish House.

Fried cracked conch.

You take your first bite,
you're hooked.

- Pan sautéed grouper.
-So phenomenally fresh.

Shrimp bundles.

This is my good buddy
DJ Ivory.

I've heard about it.
I had no idea it was this legit.

If you're coming
to the Keys, you don't stop

at The Fish House,
why'd you bother?

But that wasn't the case

when Doug Prew and C.J. Berwick
bought this place back in '87.

You know, it didn't do a lot.
Six lunches was a big day.

So along with their son, Phil,
they spent their days working

and their nights
in a trailer out back.

How did he
talk you into this?

- I think it was mutual, really.
-Really?

Over the years,
they've built a big following

with a revamped seafood menu.

One shrimp and octopus salad.
Conch chowder.

And this Fish House original...

One yellowtail Matecumbe.

...served up
by Chef Joey Flowers.

It's fresh. It's healthy.

It's a fantastic dish.

Matecumbe.

We have a upper Matecumbe
and lower Matecumbe.

They're keys down here.

All right. Get after it.
Tell me how it works.

Fresh chopped tomatoes, chopped
onion, capers, fresh basil.

And is the salsa
that's going on top of it?

- Yes.
-Okay.

Olive oil.

We'll do some fresh lemon.
Salt and pepper.

Mix this up, let this marinate,
come together.

In the fridge overnight.

And how are we gonna
prepare the fish?

Yellowtail.

Yellowtail's one of the best
down here?

Oh, yeah. Local fish.
You can catch them anytime.

And we're just gonna top them
with the Matecumbe sauce.

Just in the convection oven
about 475.

Oh, my gosh.
Screaming hot.

Six to eight minutes.

- Matecumbe.
-Nicely done.

That's it.
Simple approach.

That's it.

Mmm.

Delicate, tender.

Taste the fish, little brininess
of that caper.

Little kick of the onion
and the shallot.

Nice, little
tomato-basil combo.

Mmm.

That's the exact Florida Keys
experience I wanted to have.

Really dynamite.

A Picasso dish, if you will.

Presentation
is always beautiful.

This stuff
comes out of the water

about 300 yards over there.

They have their own fishermen
that fish for them.

And while you can
reel in a fresh catch

at their in-house fish market...

We've taken the shrimp home.
We've taken the Yellowtail home.

...most of these beauties
head straight for the kitchen.

Oh, dude, that's huge.

- What is it?
-That's an amberjack.

Aah!

And that beast
is one of three fish

they're mixing into an app that
the locals say is the real deal.

One smoked fish dip.

- Amazing.
-It's an addictive substance.

So give me the breakdown.
What are we having here?

You got some cobias, amberjack,
and mahi-mahi.

All right,
so what are we making now?

This is the brine
for the smoked fish.

We're gonna add some water.

- Brown sugar?
-Brown sugar.

Table salt,
some seasoning salt,

you got some garlic salt,
and black pepper.

All that together.

We're gonna let this brine
overnight in the cooler.

Okay.

And then smoke it on our smoker
out back.

What is it, who made it,
and can I have it?

This is our one-of-a-kind
smoke box.

It's been here
about 20-something years.

And what kind of wood
we smoking with?

Buttonwood. Very green.

So it gives that nice smoky
flavor that we're looking for.

That is awesome.

How long's
it gonna be on here?

About six to eight hours.

Man, you really put
some bark on that.

- All right, let's go make dip.
-All right.

So we have our ingredients
for the smoked fish dip here.

- Sour cream?
-Sour cream.

Cream cheese.
Pop this in.

--I got it. Let's -- come on.

Okay, a little hot sauce,
little Worcestershire.

Right.
We'll add our smoked fish

that's been through
the processor.

Wow. That's good.

That's a dusty road to
Flavortown right there, buddy.

And we'll add celery,
and then we got chopped onions.

- And jalapeño, seeds and all.
-Okay.

Now we're gonna add
our mixture

of sour cream and cream cheese
in there.

And how long are you gonna
let this all set up?

Overnight in the walk-in.
Let it chill out.

- That's how it comes out?
-Exactly.

Mmm.

A little jalapeño,

a little crunch of the onion
and the celery --

all that coming together.

Just give it a little kiss.

All day, baby.

All day.

Mmm. Mmm!

It's nice and smoky.
It's fresh and creamy.

I can't stop eating it, man.

If you love fish, you're gonna
love The Fish House.

When I came down to the Keys,

this is the seafood restaurant
I wanted to come to.

You can't hear the seagulls,
you don't see any boats,

and you got a freeway
in your front yard.

- Right.
-Yet this is probably

one of the greatest seafood
experiences I've had down here.

Thank you.

Coming up in Baltimore...

Oh, boy.

...a four-wheeling smoker...

It's a traveling
barbecue circus?

- Emporium?
-Emporium.

...piling up the pork...

Let me give you
a little room.

...and going brontosaurus-style
with the ribs.

Holy moly!

So, I'm here
in Baltimore, Maryland,

in a random parking lot
to check out a food truck

that's serving up --
Wait a second.

Don't get ahead of me.
No, no, no.

I don't want to hear,
"Oh, you're gonna try

some crab cakes.
Oh, you're probably gonna try

some steamed crab
or something with Old Bay."

No. It's not what you'd expect.

I'm here to check out
a funky, little food truck

that's serving up
some real-deal barbecue.

This is The Smoking Swine.

The Smoking Swine
is a fantastic food truck.

I wouldn't go anywhere else
for barbecue in Baltimore.

Lone Star Brisket for Harley!

Slow-cooked for hours.

Smoke fills the whole truck,
and it smells delicious.

There's nothing like it.

And there's no one
quite like owner Drew Pumphrey,

who found his passion
in a present.

My parents actually got me
a smoker as a Christmas gift.

And everything that I put in it
just worked really well,

and I just kind of
took to it naturally.

Then, when his catering
and barbecue parties

started blowing up, he moved
to a full-on food truck in 2012.

So this is
your Pork Emporium.

Your Pork Palace.
Enclosed Pork Patio.

- "The House That Pork Built".
-Th--

The license plate on this thing
says, "PORKBOX".

East Carolina for John?

East Carolina pulled pork
sandwich is fantastic.

It's tender. The coleslaw
complements it very well.

I always put a little bit
of the sweet sauce on it.

It's perfect.

All right.
Dry rub it, baby.

Cool. We use a little
dark brown sugar,

chili powder, paprika,
kosher salt,

and some butcher-grind
black pepper.

Mix It up by hand.

On to the pork butts, and what
kind of butts are we using?

I like to use a boneless
shoulder, or a boneless butt.

- Boneless? Really?
-I go boneless.

Why pay for something
you're not using?

He's bigger than me,
so of course I agree with him.

Okay, so, dry rub.

And it goes
right into the smoker.

What do we smoke them with?

For these,
we're using peachwood.

Peachwood.

It gives it a flavor profile,
I think, that nobody else,

at least around here,
really can compare with.

But I just wanted to be
a little different.

I think
you're a little different

regardless of you using peach
or not.

That's what
my doctor told me.

Yeah. How long we gonna go
at what temp?

225 for 12 hours.

Next up?

Our Eastern Carolina
style sauce.

- We actually mix it in the jug.
-Okay.

Distilled white.

Do a little kosher salt.

Like sand
through the hourglass.

Yeah.
A little black pepper.

It's a table grind,
so it's nice and fine.

Some white sugar.
Red pepper flake.

Top it off --

- Hot sauce.
-Yep.

Oh, this looks good.
Right to the top now.

Yes, boss. Genuine, bona fide
Eastern Carolina sauce.

We just give it a shake
and let it sit for 24 hours.

Ohh! It don't get
no better than that.

So, we're gonna make
our coleslaw,

what I like to call
Maryland-style coleslaw.

- There's Old Bay in it?
-There is no Old Bay in it.

Then you cannot call it
Maryland coleslaw.

There's also no crab.

So we're using some heavy mayo,
white vinegar,

some white sugar,
celery seed.

- Pretty straightforward here.
-Yes.

Then I just like to add a little
bit of chipotle powder in there.

Gives it a little bit of bite
on the end.

And a little bagged slaw mix,
because you don't have slicers?

I am in a food truck.

Yeah, I let it sit
about an hour or two.

All right, man.

Gonna make our Eastern Carolina
pulled pork sandwich.

We're gonna grab
our pork shoulder.

This has been smoking
for 12 hours.

I throw a little bit of
the Carolina sauce into the bun.

A little bit
of saturation in there.

Then give it a good pull,

try to get all
the different muscle groups.

Holy bark, Batman.

Give it a little shake.

Throw a little slaw on top.

Add our locally
sourced pickles.

So, yeah, there's our
Eastern Carolina sandwich.

- This is how you do it?
-Yeah, man.

Let me give you
a little room.

Mmm.

Barbecue sauce
has tons of spice.

Nice roll, great slaw,

a lot of acid...

and really good smoke.

I just want to get in that.

Yeah.

I'm gonna do --

Do that, and then that,

and I want to do it
one more time.

Now you own it.
Now it's yours.

--Tasty, buddy. Really good.

Appreciate it, man.

Got a East Carolina pulled pork
for Amanda?

Get a little bit
of burnt end on the edges.

You get some smoke ring.
The flavor goes through it.

The sauce is tangy,
just enough to give it a kick.

He's got his own touch to it,
and it's delicious.

Hi!

He updates his Facebook
and his Twitter daily

so we always know where he is.

Anytime I'm in the mood
for some delicious barbecue,

just take a look at social media
and go get some.

So you got anything else
up your sleeve?

- For today? Well --
-Unh. Unh.

So here's the deal. I'm gonna
finish this, take a small nap,

and when we come back,
we're gonna make --

Dah-unh!
You'll see.

Welcome back. I'm hanging out
at The Smoking Swine.

It's a traveling barbecue...
circus?

- Emporium?
-Emporium.

Barbecue Emporium.

Drew has a great reputation as
the best barbecue in Baltimore.

- Thanks.
-You got it, baby.

Drew smokes here in the truck,

and you can smell it
a mile away.

Beef short rib for Katie!

- Thank you.
-Thank you, dear.

With barbecue,
it's always tricky

to balance sweet and smoky,

and this short rib
really balances it perfectly.

Everybody devours it.

That's one of the things
he sells out of all the time.

- What do you got?
-Our beef rib rub.

Beef rib rub it is.

Use a little paprika.

Butcher grind black pepper?

Yeah, man.
Kosher salt,

chili powder,
dark brown sugar.

We do some curry.

Curry. Okay.

Garlic powder and some cumin.

- And we just hand-mix it.
-Okay.

So, here's half a dozen ribs.

Holy moly.

I wanted to offer something
that was kind of me-sized.

That's about as big
as one of my ribs.

So we just rub it down.

In the smoker how long?

11 hours at 225.

We actually use
Texas post oak.

These are actual
old fence posts.

That's the story I get from
the guy that sells it to me.

- That sells it to you?

Whoa! Been spending a little
time close to the smoker,

- have you now, son?
-It's all right with me.

All right. This is our barbecue
sauce for the beef ribs?

Yes. Kansas City style --

you know, a little sweet,
a little smoky.

We start out with some pureed
onion and garlic.

Okay, some steak sauce.

Yellow mustard, ketchup,

lemon juice,
dark chili powder.

And the kitchen sink.
Oh, no. Brown sugar.

Some brown sugar.

Molasses, white vinegar,

- Wash-your-sister sauce.
-Worce-your-sister sauce.

And then some honey.

Okay.

Hot sauce.

Kosher salt,
and a little fine-grind pepper.

And there's more!

Some sour mash whiskey.

Mix it up,
throw it on the stove

for about 40 minutes
at a simmer.

- And that goes on the ribs.
-Yep.

Wow. The little smoker
that could, man.

Yeah, she's a champ.

And that's...

That's a rib, buddy.
We slather them on,

or we slather them on,
put them back in?

On the side. Some people like
sauce. Some people don't.

I'd rather kiss your wife
than tell you whether or not

to use sauce on your barbecue,
so...

Oh, boy.

You're weird.

Look at that.

Everything you love
about a short rib, but smoked.

That sauce fits it
incredibly well.

Thank you.

Tender as can be.
I mean tender.

This is a great beef rib.

Mmm.

You're talking about
deep, rich flavor,

cooked on the bone,
nice bark right up on top.

Man, it's got it all covered.

Mmm.

Beef short rib for Mike!

They're fall-off-the-bone.

And they're huge. Dinosaur
Flintstone-size, you know.

The sauce is real tangy
and sweet. It suits everything.

Super crusty.
It's wicked smoky.

Super crusty. Wicked smoky.

I've been to a lot
of food trucks in Baltimore,

and this is my favorite one.

It's just good every time.

You're doing something here that
really deserves some respect.

- Pretty righteous.
-I'm glad you enjoy it.

Up next,
in Islamorada, Florida...

Let's get into this.

...a family-run spot
big on shrimp...

- Well done!
-Thank you.

...and cooking up
what you catch.

How do you want it?

So, I'm about a half-hour south
of Key Largo

in an area known as Islamorada.

Now, the place
has got a great story.

The dad wants his daughter
to move back home,

so he buys her a restaurant.

No, Hunter.
That's not happening for you.

I'm here because they tell me if
you catch it, they'll cook it.

This is the Islamorada
Shrimp Shack.

Shrimp and grits
in the window!

When you're traveling
through the Florida Keys,

you have to stop
at the Shrimp Shack.

Shrimp po' boy.

You will get fresh,
amazing seafood.

Blackened shrimp tacos
and a conch poor boy with fries.

We can't get enough
of the place.

Jill just does
such an excellent job.

That's Keys native Jill Jahn,

whose dad knew
the way to his daughter's heart.

I was working as a waitress
in Orlando for like nine months.

The only time I've ever lived
out of the Keys.

And he was like, "What's it
gonna take to get you home?"

And I was like, "Well, I really
want to open a restaurant.

I love to cook."
And he's like, "Let's do it."

So she ran the joint
with her parents

as Squid Row for 12 years,

then left
to focus on raising her kids,

and her folks sold the place.

We need a Senator style.

But the business
was in her blood,

so in 2011,
she got the same spot back

and opened up the Shrimp Shack.

'Cause I really wanted
to do this.

- You still wanted to do it.
-Had to do it for myself.

And it's still a family affair,

because now her daughter Morgan
helps run the place.

You'll feel the love.
These girls are great.

You feel like a local
when you're here,

whether you are or not.

- An order of shrimp fritters.
-Thank you.

The shrimp fritters
are fantastic.

Very little breading, it's just
enough to hold it all together.

The sauce is amazing homemade
remoulade that she makes here.

It's an awesome dish.

We got remoulade
set up right here.

Let's get into this.

All right, so, we're gonna add
our mayonnaise.

What? Feel like
I'm on the aircraft carrier.

We're gonna add some
horseradish,

Cajun seasoning,
paprika, mustard,

- fresh garlic.
-Okay.

We're gonna add a few dashes
of Shrimp Shack hot sauce.

- You have your own hot sauce.
-Have our own hot sauce.

You guys are too cool.

Now we whisk it,
and it's ready to go.

- Next up, we make the fritter?
-Yep.

We're gonna add our vegetables,
so we're gonna do celery,

green pepper,
red pepper, one onion.

I'm gonna add my shrimp.

- De-veined, shelled, chopped up.
-Shelled, yep.

Chopped not super fine,

'cause I like a nice chunk
of shrimp in each bite.

For leavening, we're gonna add
baking powder to the flour.

I'm gonna do a little salt,
pepper, garlic.

Get it seasoned up.

Okay.
You want this incorporated?

Yeah, please. I'm gonna add
the egg while you're doing that.

- As the binder, got it.
-All right.

Then we're gonna add
the flour mixture.

I like that you got a lot of
product here and a little flour.

And we got a little bit
of hot sauce.

Okay, so now we start
to ball it up?

Yep. Put them in the fryer --

350 degrees
for four to five minutes.

And that gets served
with the remoulade.

- Yep.
-Okay.

That is
just the right amount --

just the right amount
of flour.

You definitely got
the shrimp flavor.

All those crunchy veggies.

The perfect size.

Tender in the middle,
crunchy on the outside,

a little bit of spice
in the remoulade.

If I come to a place
called the Shrimp Shack,

they make a shrimp fritter,
it better taste like that.

Awesome.

- Well done!
-Thank you.

Got two orders
of shrimp fritters!

They're loaded with shrimp.

Even though they're fried,
they're not greasy.

The sauce is excellent.

Fish continental.

Even though
it's called the Shrimp Shack,

it's known for just putting
fresh seafood on your plate.

Or what you're catching.

Well, hook and cook is awesome,
'cause you can go out,

catch some fish,
bring it to the restaurant.

Be able to have them cook it.

There's many different ways
that you can get it.

It's always good to eat the fish
that you know you caught.

Straight from the hook
to the table. It's hard to beat.

They can just come in here
and say, "I want it blackened.

I want it grilled.
I want it pan sautéed.

I want it deep fried."

- Whatever they want.
-Every day, all day.

Regardless to which way
you get it, you can't go wrong.

What did you bring me today?

A little mangrove snapper.

Nice.

- Do you know Captain Tony?
-Tony's awesome.

He filleted it.
He cleaned it.

How do you want it?

- Cooked.
-How about Senator?

- Hook and cook Senator.
-Thank you.

Fish Senator has sliced almonds,

and then they put mushroom sauce
over the top.

It's so good.

All right. Senator style.
Run me through it.

- We're gonna dredge it in flour.
-Okay.

Egg wash,
and then encrust it in almonds.

I'm gonna heat
some clarified butter.

So the fish cooks up.

While that's going,
we start the --

Mushroom garlic butter sauce.

Hit it.

I'm gonna add a little butter,
a little garlic...

- Okay.
-...mushrooms, scallions,

then add a little bit of salt,
a little parsley, lemon juice.

And a little white pepper?

And this will all
be plated up on what?

A bed of rice, I like it. We
make a different rice every day,

- so...
-Really?

Today is the rice pilaf with,
like, a little bit of saffron.

- Look at that.
-And then we're gonna top it

with our beautiful
mushroom garlic butter.

Well, you don't go
for small here.

You don't leave
the Shrimp Shack hungry.

Mmm. Yeah, I like the little
almond on the outside of it.

This really lets the fish flavor
shine through.

A little pilaf.

I caught a fish.
To know that there was a place

that would do this for me
and give me some variety...

Nice job, girl.

Only recommendation --

need a bigger plate.

You brought it.
I cooked it.

Senator style --
cook your catch.

They do a great
preparation, but the fish,

at the end of the day,
he's still the star.

I mean, cook your catch
is really the best.

Cook your catch.
I mean, does it get any better?

It's the fishing capital
of the world.

I've got a Morgan salad
with coconut shrimp

and a half-dozen oysters.

They do everything good.

I'll be here
as often as I can be.

You embrace where you are.
Couldn't ask for more.

- Awesome.
-Nice job.

- Thank you.
-Real deal, girl.

So that's it for this edition of
"Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives."

If you want to find the recipes
to some of the joints we visit,

I'll be looking for you
next time

on "Diners, Drive-Ins,
and Dives."

You always have to --

- Hey, come here.
-Hey.

How'd that get weird so fast?