Alton Brown @ Opryland Hotel

Alton Brown, host of the best cooking show ever--Good Eats--and the host of the best travel-food show ever--Feasting on Asphalt and the upcoming Feasting on Waves, rocked the Opryland Hotel on August 16, 2008 with his tech-laden and hysterical cooking demo. Alton appeared for the third year at the Opryland’s Celebrity Chef Series.


The show began as Alton entered the stage with the tune Weird Science blaring. When Alton stepped on the stage, the audience greeted him with thunderous applause and cheering. (Yes, I’m guilty of letting out a woo or two) Alton admired the stage set, saying it looked more like something for a rock concert than a guy who cooks on TV, then got down to business. First he chatted with the audience and told us to get up and ask questions at the two microphone areas set up for the event. He teased audience members who sat on stage as a part of the VVIP package. These people had a breakfast meet and greet with Alton before the cooking demo, he talked about seeing some of them in their pajamas. I had the afternoon meet and greet package. Instead of being on stage, my seat was at table two–nearly front and center of the stage!


After dispensing with chatting and teasing, Alton went to work on his demo. This year he featured high-tech kitchen gadgets that he sees a lot on Iron Chef America. Most of these items are not for the home cook, but Alton believes in the coming years the prices should lower enough for home use.


First up on the list was aerosol cheese. Of the gadgets he used, the ones to make this stuff were probably the most readily available (and affordable) to the home cook. Alton mixed heavy whipping cream, powdered cheese, smoked paprika and salt (kosher, of course) to make base for the aerosol cheese. Alton mentioned when he first started making homemade aerosol cheese, powdered cheese was hard to find. He gets his on the Internet. But now the place where he orders it from sells out a lot. Apparently more people are using it now! After this demo, it might sell out even faster!


Alton added his mixture to a nitrous oxide whipped cream dispenser. Now comes the fun part! Alton pulls out this thing called “The Smoking Gun.” What is does, is infuse smoke flavor into food without heating. I remembered it from an ICA battle.

Of course, by pulling this item out the audience gets a huge kick out of it and Alton played along making bong innuendos. After adding smoke into the container, Alton clamped on the lid and added the nitrous oxide cartridge. At this point, Alton had some fun with the cameraman.

The demo was being closed-circuit broadcast on four screens in the room, this cameraman followed Alton around all during the demo. There were a few times when Alton teased the guy. So as Alton is holding the dispenser, he said it never blows up. Then Alton makes a loud noise and lunged at the cameraman. The guy played along and dropped to the floor, still filming Alton by the way.

Alton loomed over the cameraman, menacingly holding the dispenser. Before he goes ahead with spraying the camera with the cheese, Alton stopped and thought about it and said, “That’s an expensive lens.” He walked back behind the counter and got a cracker then some bread, made a sandwich, and handed an audience member the sandwich.


More culinary toys emerged as Alton’s demo continued. It was time to make some beef short ribs. Alton asked us about ribs, he wanted to know what’s in ribs that make them not become dried, tough and nasty when cooked? You know I shouted out collagen! Then Alton asked: what does collagen turn into? You know I shouted out gelatin! I don’t know if Alton heard me, I was on the front row after all, but those are two things he taught me!

In order to make lip smacking ribs without spending days of roasting in the oven, he turned to the immersion circulator. Alton whipped up a coating for the ribs. Tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, salt and some spices all went into a bowl along with two slabs of short ribs in a German style cut called flanken. Alton mixed the coating and the ribs then dumped the whole thing into a sous vide bag. Another machine sucked the air out of the bags and sealed them. Then both bags went into the immersion circulator. The ribs are to cook for 20 hours. Alton’s culinary director, Tammy, started a batch the day before so Alton could display the luscious ribs on stage. Boy, did he.


After plating the ribs, Alton taunted the audience with the creation. First he placed the plate on the stage and told the on stage audience that he couldn’t serve them the ribs because he did have a catering license. Next, Alton got down on the stage floor and ate the ribs in front of everyone! He tempted the audience and the cameraman with them. Finally, Alton placed the plate at the top of the stage and said after the demo they were up for grabs.


The last item in Alton’s demo was sorbet. But not the run of the mill sorbet, this is an Alton Brown sorbet. Of course, he’s going to do wild things! Red Bull sorbet! The idea for Red Bull sorbet started when someone Alton knows asked if he could make it. Alton said using it was not an endorsement of the product. And actually he can’t drink it because it makes him too jittery. The sorbet began with simple syrup. Alton quizzed us again. What is simple syrup? And I yelled out the answer… again! He added a bit of vodka as anti-freeze.


Because of the sugar content of the simple syrup and the Red Bull, Alton had difficulty in freezing the mixture. The ice crystals were too big. The home ice cream freezer didn’t work, making a Red Bull slurpee. He tried a commercial ice cream freezer and it didn’t work either. Ultimately, Alton discovered the best way to freeze the mixture. Liquid Nitrogen! In a mixer, he poured the chemical and within seconds the stage looked like a B-grade horror movie. The smoke was rolling from the mixer, down the stage and out to the audience. At last, AB pulled put a spoon filled with a smooth, frozen treat!


If you're interested in more photos from the event, check out my All About Alton photo page and my flickr site.



Scoops:
* The Iron Chef America Wii game–Alton does the commenter voice and the voice of a fake Iron Chef. He didn’t tell us which one, though.
* The Next Iron Chef contest will return next year
* The Good Eats cookbook will be a two-volume set with volume one coming out in fall 2009. He is also reworking many of the recipes from the show for the book.

Next entry will be about the meet and greet!

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