- 1 year ago
The Food Truck NZ - S03E03 - Argentinian BBQ
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00:00Chef Michael van der Elzen is taking to the streets of New Zealand for a tiki tour of
00:06taste buds.
00:07His goal?
00:08To transform some of the world's most popular fat-filled dishes into healthy gourmet truck
00:13food.
00:14That's fantastic.
00:15Oh yeah.
00:16This time on the food truck, Michael attends a chainsaw massacre on a Mirai, as he attempts
00:26to master the Argentinian barbecue.
00:29Beautiful.
00:30Any smoke coming through?
00:32No.
00:33It just tastes like naked lamb.
00:38Can Michael reinvent the great Kiwi barbecue by adding a Latin twist?
00:43Find out on the food truck.
00:52When we think of Argentina, we think of Evita.
00:56The tango, and Diego Maradona.
00:59But what about the food of this red-blooded nation?
01:03Well, it's red-blooded meat, apparently.
01:07When I think of Argentine food, I think of huge slabs of meat with a nice glass of Malbec.
01:12You know, Argentinians love their meat, partly because good beef over there is just so cheap.
01:20That's good if you're in Argentina, but what about here in New Zealand?
01:23What's Argentinian food like here?
01:26And more importantly, is there any?
01:28To find out, Michael has sniffed out some Argentinian food right in the middle of Auckland,
01:33and they're serving a South American favourite.
01:35I might grab an empanada if I can, please.
01:37What's your most traditional?
01:38Oh, South American, go for the beef.
01:40The word empanada literally means wrapped in dough, and Michael is soon wrapped with
01:45his empanada.
01:46It's kind of like a Cornish pasty of South America.
01:49It tastes like the mushrooms have been smoked, you've got some onions in there, and then
01:52it's been wrapped in deep-fry.
01:53Price-wise, this is $6.
01:54It's a great snack.
01:55Two sauces, a little bit of coriander.
01:56Fantastic, eh?
01:57Oh, they're so good, but I can't use them because they're being deep-fried.
02:06I could steam it, but then you're going to lose this crispy outside.
02:09I need to find a pastry that I can wrap around my filling, bake it in the oven.
02:15Booyah.
02:17Argentines do not excel at vegetarianism.
02:19Each year, they eat 60 kilos of beef per person.
02:23That's twice as much as meat-loving Kiwis.
02:25Could I try your chorizo, please?
02:27Thank you, sir.
02:28You're welcome.
02:29This little sauce on the side, this is South American.
02:32This is a chimichurri sauce, parsley, chili flakes, garlic, a little bit of vinegar, and
02:38what it does, you dip this little sausage into there, and it just brings the sausage
02:42alive.
02:43A salad, a protein, you've got some bread fuller, and a beautiful sauce for $10.
02:48Man, you can't go wrong, can you?
02:50Really.
02:51But you can go wrong if your meat's too fatty, especially if you've got a great rack.
02:56So here you've got the rack of the lamb, really, really fatty.
03:00And I'm thinking they don't want a lean cut of meat, because if they put lean meat onto
03:05those coals, it's just going to dry out.
03:07The fat keeps the moisture in the meat, but when it's really fatty, you've got to be a
03:11little bit concerned.
03:12There's a bit of a common theme coming on here.
03:16If you order meat in Argentina, you're going to get a massive portion of it, and you're
03:20going to get chimichurri sauce.
03:23Argentina's obsession with meat goes back to the colonial era, when cowboys, known as
03:27gauchos, developed a fondness for smoky, barbecued meat, a char-grilled style that remains a
03:33favourite.
03:34It's quite a simple cuisine in many ways, but the thing is, there are a few tricks to
03:38barbecuing such large amounts of meat, and how they're seasoned.
03:43I think Kiwis probably think they're pretty good on the barbecue, but I'm about to meet
03:48a true barbecue chef.
03:52Michael has come to Piritahi Marae, on the shores of Waiheke Island, to meet a gaucho gourmet.
03:58Hello sir, how are you?
03:59Hey Mike, nice to meet you, I'm Kura.
04:01Michael.
04:02I cook the traditional gaucho food.
04:05Kura Anselmi has laid down many ahangi, and more than a few barbecues here at the marae.
04:10We'll be catering for 30 or so people today, so hopefully there's enough meat.
04:13Check this out, here's my beauty.
04:15Yep, that should cover it.
04:17Ha, ha, look at that, holy moly.
04:20So how heavy is this?
04:22170 kilos.
04:23170 kilos?
04:24Yes.
04:25This is a big beast.
04:26The first task is bringing this once mighty animal down to size.
04:30Sure buddy, okay, jump on.
04:32This is going to get messy.
04:33Yeah.
04:34Michael, you don't know how right you are.
04:41After a brief Waiheke chainsaw massacre...
04:44It's going to get half the beast off me.
04:46...the real man's work begins.
04:49Like a cross between Jesus and Joan of Arc, this beast is ending its days on a fiery cross.
04:55It sure beats a microwave for sheer drama.
04:57Where did you get those crucifix from?
04:59Oh, just a friend of mine, he reeled it from me.
05:03It's not like something you go down to the local Bunnings and go, I'll let you have it.
05:08So this is just rock salt?
05:09Just rock salt.
05:10So the flavour comes from all this dripping fat, you know.
05:13A lot of people complain about the fat in my barbecue, but this is the way a gaucho barbecue should be.
05:18Good.
05:1922 hours of cooking is about to commence.
05:23It's not long before the key ingredient to any barbecue starts to manifest.
05:28Two theories about this kind of cooking, you've got to keep the meat off the smoke,
05:32Two theories about this kind of cooking, you've got to keep the meat off the smoke,
05:37and some people prefer the smoke.
05:38I did it both ways, and I prefer particularly with the smoke flavour.
05:43That is some intense heat coming out of that, Cor.
05:46That is insane.
05:48Slowly, slowly.
05:49The angle of the meat is adjusted to create an even temperature across the carcass.
05:54So up here is closer, but it's higher.
05:56This here is lower to the fire, but it's further away.
05:59All that's needed now is a final garnish of fresh gorse.
06:03With rosemary, you know?
06:04Sorry, rosemary.
06:05Dipped in brine or salty water.
06:08Cor, I'm going to leave this in your capable hands.
06:11If anything goes wrong, don't ring me.
06:14See you tomorrow.
06:15A Dutchman gives an Argentine a hongi, and with that, the meat is left to cook through the night.
06:22Michael returns the next day to find Cor underdone.
06:26It's been a long night?
06:27Oh, I feel very sleepy now.
06:29Are you?
06:30But the meat cooked to perfection.
06:32That's sensational.
06:33That's just falling off the rib cage.
06:35Beauty.
06:36It's taken the bitter part of a day, but the barbecuing is not over yet.
06:41Even the bread is char-grilled.
06:43So this is quite a traditional bread?
06:44Yes, just water, dripping fat, flour, little bit of yeast, and salt.
06:50Only one component of our meal remains, the cheerfully named chimichurri sauce, a South American favourite.
06:57Parsley, some garlic, chilli from Chile, oregano, two tablespoons, teaspoon of black pepper.
07:04Black pepper.
07:05Vinegar.
07:06Vinegar.
07:07Just white vinegar?
07:08Yes.
07:09Salty water.
07:10Oil.
07:11And this is very traditional?
07:12Yes.
07:13Look at that.
07:1422 hours of heartache has gone into this moment, Cor.
07:17Yeah.
07:18And the rewards are substantial.
07:20Really?
07:21That much meat?
07:22Yes, of course.
07:23It's a slab of meat, Cor.
07:24You don't do things by half.
07:30Where have you been all my life?
07:31It's like that smoke is intense in the skin.
07:34Of course.
07:35The skin has the most flavour.
07:36Yes.
07:37Put the chimichurri on it, and it just brings out all the flavour.
07:39Yep.
07:40I found that fascinating, watching Cor cook that piece.
07:44Now, my challenge has to be trying to replicate that flavour in my truck.
07:48But I've got to use a barbecue or something that I can recreate that smoking sort of sensation.
07:54The thing is, I haven't got 24 hours, and I haven't got room in my truck for a whole crucifix cow.
08:04Chef Michael van der Elzen is relearning the art of the barbecue, Argentinian style.
08:10In just a few days, he's expected at the Rotorua A&P show,
08:14where he'll be feeding folk who know their meat from the ground up.
08:18But first, he needs to work out how to serve barbecued food from a small truck.
08:22So, he's visiting the wharf at Mangere Bridge in search of genuine meat lovers,
08:27even though most people around here are more interested in fish.
08:30Today, I want to try and replicate that beautiful, smoky, tear-off-the-bone flavour of that meat on Waiakea Island.
08:37But I want to do it without it taking 20 hours.
08:40Michael must do his Argentinian barbecue not only faster, but smaller.
08:45So, the moo-moo is giving way to the ba-ba.
08:49Here in Kiwiland, we have a lot of lamb.
08:51So, instead of using beef like they do in South America, I want to use lamb.
08:55True to gaucho style, a very simple marinade is all that's required.
08:59For my marinade, I'm going to use some lemon, a little bit of garlic, a rosemary,
09:04and I'll finish this with just a little bit of salt, a little bit of pepper, a little bit of olive oil.
09:08Two hours in the fridge is all it takes.
09:11The acid is just starting to tenderise the outside of that beautifully.
09:15So, what I'm going to do with this is a real simple thing.
09:17I'm going to cold smoke it.
09:19It may look like Michael is serving himself a bowl of cereal, but this is the cheat's way to char.
09:25Manuka wood chips are going to provide that smoky flavour.
09:28Hopefully, there'll be enough of the smoked flavour to replicate hours of sitting over those coals.
09:34It's a bonsai barbeque in a pan.
09:36I don't want to cook this lamb, I just want to smoke it.
09:39Let that smoke chamber infuse into that lamb.
09:44It's a real manly meat.
09:48You may think it's manly, Michael, but is it smoky?
09:51Afternoon, are we well?
09:52Hello, how are you?
09:53Lovely, lovely.
09:54Here's a lamb chop.
09:56Let me know what you think.
09:59There's something there, I can't quite get it.
10:01Any sort of, you know, smoky aromas?
10:04No, no, I was really struggling to get that smoky flavour out.
10:08Okay, it is seared nicely, but does it have the smoky flavour to it?
10:12Yeah, not quite.
10:13No smoke?
10:14No.
10:15It just tastes like naked lamb.
10:16They say where there's smoke, there's fire.
10:18Michael didn't produce the fire, and sure enough, he hasn't produced the smoke.
10:22But he's got a different trick in mind for his tenderloins.
10:25We're going to make up a dry rub, rub it on, and then we're going to cook it instantly.
10:29Like a wizard, Michael is going to conjure up the smoked flavour without the flame,
10:33using nothing but a witch's brew of spices and flavourings.
10:37I've got some white pepper, smoked paprika, dried rosemary, oregano, thyme, dried garlic.
10:43Then we've got some red chilli, just to add a bit of fire.
10:46It looks great, but the flavour coming through is just awesome.
10:49Then you just want to sprinkle and just rub that in.
10:54That's the rub, but will the rubbed lamb rub the punters up the right way?
10:58It's quite spicy.
10:59Yep.
11:00Any smoke coming through?
11:01Nah, just the hot pepper.
11:04At the moment, I can only really taste the peppery.
11:06OK, so too much spice?
11:08Maybe a little, yeah.
11:09Michael's scaled-down, speed-smoked meat isn't fooling anyone.
11:13So, for his leg of lamb, he's putting the smoke right inside the meat, using mushrooms and garlic.
11:19Hello, little chimney.
11:21I love that smell. Beautiful.
11:25What we want to do is make insertions in the side of our lamb leg,
11:29and then just fill it with our hot smoked garlic and mushrooms.
11:33Just get them in there.
11:34Like a high priest of meat, Michael ceremoniously anoints his lamb with a sprig of rosemary.
11:40But the real blessing is yet to come.
11:42Does it taste like a piece of meat that's come off a...
11:45Barbecue.
11:46Barbecue?
11:47Ooh, that's music to my ears.
11:49So you're getting a bit of that smoky flavour coming through?
11:51Yes, absolutely. Really.
11:53Yeah, it's lovely.
11:55That is fantastic.
11:56I don't know how you managed to get that flavour suited in there,
11:59but I would definitely like to know how you did it.
12:02Would you have a side salad with that?
12:03Yes, I would have a salad, because by actually having the salad,
12:06you're changing your palate, and it would actually emphasise that when you go back to the lamb,
12:10you'd actually enjoy that flavour even more.
12:14I think that was a tremendously productive day.
12:16I got some great feedback.
12:18The ones that I loved serving were the chops,
12:21because you could pick them up and eat them with your hands.
12:24The bones are your utensil.
12:26The problem is, they were the biggest disappointment,
12:29because they had the least amount of smoke flavour and they had the most fat.
12:33So I've got to get more smoke flavour into them,
12:36and the only way I can really think of doing that is to use a barbecue.
12:40Problem is, I don't have a barbecue.
12:43But I do have a friend who may be able to help me out.
12:48Hopefully this person is not one of Michael's dodgy old contacts from his time as a prison chef.
12:53Fingers crossed.
12:54In the meantime, Michael heads back to the garage to flesh out his already fleshy menu.
12:59I realise I've just got to serve some sort of a salad with my meat,
13:03so I'm going to make a chimichurri salad.
13:06Michael is determined to get that smoky barbecue flavour into everything.
13:10Even his salad begins with a little casual charring.
13:14I've got some red peppers, which I'm just going to burn the skin off,
13:17and then cut up.
13:18The peppers are artfully incinerated, along with parts of Michael.
13:22I've enjoyed having hairs on my arms, but soon they'll be gone.
13:25Once you've got a nice char on the outside of that skin,
13:28we just rub that outside skin off, and we're left with the flesh and the flesh only.
13:33That flesh has also been charred, so we're adding flavour into the chimichurri salad.
13:38I want to add some red onion to the salad,
13:40so what I'm going to do is I'm going to roast this onion off first,
13:43so I'm going to have the sweetness of this large red onion,
13:45but I'm still going to add my shallots, because that's what's going to give you that kick.
13:49For my next ingredient, I want to add these little puppies.
13:52These are beautiful little peppers called pepperjews,
13:55and these have been slightly pickled, but they are so, so sweet.
13:59Red wine vinegar, some smoked paprika, a little bit of white pepper, and a little bit of salt.
14:05Finish that with a dash of olive oil.
14:07That's the way that I'm making this chimichurri healthier by turning it into a salad,
14:11because I don't need all that oil.
14:14This is going to work beautifully with the lamb.
14:17Michael's chops have already been smoked in the pan, and each will be marinated in a different way.
14:22So this one here is my wet marinade, which I'll cook just like this with a little bit of smoked salt.
14:27This one here is my dry marinade, which I'm going to rub in my zesty, tangy, South American-style dry rub,
14:34and I'll cook them both at the same time for the same amount of time,
14:37and whammo, dry rub rib, wet rub rib.
14:40So they can pick that up, put a little bit of chimichurri on top.
14:44The sound effects are optional, by the way.
14:46And then my bread.
14:48Michael's bread takes inspiration from the empanada.
14:51He's using wholemeal dough filled with roasted quinoa,
14:54which is a South American ancient grain, one of the superfoods.
14:58What I want to do now is stuff it and fold it over like an empanada,
15:02and my stuffing's going to be the mushrooms and the garlic that I used to put inside my lamb.
15:07Olives add a dash of natural salt.
15:10Pop that into the centre of our bread.
15:12Fold that over.
15:13Because I haven't got my barbecue yet, I'm just going to bang it into the oven.
15:17Eat it, see what it tastes like.
15:20Flavour-wise, perfect.
15:22Fast food, South American-style.
15:26I am uber excited about tomorrow.
15:28I've just got to hope that, A, my barbecue turns up,
15:31and a lot of people turn up wanting some South American-style fast food.
15:38Chef Michael van der Elzen is about to revolutionise the great Kiwi barbecue
15:44by copying the Argentinians.
15:46Beautiful.
15:48After experimenting with different ways to smoke a chop,
15:51Michael is heading to the Rotorua A&P show
15:54to see if he can convince Kiwis to embrace his spicy Latin twist on barbecued meat.
16:00The Rotorua A&P show has been running for more than a century,
16:04attracting people from all over the world
16:06and featuring everything from the relatively mundane to the utterly amazing.
16:11Look at the udders on that.
16:13They've got enormous udders.
16:15This really is a meat-lover's paradise.
16:18My food is well-suited to where we are.
16:20I'm serving meat.
16:21There's a lot of meat walking around here,
16:23even though they're all cows and I'm serving lamb,
16:26but it doesn't matter.
16:27If my barbecue turns up, it will be gold.
16:31And if his barbecue doesn't turn up, it won't even be bronze.
16:35But Michael has faith and gets straight into his prep.
16:38He lines up his chops as the manuka wood chips are fired up
16:42and he dresses his salad.
16:44It's soon lunchtime,
16:45and while people are starting to make decisions about what to eat,
16:48Michael is still writing up his menu.
16:51So I've got my dry rub marinade, my wet rosemary marinade.
16:55So two lamb on offer today.
16:57I've gone for ten bucks today and I think that's great value.
17:00I think they're going to fly out the door.
17:03But with this queue,
17:04what really needs to be flying out the door is Michael's barbecue,
17:08which is still somewhere else.
17:10I'm actually really starting to get worried about this barbecue.
17:13What if he doesn't turn up?
17:15Meanwhile, the competition is having no such issues.
17:18Maybe I'll just give him a bell.
17:20Where's my phone?
17:23Don speaking.
17:24Don, just wondering, you know, how far off are you?
17:27I'm sorry, mate, but I'm getting to your time.
17:31Yeah, cool. Okay, I'll see you soon.
17:33Thirty minutes later,
17:34Michael's chops are all dressed up with nowhere to go
17:37and the natives are getting restless.
17:40There's a tremendous amount of people out there, again.
17:43I've pretty much done my prep.
17:45I need this barbecue.
17:47But then Michael notices a familiar throbbing in his pants.
17:52Mike speaking.
17:57Yeah, man. Yeah, man.
17:59I am at the gates.
18:01Are you at the gate of the AMP show?
18:03I am indeed.
18:04I've got a gleaming new little toy right here waiting for you.
18:08I'm coming now. Okay, awesome.
18:12The newest exhibit at the Rotorua AMP show has just arrived
18:16and Michael couldn't be prouder.
18:19It may look more like a pram with an umbrella than a barbecue,
18:22but Michael is finally armed and ready to cook.
18:26Look at it.
18:27Look at my cool wheels. Isn't that awesome?
18:29My mate at Catercart managed to sneak one out of the factory for me
18:33and this is going to help me so much today
18:35because I now have a food truck barbecue.
18:38Beautiful.
18:41Yes, all right, you might want to get that thing fired up now.
18:44His Barbie may have arrived late,
18:46but fortunately Michael's other secret weapon turns up bang on time.
18:50All ten years of him.
18:51Hello, dude. What's your name?
18:53Matt.
18:54You want to be my money man?
18:55Yep.
18:57Here you go, Matt.
18:58Starting this late,
18:59Michael's going to need as much help as his young charge can give him.
19:02Let's do it.
19:04Finally, we're ready to serve.
19:06If Michael can just work out one last thing.
19:09Here's one, two.
19:14Just got to figure out how to light this.
19:18Make sure you don't go away.
19:22Goodie.
19:23Simple, food truck, barbecue is open.
19:28The crowd is so hungry they barely have the strength to cheer,
19:31so Michael wastes no time in getting the food flowing.
19:36Capricious on, eh?
19:37That's it.
19:40Two wet marinated lamb chops.
19:42Two lovely.
19:43Here's the lamb.
19:44Enjoy, dude.
19:45No, I'm so happy.
19:46No problem.
19:47The wet rub of rosemary and lemon is immediately snapped up.
19:50Mmm, lovely and tender.
19:52I can taste the tang, I can taste the smoke.
19:54It's really beautiful.
19:55Yeah, it's got a lovely sort of smoky flavour to it.
19:58Just fantastic.
20:00But Michael's spicy dry rub struggles to gain traction.
20:06You're not going for the spicy?
20:07No.
20:08Not a spice?
20:09No.
20:10The wet seems to be more popular than the dry.
20:12What's going on, Maddy?
20:13I don't know.
20:14People just don't like the spicy.
20:16Meanwhile, the Latin flavours in Michael's chimichurri salad
20:19and his smoked bread are quietly planting an Argentine flag
20:22on the palate of unsuspecting customers.
20:24Good job, Maddy.
20:25Enjoy the salad with it.
20:28The salad is beautiful.
20:30It's quite refreshing after the heavy smokiness of the meat.
20:33This bread is something special.
20:35I can taste the olives and I can taste the mushroom in it
20:37and it's just divine.
20:38I reckon the bread's quite good for a side.
20:41I see why they added it in.
20:43Is it still taste first and then pay?
20:45No, because you're a Dutchman.
20:47You'll never pay.
20:49Oh, yeah, the combination between the meat and the salad
20:52is really very good.
20:54It's like a marriage.
20:55I like that.
20:5930 years.
21:00I used to be a vegetarian, well, a bit of a vegetarian,
21:03up until now, but now I'm not.
21:07There can be no greater accolade.
21:10After making a late start,
21:12Michael rips through his queue in little more than an hour.
21:14You are actually our last customer.
21:17How fast did that go?
21:19Leaving nothing but satisfied carnivores in his wake.
21:22Very, very tender, falling off the bone.
21:26I'm speechless, leave me alone.
21:28I want to just eat this.
21:30Go away.
21:32The adults and kids alike have loved Michael's Argentine barbecue.
21:36He's a good cook.
21:37But there's one kid who's been here all day
21:39and still hasn't had his lunch.
21:41Well done.
21:42Give me a hand, high five.
21:45Enjoy.
21:47That's really good.
21:48Pretty good, huh?
21:49Yeah.
21:50Part of my job is to serve fast food,
21:52and I think today I did that.
21:54I must admit, I did feel a little bit guilty
21:56about not cooking in the truck today,
21:58but I am so happy that I made the call to get a barbecue.
22:02It actually made the lamb chops healthier and tastier.
22:07Well done, me.
22:12Next time...
22:13Come on, just a little bit more.
22:15Michael puts Italian food through the wringer.
22:18It looks like a fried egg.
22:20Spaghetti like my mother used to make.
22:22Un applauso, Michael! Un applauso!
22:25And tries to give the taste of old Europe a new twist.
22:28I've created little Italy and little old Auckland.
22:31If I don't sell all of these tonight, I'm going to cry.
22:34I'm still shocked that, you know, no butter in there.
22:37That's next time on The Food Truck.
22:40Mamma mia!
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