JT speaks with Celebrity Chef Andrew Zimmern

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Alabama's morning News. I'm JT. You've heard of them. Andrew
Zimmerman Bizarre foods in the new season of Wild Game
Kitchen is about to launch May third, eighth, Central Time
on the FYI Network. Andrew, I watch your stuff all
the time, and I'm just amazed at how you can
turn a wild possum into something so spectacularly delicious and

(00:20):
welcome in. Thanks for being with me this morning.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
I appreciate it. Thank you for the compliment. I think
it's you know, you hit the nail on the head
with the premise on the show. We make it spectacular
for a reason. It's fun, it's surprising people can relate
to it. And the recipe that we use for any
wild game fish, forged fruits or vegetables in the show

(00:46):
are all translated for people, so they can use food
from their supermarket if they'd like to experiment with the
technique or the sauce or the side dishes. But they don't,
you know, happen to have a leg of antelope in
the freezer or access to one. But we think it's
fun to watch people do it, and it's we just

(01:09):
we love this program.

Speaker 1 (01:10):
Well, I got to tell you know, you're obviously an
award winning chef, but you're also an outdoorsman yourself. So
do you do it all fish and hunt?

Speaker 2 (01:18):
Oh gosh, yeah, I mean this is what I've been
doing my whole life. When when they came to me
four or five years ago and said, would you do
a dump andster, you know, chef behind a cutting board show?
I said, sure, if you let me cook you know,
wild game and do it over open fire, and you know,
Outdoor Channel said yes, and the show started. There still

(01:42):
airs on an outdoor channel, airs on Taste made f
YI has now bought the show and they're airing twenty
new episodes starting May third. It's been the number one
show everywhere that it's aired. I'm excited for more and
more people to see it. It's it's growing immensely in popularity,

(02:03):
and I think it's the best instructional cooking show.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
Around.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
I don't know anybody else who's doing what we're doing
in as entertaining a way as we're doing it.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
Yeah. No, it is very fun to watch. And what's
the most bizarre thing that some people might go, are
you kidding me? Really? You made that?

Speaker 2 (02:22):
Oh gosh, well for me, it was this garfish that
I pulled out of the water in Texas. Absolutely a
wonderful fighting fish that should be only catch and release
because there's zero reason to ever eat this fish. I've
never it's been a long time since I've eaten something

(02:43):
so god awful. And the fish is so bad that
everybody says, yeah, the only way you can eat it
is grind it up, you know, load it up with
you know, batter, and make fish balls out of it
and dunk it into his much hot sauce and tartar
sauce as you can pile them. And I'm like, well, well,

(03:05):
why eat it then? And sure enough I found that
it was everything is advertised, just god awful.

Speaker 1 (03:14):
All right, let's go to the other side of the spectrum.
What's the most delicious thing you've ever made from wild game? Oh?

Speaker 2 (03:19):
I love, I love you know, I'm an equal opportunity enjoyer,
But I love little game birds. So I'll go with
pigeon also called squab, you know, a quail dove. I
love all the ones that you just fly through a
warm kitchen or just let it kiss the grill and
then you can enjoy it so many different ways. I really,

(03:43):
really love small birds.

Speaker 1 (03:44):
Isn't pigeon kind of like the bottom feeder of the air.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
No, not at all, really, the no, the I have
to tell you the it's one of the cleanest animals
that there is out there in terms of its diet.
If you open up its crop and see what it's
been eating, it's only fresh seeds. Even city pigeons, they're
very particular about what they eat. And we have the

(04:08):
opportunity here in Minnesota. You go to the South, you
tell someone who's got a big old barn, can I
open the door and throw a rock in? And you do.
You open the door, you throw a rock in, Twenty
pigeons fly out, You shoot a couple, they all fly
back into the barn. You throw another rock in. Out
there fly again. You know you it's very sporting, a

(04:31):
lot of fun. Do it with some friends, Keep hopping
in and out of a car, different barns and shoot
some pigeons. And it is so delicious. The meat is
dark and beautiful. I think it's even better tasting than duck.

Speaker 1 (04:45):
All right, Andrew, I got to ask you last question here.
I mean, being a big celebrity chef and a big
outdoorsman has ted Nugent ever requested your services at his
place to come hang out and cook for him.

Speaker 2 (04:54):
A long, long time ago. He reached out to me.
We weren't able to make it happen, so hopefully sometimes
that sometime that changes.

Speaker 1 (05:03):
Yeah, that'd be a lot of fun, I think with
you two guys, Well, Andrew, I'm looking forward to it.
Once again, the new show premieres on the FYI Network.
We're talking about The Wild Game Kitchen, new season, twenty
episodes once again eighth Central here in Alabama. Andrew, thank
you so much, buddy, I appreciate you.

Speaker 2 (05:20):
Thank you, sir,