Top Secret Recipe - S01E03 - Outback Steakhouse
Top Secret Recipe - S01E03 - Outback Steakhouse
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Behind the most iconic American foods are the recipes which made them famous.
00:05And big companies with big money have kept those secret formulas under lock and key.
00:11Until now.
00:13My name is Todd Wilber. I'm a food hacker.
00:16And I'm setting out to crack the codes to the most secret recipes in the country.
00:21But for each one, I've got only a few days to figure it out.
00:25Crazy? Maybe.
00:27But this is my mission.
00:29As I crisscross the country in my mobile food lab,
00:32I'll use my taste buds, a little science, undercover work,
00:36and I'll even get down and dirty to reveal the recipes you love to eat.
00:41So, let's get cracking.
00:52Today I'm here in Tampa, Florida, where I'm about to take on one of America's most popular appetizers,
00:57Outback's Bloomin' Onion.
00:59It's a recipe that's often been copied but never truly duplicated.
01:02So, I'm going to do a little snooping around and see if I can come up with an exact clone of my own.
01:08Outback Steakhouse was founded in Tampa, Florida in 1988 by four friends
01:13who all worked in the restaurant industry and wanted to start a business of their own.
01:17Their plan was to bring an Australian, no worries, dining experience to America.
01:21The Bloomin' Onion quickly became Outback's signature appetizer.
01:25They've sold over 133 million crispy and delicious onion blossoms
01:30without changing a single ingredient from their original formula.
01:33And I'm about to try to crack their secret recipe.
01:44All right, so I'm here at Outback HQ where I managed to get a meeting with Trudy Cooper,
01:48one of the co-founders. Let's go chat with her.
01:56Hi.
01:57Trudy Cooper, right?
01:58It is.
01:59Todd Wilber.
02:00Well, so nice to meet you.
02:01You too. I'm on a bit of a mission here. Let's chat.
02:04All right, let's do it.
02:05Okay.
02:06My office.
02:07Sure, lead the way.
02:08I think that I can come up with a nearly exact copy of your famous appetizer, the Bloomin' Onion.
02:15No, no, absolutely not.
02:17It's that hard?
02:18It's that hard.
02:19We actually have people in the fields growing specific onions for us.
02:25There's a special onion?
02:26Oh, yeah. It's a colossal onion.
02:29Yeah, show me with your hands. How big is it?
02:31Oh, it's this big. It's huge.
02:32I don't see onions like that.
02:33It's huge.
02:34Well, you don't.
02:35In the supermarket.
02:36You don't. They're difficult to find.
02:37We actually went to the farmers and got them to start creating a seed where we have an onion with one heart.
02:43What is the heart of the onion? What do you mean?
02:45The heart of the onion is just where it comes together, where the beans come together.
02:47Okay, and some onions have two?
02:48Some have two. Three is also very common.
02:51They have to be single heart onions so that when you cut that onion, it doesn't fall apart and become this odd thing.
02:59And so this onion you created specifically for this dish?
03:03We did.
03:04All right, so I know I need to get my hands on some super colossal onions.
03:08I'm off to a good start and hoping to get some more good clues at Outback HQ.
03:12Tell me about some people in here.
03:14Here we are, the four founders.
03:16This is Bob Basham, Chris Sullivan, myself, and Tim Gannon.
03:20And as you see, Tim has the apron on because he's our food guy.
03:24So he's the guy who creates the recipes?
03:26Yes.
03:27How do I find Tim? I need to talk to him.
03:29Is he here in Tampa?
03:30Well, you know, he's, yes, he's in Tampa.
03:36Oh, okay.
03:37But, you know, truthfully, I'm hesitant to put him face-to-face with you because he might tell a little more than we want.
03:47Oh, really? Okay, so I definitely need to talk to Tim.
03:50This is the guy I have to find.
03:52It sounds like Tim Gannon is someone I definitely need to track down if I'm going to crack the Bloomin' Onion recipe.
03:58How are you?
03:59This is Todd.
04:00This is Outback Kitchen here, Todd.
04:02This is where we do all the Outback products.
04:04Hey, I know who these are.
04:05How do you recognize that?
04:06These are the Colossal Onions. Can I see one of those?
04:08You can.
04:09Look at the size of that onion.
04:11Okay, oh, now, see, this is, can I just, look at that.
04:15It's like you almost cut it in half.
04:17Can I cut through here?
04:18Yeah, you can, absolutely.
04:19Okay.
04:20Now, what do you do next?
04:23No, no, no, Todd, I'm not going to show you that part.
04:26So can you tell me how many slices do I need?
04:29Wow, you know, I've never really looked at it, so there's a lot of slices, I'll tell you that.
04:33He's pretending a little bit, I think, here.
04:35There's a very specific method to slicing the onion to make it bloom.
04:38If it's not cut right, it won't look like a blooming onion.
04:41I just hope I can make the cut.
04:43What else can you show me? How about, yeah, that.
04:46We can give you a little sample here.
04:48Okay.
04:49This is famous blooming onion flour that we use, yeah.
04:51I get hit by the salt first.
04:53Oh, and then the aftertaste of cayenne pepper.
04:56But not that, not black pepper.
04:58I'm talking about some cayenne pepper, some red pepper.
05:00That's what I, a little bit of aftertaste and maybe some garlic.
05:05Those are the building blocks.
05:06Salt, pepper, garlic, not enough, any sort of seasoning blend.
05:08I don't think we can divulge it.
05:11Oh, you can't divulge it.
05:12You're not saying that's not in there, you're just saying you can't say.
05:14Yeah, no, that's...
05:16Maybe some paprika to make it orange.
05:19No?
05:20Something made it orange.
05:21Yeah, something did, yeah.
05:22I'm not sure.
05:23I'll tell you what we can show you.
05:25Beautiful.
05:26There you go, Todd.
05:27Famous blooming onion.
05:30Mmm, so good.
05:33A lot of flavors going on.
05:35Nice and crispy.
05:36You get that spicy hit at the end.
05:38The creaminess of the mayonnaise-based sauce.
05:41It's definitely creamy.
05:43Salt, pepper, a little onion, a little garlic, you know.
05:47I am really drawing a blank right now.
05:49Okay.
05:50Wow, these guys are tough.
05:52I'm surprised they even let me know an onion was used.
05:55That's fine, though.
05:56I can appreciate a challenge.
05:58So here's the deal.
05:59Yeah.
06:00I think I can clone this appetizer in three days.
06:05Wow.
06:06That's my mission.
06:07That's what I'm going to try to do.
06:09What do you think?
06:10I think that's going to be a tough one.
06:12I agree.
06:13And if I win...
06:16Blooming onions for life.
06:20If I don't do it, if I can't fool the judges...
06:22What do you think?
06:23I think so.
06:24I think peeling onions all night.
06:26Peeling onions.
06:27What do you think?
06:28For eight hours, a whole shift?
06:30Whole shift.
06:31Oh, man.
06:33Am I going to be tearing up, crying like a little baby?
06:36You might be.
06:37Oh, man.
06:38What am I getting myself into this time?
06:40It's a deal.
06:41Thank you, Tom.
06:42Okay.
06:43It's wonderful.
06:44All right, guys.
06:45I have to get to work.
06:46I don't have a lot of time.
06:47I've only got three days.
06:48Thank you for helping me and giving me barely any information.
06:50It's our pleasure.
06:51Okay.
06:52I'm sure.
06:54This will be my biggest challenge yet
06:56because the Outback people literally gave me nothing to work with.
07:00I'm going to have to get creative.
07:02I thought we'd try something a little different this time.
07:04So Jackie, one of our producers, is going to pose as my pregnant wife.
07:08I thought this might help us get an edge when probing for information.
07:11This is our baby.
07:13Isn't she cute?
07:14Putting on the baby bump right now.
07:15And you're a very finicky eater, all right?
07:17Yes.
07:18Everything makes you sick.
07:19You have to ask about everything that's in your food.
07:22Okay.
07:23That's very convincing.
07:24So these glasses have a camera in it and a microphone,
07:27and we'll be able now to see what I'm seeing.
07:29You ready?
07:30Yeah.
07:31All right, let's do it.
07:33Hi, thank you.
07:34Hi.
07:35She can't kick a pregnant lady out of an Outback.
07:37Right?
07:38Coming up, we're heading to the Outback
07:40where I'm going to try and clone this guy's favorite appetizer,
07:43the Bloomin' Onion.
07:45You ready?
07:46Let's go.
07:51Today I'm in Tampa, Florida, trying to clone the Outback Bloomin' Onion.
07:55I've disguised my producer, Jackie, as my pregnant wife.
07:58With a couple of hidden cameras, we'll be asking questions about ingredients
08:01as if my wife is concerned about her pregnancy.
08:04Do you know what you're having?
08:06A girl.
08:07That's perfect.
08:08Hi, how are you?
08:09Good, how are you?
08:11My name is Laura, I'm taking care of you tonight.
08:12Can I get you guys started with maybe a spinach artichoke dip?
08:14How about a Bloomin' Onion?
08:16Want to do a Bloomin' Onion?
08:17Yeah, what, okay, first of all, she's very picky about what she eats
08:20and she can find things that doesn't make her feel, you know,
08:23nauseous or whatever.
08:24You know how it is, right?
08:25So what kind of stuff is in the seasoning?
08:27Is it spicy?
08:28I don't know exact.
08:30It is spicy.
08:31There's pepper and some things in there.
08:33Yeah.
08:34Does it have dairy in the sauce?
08:36I'm not sure.
08:37I can find out for you.
08:38Can you find out?
08:39Absolutely.
08:40Okay, yeah, that'd be great.
08:41Thanks.
08:42Outback Undercover.
08:44Okay, I just found out for you, yes, there is dairy actually in the sauce.
08:47Oh, there is?
08:48So she's okay with some dairy.
08:51How about eggs?
08:52Eggs are upsetting my stomach lately.
08:54Oh, they are, right.
08:55I knew that.
08:56It's a weird weekly thing.
08:59Do you want to check on that too?
09:00Yeah, sure.
09:01Okay, thanks.
09:02Thank you so much.
09:03That's good, thanks.
09:04Okay, let's see how far we can go before she gets really pissed.
09:08She can't kick a pregnant lady out of an Outback.
09:10Right?
09:12Okay, sure about that.
09:13Yes, there is egg in the sauce.
09:14There are eggs.
09:15Okay.
09:16Certain oils are kind of bugging her.
09:17Soybean oil or...
09:18You know what?
09:19You're fine.
09:20You're fine.
09:21Thanks.
09:22Big tip.
09:23This is really good.
09:24Big tip.
09:25Okay, as far as the oil goes, back there, they're not too sure.
09:27They know there's definitely no peanut product in there.
09:30Okay.
09:31Yeah.
09:32I will get one.
09:33Yeah.
09:34Are you going to get one?
09:35Yeah.
09:36Okay, thanks.
09:37Oh, wow.
09:38There it is.
09:39Thank you so much.
09:40You're very welcome.
09:41Yeah, I know.
09:42It's great.
09:43We have to go, though.
09:44Our babysitter just called.
09:45Okay.
09:46Can we wrap this up?
09:47Absolutely.
09:48And let's get another one to go.
09:49Another one to go?
09:50Yeah, please.
09:52All right, thanks.
09:53Well, that was interesting.
09:54Goes to show you with a little creativity, you can learn a thing or two.
09:57Let's get that baby out of here.
09:59Great.
10:00All right, back to my mobile food lab.
10:02So far, we've learned we need super colossal onions, some sort of dairy.
10:07We know we need eggs and some kind of frying oil, but not peanut oil.
10:11Time to call my good pal and food scientist, Claudio, to see if he can help me.
10:16Claudio.
10:17Hey, Todd.
10:18How are you?
10:19How are you doing, Claudio?
10:20I'm doing pretty good.
10:21How about yourself?
10:22Great, great.
10:23Thanks for asking.
10:24Okay, what's up?
10:25I've got something new for you.
10:26I'm working now on something called the Bloomin' Onion from Outback.
10:32It sounds like something tasty.
10:35It is.
10:36It's very tasty.
10:37It's an onion that's breaded, right?
10:39It's opened up like a flower.
10:41It's breaded, and it has a sauce that goes right in the middle that you dip it into.
10:44Okay.
10:45Okay?
10:46I just need you to get the sauce.
10:48Break it down.
10:49Salt, fat, vinegar, these kinds of things.
10:52How's that sound?
10:53Let me see.
10:54Let me get some samples and get to work with it.
10:56Okay, thanks, Claudio.
10:57Even though Claudio is going to break down the specific ingredients in the sauce,
11:01I'm going to do a trial run of my own.
11:03All right, here we go.
11:04This is my first attempt at making the Bloomin' Onion,
11:07and we're going to start with the sauce.
11:09I think it's a mayonnaise-based sauce.
11:10Let's go with half a cup of mayo.
11:13Next, we learn there's dairy in it.
11:15My pregnant wife found out.
11:17I'm going with half and half.
11:18Is it right?
11:19I don't know.
11:20A little horseradish.
11:21Now we come to the tricky part, the spices.
11:24This is just a guess, but let's try it and see what happens.
11:26First, paprika.
11:28That'll give it a nice red color.
11:291⁄8 teaspoon of cumin.
11:31Onion powder going in.
11:32Garlic powder, black pepper, the fine stuff, the hot stuff, cayenne.
11:36Okay, this is going to take a little while to change color
11:39because the paprika has to get wet.
11:42Let's let this sit while we work on the breading.
11:45I may not know any specific ingredients to the Bloomin' Onion,
11:48but I do know how to make a breading.
11:50Beat them like they owe you money.
11:52So I'm just using some good old-fashioned trial and error
11:54until I get the recipe right.
11:56I have to cut an onion now.
11:57We want to try and get those flat petal tops,
12:00something like this maybe.
12:02This onion's kind of small.
12:03What I really need to do is find those bigger onions.
12:06See this? One, two.
12:08That's two hearts.
12:09I'm going to try to get away with using these two-heart onions
12:11because otherwise it sounds like I'm going to have to go to some extremes
12:14to get these exclusive super colossal onions.
12:17This is an onion cutter that you can find in a lot of stores.
12:21I don't think it has the same number of knives
12:23as the Bloomin' Onion has petals,
12:25so that could be a huge problem.
12:27But I'm going to try it and see if it works.
12:30Okay.
12:31Well, it bloomed.
12:33Look at that.
12:34We have petals.
12:35You know, I noticed at Outback,
12:37their onion did not have any petals that were sticking together,
12:40so this kind of sucks.
12:42It's probably not what Outback uses,
12:45but for right now, it's the best thing we've got.
12:47Into our egg and milk.
12:49And into the dry.
12:50Some of these petals are sticking together.
12:52Wow, these things are tough to make.
12:53In here, oil, shortening, set at 350.
12:57Let's say three minutes.
12:59Here it is.
13:01Our first Bloomin' Onion.
13:03Next step, we need to cut out the middle
13:07using this can that I filed a bit,
13:09so hopefully it's sharp enough.
13:12And...
13:14Oh, look, it totally fell apart.
13:16That didn't work very well.
13:17Here's a real one.
13:19Can you tell the difference?
13:21The color, it's brown here,
13:23it's kind of orange and yellow down there.
13:25Right here, clumping together.
13:27Wow, these are just falling apart.
13:28Look, it's falling off.
13:30That's probably because our onion is too small.
13:32Let's taste.
13:33Into the sauce.
13:35Ooh, too hot.
13:36Too much heat.
13:37That's too salty.
13:38Also, look, totally different color
13:40from this one right here.
13:42And too thick.
13:43Look how theirs is sort of runny.
13:45This one stands up in the bowl.
13:47We have a problem there.
13:48We really have a lot of work to do on this one.
13:50Come back and join me on a wild expedition through the Outback
13:53where I'm in search of the elusive Bloomin' Onion.
13:58So, I'm here behind an Outback.
14:00If I'm cloning the Bloomin' Onion,
14:02I've got to get my hands on those super colossal onions.
14:05They've got to come from somewhere.
14:07Right now, I'm guessing that somewhere is a delivery truck.
14:10I'm kind of just staking it out,
14:12waiting for that truck to come.
14:14Maybe, somehow, we can get some of those special onions.
14:22Uh-oh.
14:23Look, fresh blood.
14:26How's it going?
14:27What are you delivering today?
14:29I am delivering...
14:31You got the big onions?
14:33The super colossal?
14:35Yeah.
14:36That is Outback onions.
14:37Right, you have those?
14:38On the truck, yes, but I mean...
14:40Can I check them out?
14:41Would that be okay?
14:42Take a little look at them?
14:43They're not supposed to be on the truck.
14:45I just want to look.
14:46Is that okay?
14:47These are the real big onions, right?
14:49Super colossals.
14:50Yeah.
14:51Okay.
14:52Yeah, that's a big onion, right?
14:54Yes, it is.
14:55Look at that baby.
14:56Yeah.
14:57That's a super colossal right there.
14:59That is a super colossal, yes.
15:01You think I can have this one?
15:02No, you cannot have it.
15:03I have to put it back in the bag.
15:05I'm going to give you 20 bucks for it.
15:07No?
15:08No.
15:09Okay.
15:10All right, where's your central location for Fresh Point?
15:145445...
15:16Right.
15:18That's Fresh Point headquarters?
15:19Yes.
15:20All right, thanks.
15:21Thanks.
15:22Didn't get any onions, but we got an address.
15:25Fresh Point headquarters.
15:26That's where we have to go.
15:28I'm closing in on the super colossal onion.
15:31This could be my only chance to score the most important part of the recipe.
15:35I have to leave with these unique giant onions.
15:38Welcome to Fresh Point.
15:39How can I help you?
15:40I'm looking for really big onions.
15:42Okay.
15:43Do you need to purchase some?
15:44I would love to purchase some.
15:45Let me get my sales manager for you.
15:47Okay.
15:49No problem.
15:50I'm April.
15:51Hey, April.
15:52I'm Todd.
15:53Nice to meet you.
15:54Hi.
15:55Hi.
15:56Wow, if this is who's selling onions in Tampa, take me to where they're selling peaches.
15:57Do you sell onions here?
15:58Yes, we do.
15:59May I see them?
16:00Okay.
16:01All right.
16:02Okay, thanks.
16:03Go this way.
16:04Okay.
16:05Whoa.
16:06Whoa.
16:07Whoa.
16:08Whoa.
16:09Whoa.
16:10Whoa.
16:11Whoa.
16:12Whoa.
16:13Whoa.
16:14Whoa.
16:15Whoa.
16:16Whoa.
16:18This is what I'm talking about.
16:19These are going to be our colossal onions.
16:22These are colossals?
16:23Yep.
16:24I'm looking for onions that are like this big.
16:26Well, if you pick through these, you'll find some that are like that.
16:29We have big onions.
16:30No, I need.
16:31We do?
16:32They're over here.
16:33Yes, that's what I'm talking about.
16:34Yeah.
16:35Please.
16:36I can't sell this to you, actually.
16:37Just a few?
16:38Those are just for Outback.
16:39Those are Outback onions?
16:40Yeah, I can't sell them to you.
16:41Ugh.
16:42Another roadblock.
16:43Those are Outback onions.
16:44I need to get these onions.
16:46Whatever it takes.
16:47Time to get creative.
16:49My mom's having her 75th.
16:51These.
16:52Look how big that is.
16:53Yeah.
16:54I really can't sell those to you.
16:55I'm going to put you over here to our onions.
16:57About one out of every 15, you're going to get the same size as that.
16:59I need those.
17:00No, no, no.
17:01April.
17:02Right here.
17:03Look.
17:04Look.
17:05See?
17:06I don't want to tell you this.
17:07She's ill.
17:08And this would make her very happy.
17:09I cannot sell you their onions.
17:10Just a few.
17:11I could get in trouble for this.
17:12You're going to make me cry.
17:14I'm sorry.
17:15It's the onions.
17:16Okay.
17:17I'll just take these regular onions.
17:18Okay.
17:19I'll get a couple bags.
17:20Oh, we don't sell it by a couple bags.
17:21How many do I have to buy?
17:22At least a pallet.
17:23How many is on a pallet?
17:2442 bags.
17:2542 bags?
17:26How many onion rings does April expect my made-up, dying, 75-year-old mother to eat?
17:27Okay.
17:28Then I'll take a pallet.
17:29All right.
17:30Well, I will put a couple extra bags in there.
17:31Okay.
17:32I'm sorry.
17:33It's the onions.
17:34Okay.
17:35I'll just take these regular onions.
17:36Okay.
17:37I'll get a couple bags.
17:38Oh, we don't sell it by a couple bags.
17:39How many do I have to buy?
17:40At least a pallet.
17:41Okay.
17:42Then I'll take a pallet.
17:43All right.
17:44Well, I will put a couple extra bags in there.
17:45Okay.
17:46I'm sorry.
17:47It's the onions.
17:48Okay.
17:49Then I'll take a pallet.
17:50All right.
17:51Well, I will put a couple extra bags in there.
17:52Okay.
17:53I'm sorry.
17:54It's the onions.
17:55Okay.
17:56Then I'll take a pallet.
17:57All right.
17:58Well, I will put a couple extra bags in there.
17:59Okay.
18:00Then I'll take a pallet.
18:01Okay.
18:02Then I'll take a pallet.
18:03All right.
18:04Well, I will put a couple extra bags in there.
18:05Okay.
18:06Then I'll take a pallet.
18:07All right.
18:08Then I'll take a pallet.
18:09All right.
18:11Ew.
18:22Forklift.
18:25I finally have the super colossal onions I need.
18:27But I have no idea how to prepare them.
18:31It's time to experiment with how to get them to bloom.
18:34Yep.
18:35Look at that.
18:36It's falling apart.
18:39This sucks.
18:47Getting these onions to bloom is harder than I thought.
18:49I need to find this Tim Gannon guy.
18:51Time to pack it up and do some old-fashioned detective work.
18:56All right, let's go, then.
19:02Hi!
19:09Whoa!
19:10Now we're in Florida.
19:12Wow.
19:13More?
19:15We need a new spot.
19:17Can I just go back in here?
19:19We gotta get out of here.
19:20Seriously.
19:22Get in.
19:24Coming up, let's hope the judges like my onion
19:26as much as this guy.
19:27Go ahead, buddy, have some more.
19:29No, all right.
19:31It's up to you.
19:40All right, so I'm back here at HQ.
19:41I want to meet President Jeff Smith.
19:43I want to get Tim Gannon's information.
19:46Let's go.
19:53Excuse me.
19:54Hey, how are you?
19:55Is Jeff Smith's office around here?
19:57No, no, it's okay.
19:58I'm a friend of his.
20:00I'm just gonna pop in for a second, if you don't mind.
20:02Hi, Jeff.
20:03Hello.
20:04Hi, I'm Todd Wilbur.
20:06Hey, Todd, how are you?
20:07Hi, good to meet you.
20:08So you're who Trudy was talking about.
20:09Yeah, is it okay if I bring these guys in?
20:11Sure, come on in.
20:12Yeah, we're doing a little thing.
20:15Okay, here's the deal.
20:17I am trying to clone the Bloomin' Onion.
20:22I'm not doing very well,
20:23and I was hoping that you could help me.
20:28Any information that you have would be really helpful
20:32about the preparation.
20:35Yeah, I don't know if we can give you any of that.
20:39Did you ever find Gloria?
20:42Who's that?
20:43She's been around for a long time.
20:46What do you mean?
20:46Gloria has intimate knowledge
20:49about how to make it blossom.
20:50Okay, where would I look for this Gloria?
20:53I'm not quite sure where you would find her.
20:57Have you talked to Tim?
21:00Who's that?
21:01The creator.
21:02Where do I find Tim?
21:04Well, that's a good question.
21:05Tim could be about anywhere these days.
21:07He could be in the Hamptons playing polo.
21:10He could be fishing.
21:11He could be...
21:12Just a second.
21:13Do you have some water or something?
21:14I'll go grab you some water.
21:19Again, again, again, again, again, again, again.
21:34Here you go, Todd.
21:34Sorry about that.
21:36Thanks.
21:37Oh, you're welcome.
21:37I don't know.
21:41All right, Jeff, gotta go.
21:42Gotta get working on this onion, okay?
21:44Thank you very much for seeing me.
21:45You're welcome.
21:46Thank you for the water.
21:47You're welcome.
21:48All right, bye-bye.
21:51I'm looking for Tim Gannon's address here.
21:54I think we're getting close to...
21:57I think this is it right here.
22:00Just hit a tree and hopefully it doesn't get mad.
22:04Yeah, over there.
22:05That's good.
22:10Hello?
22:11Hi, does Tim Gannon live here?
22:14Yes, this is Tim.
22:15My name's Todd Wilber.
22:17I'm doing a little TV show
22:18where I try and figure out secret recipes
22:20and Jeff Smith gave me your address.
22:24Gave you the address?
22:27Well, I got it from him.
22:30Tim?
22:32Yo, Tim.
22:36Tim, I'm a food guy like you
22:38and I thought we could talk about secret recipes.
22:40He tells me that's your thing.
22:43Yeah, but they're secret.
22:45Yeah, but they're so cool because they're secrets.
22:47Don't you love trying to figure out what's in stuff?
22:50I do.
22:51I actually do.
22:52What do you think?
22:53Can we talk about food a little bit?
22:55Just for a little while.
22:57Hello, Tim?
22:59Hi.
23:00Hi.
23:01I'm on your app right now.
23:03Oh, thanks.
23:06Oh, there we go.
23:09You're a hard guy to find, you know that?
23:10I'm very hard to find.
23:11I gotta tell you what I'm up to specifically.
23:14All right.
23:15I want to reverse engineer the Bloomin' Onion.
23:18Recreate it, clone it,
23:20so that it stands up in a taste test
23:22and do it in three days.
23:24Don't do that.
23:25Could you do it?
23:26I'd rather go try and meet the Pope.
23:28You know, there are a lot of elements to this.
23:31It's not just about the spices and seasonings,
23:33but it's also how we make it look so good.
23:35Is that critical for a Bloomin' Onion?
23:37Oh, you bet.
23:38It's critical for all food.
23:39Okay.
23:40So how do you make that onion look so good?
23:43We used to cut them by hand.
23:44Every one.
23:45So?
23:46And they didn't come out right.
23:47So you've heard of Gloria?
23:50Yeah, who's Gloria?
23:51I will show you Gloria, but off camera.
23:55Okay.
23:57And then I can take a picture with my iPhone.
23:58Yeah, no.
24:01Can't shoot Gloria because there's too many people
24:02that want to know Gloria.
24:03Okay, I want to see this Gloria.
24:06Either way?
24:06Come follow me.
24:07Okay.
24:08Gloria is not a person, but it's how they're cut.
24:12All right.
24:13You ready?
24:14Yeah, I'm ready.
24:15All right.
24:16There she is in all her glory.
24:17Whoa, that's Gloria.
24:19That's Gloria.
24:20Look at that.
24:21So Gloria, as it turns out,
24:23is a mechanical contraption
24:24used to perfectly slice the Bloomin' Onion.
24:27Put the onion here.
24:28Yeah.
24:29Pull down on this.
24:30Yeah.
24:30Boom, Bloomin' Onion.
24:31That's it.
24:32That easy.
24:33That's it.
24:34Wow, okay.
24:35That's pretty cool.
24:36That's all you get.
24:36Wow.
24:38Thank you for showing me that.
24:39All right.
24:40Okay.
24:42Could I borrow Gloria?
24:45I don't lend her.
24:46Could I take her out for the night?
24:48Gloria's kind of like my daughter.
24:50I'll have her home in a reasonable time.
24:52No.
24:53But you did say that you used to cut these onions by hand.
24:57Yes, we did.
24:58Right?
24:59Yeah.
24:59Maybe you could show me that.
25:00Maybe I could, but I buy cameras.
25:04I can't show the world.
25:06Okay.
25:07Let's put the cameras back.
25:09Okay.
25:10I don't know, over there somewhere.
25:14I'm just making sure all the cameras
25:15are in the right spots
25:18where they're not gonna see anything.
25:19Yeah.
25:20Let's do it right here, okay?
25:21Okay.
25:22You cut.
25:23Ready?
25:24Yeah.
25:24Watch close.
25:26Well, that's-
25:27An evenly spaced amount of these all the way around.
25:29Yeah.
25:30I think I can get that down.
25:31Yeah?
25:32Yeah.
25:33I have to try that.
25:33All right, guys.
25:34I don't have a lot of time to do this.
25:35Thank you very, very much.
25:36You're welcome.
25:37Tim, really.
25:38But I got a bowl.
25:38I got some onions to make, okay?
25:39Good luck to you.
25:41Did you get that?
25:42Let's go.
25:43We got to start cooking.
25:47All right, tomorrow's the big day.
25:48My Bloomin' Onion against the real Bloomin' Onion.
25:51I have a lot of cooking to do.
25:53We better get rocking.
25:54This is what Tim Gannon showed me
25:55that we couldn't shoot with our cameras.
25:58Put your thumb right by the root end, just like this.
26:00Take a paring knife, go straight down,
26:02and then just kind of go around and make the petals.
26:07But we do have somewhat of a Bloomin' Onion here.
26:11Kind of works.
26:11Now that the onions are cutting properly,
26:13I have to check in with Claudio
26:15to see if he has any news
26:16on the sauce I'm having trouble with.
26:17Claudio, look at you.
26:19How you doing?
26:20Doing good.
26:21Did you get the Bloomin' Onion sauce?
26:23We got the sauce.
26:24We did an analysis of what is called the acidity,
26:28and we reverse engineered to about 13%
26:32of vinegar in this sauce.
26:3313%?
26:34That seems kind of high.
26:36Maybe I'm missing something.
26:37Maybe some citric acid.
26:38You know, your red color is coming from somewhere.
26:42All right.
26:42All right, Claudio, thanks.
26:43I got some work to do.
26:44All right, man, take care.
26:45All right, talk to you soon.
26:47There we go.
26:48A lot of acid in this.
26:49He says maybe something red.
26:52I don't even know what that is.
26:53With a little more information from Claudio,
26:55it's time to start my next batch of sauce.
26:57Let's use a cup and a half.
26:59Horseradish, nine teaspoons.
27:02Okay, milk.
27:03Thins it out.
27:04If we don't add this,
27:05it's gonna be too thick.
27:06Not good for dipping.
27:07Time to hit it with some spices.
27:09Just regular paprika first.
27:11There's our sweet paprika.
27:13Here's the real thing.
27:14I'm trying to achieve this orange tint
27:16that the real sauce has.
27:18Cayenne pepper, white pepper.
27:20We're gonna need that.
27:20Cumin, a little bit of coriander.
27:23Marjoram and oregano.
27:24Let's mix this up.
27:26Please be good.
27:27Appearance is super important.
27:29We're doing a taste test.
27:30We're doing a comparison side by side.
27:32Ours has to look the same,
27:35or at least very close.
27:36It's really not the same.
27:40But this is gonna change.
27:42So we let it sit for a little while.
27:44Let the salt dissolve.
27:46Let the paprika and the other peppers
27:47sort of give up their color.
27:49So we'll just set this aside
27:50and work on our breading.
27:51Flour, salt, and some spices.
27:55In you go.
27:56Sweet paprika.
27:57I'm feeling it.
27:57Ground black pepper.
27:58And then just a little bit of white pepper.
28:03Let's see how it fries up.
28:05That's all we can do.
28:06First into the dry.
28:09Wet stuff.
28:11Back into here.
28:13All right, you ready to fry?
28:14And we'll go for two minutes.
28:18All right, check out the color here.
28:19It's not orange like the real one.
28:20It's more of a brown color.
28:22I need more paprika.
28:24It's gotta be it.
28:25Okay, oh, flip it.
28:27It's more of a brown color.
28:28Not very delicious looking.
28:30Let's just check this out,
28:31see how it's looking.
28:32Oh, it's really cooking.
28:38Yeah, that's good.
28:39That's good.
28:40That's good.
28:41That's good.
28:42That's good.
28:43That's good.
28:44Yeah, that's way too done on the edges.
28:46Look at this.
28:47I gotta get it out.
28:47That doesn't look the same at all.
28:50Does that look like it could fool some judges?
28:53It's not bad.
28:54We're on the right track.
28:56The sauce is missing something.
28:57It needs more of a kick.
28:59Maybe it's that vinegar
29:01that Claudio was telling us about.
29:02The breading's clumping.
29:03The petals are sticking together.
29:05I don't know if what I'm frying it in is right.
29:08The sauce.
29:09Are you gonna be fooled by that?
29:11See how that one's nicely bloomed.
29:12See the nice color.
29:13Is just a little more paprika gonna do it?
29:15Yeah, you can just tell just by looking at them.
29:18This is not gonna win in a taste test.
29:20I do have this other lead to follow up on.
29:22The other day, a man overheard me talking
29:24with my producers about cloning the Bloomin' Onion.
29:27He said he had information about the recipe for me,
29:29but he didn't want to appear on camera.
29:31I don't know if this guy is reliable or not,
29:33but I'm desperate and I can't leave any stone unturned.
29:36Hi, it's Todd Wilber.
29:38Listen, I want to talk to you.
29:41I need to get a little info about the onion.
29:43Is there a place we can meet?
29:45Okay, good, like in an hour?
29:47Perfect.
29:48See you then, bye.
29:55All right, so this is supposedly where
29:57I'm gonna be meeting my informant
30:00who I'm calling deep fried.
30:01I'm not sure if this guy worked it out back,
30:03is a complete crackpot, or has just spent more time
30:06trying to clone the Bloomin' Onion than I have.
30:08But at this point, I've got nothing to lose.
30:10He said we should meet him here in a black car.
30:13Oh, okay, look, I think that's him.
30:17I wouldn't normally go down this road to get information,
30:19but at this point, I could really use some pointers.
30:22Hey, how's it going?
30:23I'm gonna need those cameras ready.
30:25Nope, no cameras.
30:26So, what's going on?
30:28You said you had some information about the Bloomin' Onion?
30:31I do, so basically the spices and the dipping sauce
30:34and then the breading are the same.
30:38Really?
30:39The spices and the breading and the dipping sauce
30:40are the same?
30:45Really?
30:46Louisiana hot sauce, okay.
30:47That's why there's extra vinegar.
30:49That's great.
30:56Two minutes on each side, okay.
30:59Okay.
31:02No, how do you do that?
31:04Soak it in water, get it all cut, soak it in water overnight
31:07and just open it right up for you.
31:08How do you know all this stuff?
31:11I can't really tell you that.
31:12I don't want that information out there.
31:14I don't want to be on TV, I don't want any of that.
31:16Did you used to work at Outback?
31:17I'm not gonna go there, you know.
31:19Okay, thanks for telling me all this.
31:21You've been a huge help.
31:23Thanks.
31:24That might be one of the weirdest things I've done yet.
31:27Thanks to Deep Fry, I learned a lot,
31:29including why the sauce has so much vinegar in it,
31:31along with a few tips on how to prepare the onion
31:33before frying it.
31:35I don't know if this guy is reliable or not,
31:37but it's all I've got.
31:41It's the day of the final taste test.
31:43Time for a test run with all the tricks Deep Fry taught me,
31:46starting with the hot sauce in the dipping sauce.
31:48It should give it the reddish orange tint
31:50that I've been missing.
31:51Nice color, good flavor.
31:55Really happy about how this came out.
31:57Breading.
31:57A lot of the same stuff that's in the sauce
31:59is gonna go into here.
32:00Boom.
32:01Let's get this mixed up,
32:02and I wanna see a nice red color.
32:04This should be it.
32:05Let's try an onion.
32:06They've been soaking overnight in the ice water.
32:08Look at that.
32:09Petals are separated.
32:12Ooh, look at that color.
32:14Orange, baby.
32:15The color is good.
32:16I think I have a good clone.
32:17As my last line of defense,
32:19I wanna go out on the streets
32:20and see if people can tell the difference
32:22between my Bloomin' Onion and Outback's.
32:25Why don't you try this?
32:26Yeah.
32:28Okay, now try this one.
32:29Do they taste similar?
32:30Pretty close, yeah.
32:31Yeah, pretty close?
32:32Yeah, I think so.
32:33I say you made a good clone.
32:35They're very close.
32:36You did a good job, above and beyond.
32:38Really?
32:39Yeah.
32:40Yeah, would you use this recipe?
32:41If I could cook, I would.
32:43The people have spoken.
32:45I had just enough time to get back to my truck,
32:47whip up the final batch,
32:48and hopefully fool the judges.
32:53Let the fun begin.
32:55Tim, Judy couldn't make it.
32:57Really?
32:58So she sent me.
32:59How you doing, Tim?
33:01You having a good night?
33:01No.
33:02You know, as the Spanish matadors say,
33:05this is the moment of truth.
33:10Thanks.
33:12Thank you for that.
33:12How about a little advice for my recipe?
33:15Make it look beautiful.
33:16And by the way,
33:17because I think you're gonna do so well,
33:19they decided I'm gonna be the chef
33:21to make sure that Bloom's right.
33:25Oh, really?
33:26Yeah.
33:27Okay.
33:28So let's have some fun.
33:28Okay, I'm ready, I think.
33:30All right, Tim.
33:31Oh, God.
33:32Now I feel extra pressure.
33:33My onions are going to be up against onions
33:35the creator himself is preparing.
33:38No wonder Trudy didn't want me talking to him
33:40before the challenge.
33:41I've gotta stay focused
33:42because I'm running out of time to make my final batch.
33:45Here we go.
33:47Let's put this baby in.
33:49Okay, Bloom number one.
33:51Flip it.
33:53Two more to go.
33:55Trying to open all these petals
33:56because that's how they're gonna know
33:57if they're real or not.
33:58They don't get this stressed out in Outback, I bet.
34:04I'm freaking out.
34:05This is, we're out of time?
34:06I haven't got this one in the fryer yet?
34:08F**k.
34:09I don't have time, man.
34:12Okay, number two.
34:14Last one.
34:17I'm out of time.
34:19All right.
34:20Nervous, hot, thirsty, stressed out.
34:23This is very stressful.
34:24This is awful.
34:25Rushing in the kitchen is never a good idea.
34:28Without the proper amount of time,
34:29who knows how these things will turn out.
34:31I don't want angry, hungry judges
34:33with clouded minds tasting food.
34:35I have to go now.
34:37Somebody help me carry these.
34:42I've had three days to crack the recipe
34:44for Outback's famous Bloomin' Onion appetizer.
34:47And after a lot of trial and error,
34:49I think I've finally nailed it.
34:51It's time to present my best effort to the judges.
34:54It's all in their hands now.
34:58All right, Todd, the moment of truth.
35:00Yep.
35:01And you smell like you've been cooking onions
35:03all night long.
35:04I look like it, too.
35:04Look at this.
35:05Yeah, I'm a mess.
35:06But I am ready, I think.
35:09Let's do this thing.
35:10Let's do it.
35:10Let me introduce our judges today.
35:13We have Dana Kovar.
35:14She's a local Outback consumer,
35:16and she's ready to discover which one is our Bloomin' Onion.
35:20Hey, hi, Dana.
35:21Hello.
35:22And then we have Lieutenant Colonel Sloan,
35:24and we know him as Tony.
35:25Who is from the United States Air Force.
35:27Tony has kept us safe serving Bloomin' Onions
35:30to over 200,000 troops over the last nine years
35:33in Afghanistan.
35:34Wow.
35:35Incredible, incredible guy.
35:36Tony.
35:37Hi, Tony.
35:39And our last judge happens to be an expert
35:42about Bloomin' Onions.
35:43Uh-oh.
35:44He ate the first Bloomin' Onion,
35:45and has had Bloomin' Onions for the last 24 years
35:48of his life, from the age of four,
35:50and happens to be my son, Christian.
35:52Uh-oh.
35:53So he's our expert, and if you get by him,
35:56you will have done a masterful job.
35:58Okay.
35:59Hi, Chris.
36:00That's a bit tricky.
36:02All right.
36:03Are we ready to bring him out?
36:04Blow me away.
36:05All right.
36:06Uh-huh.
36:07Lots of onions.
36:08What do you think?
36:09Whoa.
36:10All right, we're serving our onions.
36:11One from me, one from Outback.
36:14Everyone will taste their onions.
36:16The one you think is the real Outback onion,
36:18push it forward.
36:19But if you can't taste it,
36:20we're going to give you a chance to taste it.
36:22But if you can't decide, don't be forced to choose.
36:25Just say, I have no idea.
36:27Okay, fair enough?
36:28Fair enough.
36:29All right, good.
36:30All right, Tony, let's start with you.
36:31Choose an onion, and let's start tasting.
36:33All right.
36:35Yeah.
36:42The flavors are very similar.
36:44Uh-huh.
36:45This sauce is a little more tangy,
36:47but I've got to make my decision on presentation.
36:49Okay.
36:50Go ahead.
36:51I think this is the one.
36:53All right.
36:54Tony, you have two plates.
36:56When you lift up the plate,
36:57we'll see which it was.
36:59A Bloomin' Onion.
37:01Outback Bloomin' Onion.
37:02Tony gets the right one.
37:03And lift that one up.
37:08Bloomin' Todd.
37:09Bloomin' Todd.
37:10Oh, poor Todd.
37:11Poor Todd.
37:12That's a good man.
37:13I'll have to saloon him.
37:15Okay.
37:16All right, Dana, are you ready?
37:18Taste away.
37:19Yes.
37:19Here we go.
37:20Oh, exciting.
37:28I can't tell a difference in the batter.
37:30You hear that, Tim?
37:31I'm not nervous yet.
37:34I can't tell any difference in the sauce either.
37:36Really?
37:37Ah.
37:38It's very good.
37:43I can't decide.
37:45Yay, there we go.
37:47Undecided.
37:48Tim, she's undecided.
37:49I hear that.
37:50Get that one.
37:51All right.
37:52One for me.
37:52Yeah.
37:53All right.
37:54All right, Dana.
37:55And now, to Chris.
37:58How can I win this one?
37:59I mean, is it possible?
38:00Deciding factor.
38:01Is it possible?
38:02All right, so you have your two onions.
38:04Dig on in.
38:14This one has a little smoother finish.
38:16Oh.
38:18And he has chosen.
38:20Okay.
38:21So, Chris.
38:22Without further ado.
38:24Let's see what we got under your rose.
38:26All right.
38:27A blue bit of onion.
38:29Well, Dana, thank you.
38:31Undecided, I like that.
38:33Well, I might not have won the bet,
38:35but I did fool the people on the street
38:37and one expert judge.
38:39That's a victory to me.
38:41I want to congratulate you on a valiant effort.
38:44Thanks.
38:45You did a great job.
38:47I never dreamed you would get as close as you did.
38:50That's great.
38:51That's great to hear, but I lost.
38:53Sorry about that.
39:02Want to try some of my recipes at home?
39:04Log on to cmt.com for my versions
39:07of the recipes featured in the series.
39:09This sucks.