- All right, bun on the plate.
[electric piano music]
Hey, guys, this is Carla.
I'm here in the Bon
Appetit test kitchen today
with WWE Superstar Braun Strowman,
and today we have 20 minutes
to make lobster rolls.
And we are going to
see if Braun can follow
along with me through
verbal instructions only.
How do you feel about lobster?
- I like it in my belly.
- Awesome.
[laughing]
On a count of three we're
just gonna turn around
and start cooking.
- Okay.
- Okay?
Great.
- I'm nervous.
- You're nervous?
The lobsters should be nervous, really.
Yeah.
- Yeah.
- Exactly.
All right, so on a count of three.
One, two, three.
- Three.
- All right, so, we've got our partially
frozen lobsters here.
I want you to just pick 'em up.
He should show some signs of being alive,
but they're, like, a little stunned.
- Okay.
- And, you've got a pair of
shears on your cutting board.
Let's just get rid of these rubber bands.
- So is he gonna pinch me now?
- I doubt it.
He's kinda like, lazy, at the moment.
- All right.
- All right,
let me know when your rubber bands...
- Rubber bands are removed.
- All right, so grab a, if
you need it, a kitchen towel.
We're gonna get this pot of
salted boiling water open.
- All right.
- And then lobby's just going straight in.
All right, dispatched.
- Drop him in the deal?
- Drop him in the deal.
- Sorry, brother.
- Gotta go.
Does that bring up any feelings?
- I'm a carnivore.
Sorry for everyone that doesn't like that.
- Okay, so now you've got a
little timer on your station.
- All right.
- Just hit the minute
button up to eight, and then
while that is going we're
gonna make homemade mayonnaise.
So, grab the bowl with
the bowl with the egg
with the lemon, and then--
- So the littler of the two bowls.
- And then you can take the lemon,
just set that aside for a sec.
And grab the egg.
Have you ever separated an egg before?
- Yes.
- Okay, perfect.
So separate the egg, I
want the whites to end up
in the smaller bowl
and the yolks to end up
in the bigger bowl.
Now where are you separating eggs?
- In the ginormous
caloric intake that I need
to fuel this meat castle...
- [laughing] Yeah.
- ... I have to eat a
lot, and unfortunately
eating a dozen eggs yolks every day is
not necessarily good for your cholesterol,
so I learned how to strain 'em apart.
- In the little metal
container, I want you to find
the microplane.
- Which is like
a funky-looking potato peeler?
- It looks like a woodwork--
No, it looks like a very
fine-toothed grater.
- This looks like a potato peeler.
- That's not the one.
- Oh, wait, in this thing.
- In the bin, yeah,
the bin with the tongs.
- The grater with the
rubber handle that says
microplane on it.
- That's the one.
- All right.
- All right, so you've
got your lemon, you've got
your grater, I want you
to finely grate about half
of the lemon into this egg yolk.
- Into the big bowl with the egg yolk,
half of the lemon zest.
- Half the lemon.
- Roger, that.
- Can I ask how many calories
a day we're consuming?
- Right now, I probably
eat around 7,500 to 8,000.
When I was competing in
World Strongest Man contests,
I would eat around 15,000 a day.
- That's a good day.
- But I was also 420 pounds,
and I'm like 355 right now.
You know, I've trimmed down...
- Oh, kind of light right now.
- ... to my svelte body
weight that I am now.
- That's what I thought when I saw you.
- You said a half of this thing?
- Half of that guy,
and then...
- Looks like half.
- ... kind of the half that you zested,
if you went, whatever,
cut the lemon in half.
- Cut the lemon in half.
- Cut the lemon in half,
and then find from that
same bin there's like a lemon squeezie.
It opens up, it's yellow.
- All right, so we're going
for half the lemon juice?
- Half the lemon
foaming over.
- One half.
- Yeah, half the lemon
right into your egg yolk.
And then that lemon half is,
goes into the garbage bowl.
We might need the zester
later, so just put that
on the tray, and then I
want you to find the whisk.
Have you ever made a homemade
mayonnaise or aioli before?
- Nope.
- Oh, fun, okay.
- Whisk.
- And so whisk together the
egg yolk, the lemon juice,
and the zest, add a pinch of salt.
It should be right up front,
and just when you feel
like that's all well-combined.
- I forgot, my fingers
are bigger than yours
so it's probably a half a
pinch of what you're doing.
- Okay, I like it pretty salty.
- Okay.
- All right, so then
grab the measuring cup
that's got the oil in
it, and so the secret
to making mayonnaise from scratch...
- Uh, huh.
- ... is that at the very
beginning you have to
add your oil very slowly...
- Okay.
- ... as you're whisking.
- And I'm whisking this whole carafe,
I guess it would be,
of oil?
- Yeah, but we're gonna start
literally drop-by-drop.
Send a couple drops over the edge
right into that yolk mixture.
- Yep.
- And then just whisk it
in, make sure it's in there,
really, like, a few drops.
This is gonna draw out your patience.
Would you describe yourself
as a patient person?
- No.
[laughing]
- How would you
describe yourself?
- I already have an arm pumped
from trying to hold
this, and do it slowly.
I'm more of a force kind of
guy than a finesse person.
- All right, so let's just
go, thin steady stream.
- There's this much oil in mayonnaise?
Is oil like the main ingredient in mayo?
- Pretty much.
- I didn't know that.
I just know it tastes good on sandwiches.
- People who don't like mayonnaise,
you just can't trust 'em.
Now I am also feeling,
oh, lobster time.
You can stop whisking and stop pouring.
- All right.
- Grab one of these tongs.
- Long tongs?
- Long tongs, and then get this guy open.
Gimme a visual on your lobster.
- You wanna see it?
- I do.
Just lift it up.
You have to tell me what it looks like.
I can't--
- It looks like--
- I'm not allowed to turn around.
- It's red.
- Bright red?
- Bright red.
- So throw it on the little sheet tray
that's on the other side of the pot,
and we get to finish our mayo.
But this is good, we need the
lobster to cool down a bit.
- All right.
- All right, back to whisking.
- Back to whisking.
- Back to whisking.
- ♪ Whisking away again
on a cookin' show. ♪
- Whisk, whisk, pour, and get
the rest of this oil in here.
And then we're gonna
season it up, kind of like
a tartar sauce vibe.
Where'd you grow up, Braun?
- I grew up in a little town called
Sherrills Ford, North Carolina.
It's about 45 minutes northwest
of Charlotte, North Carolina.
I grew up on Lake Norman.
- Let me know when all your oil's in.
- Oh, it's been in,
I'm just whisking away.
- Really, you're done?
- I'm so done.
- Oh my God, okay.
Let's give it a taste, actually.
- All right.
- Mmmmm, lemony.
- Lemony.
- Salty enough?
- Maybe a pinch more.
- Yeah, a pinch more, same.
So now I want to peel the stalk of celery.
So now grab that Y-shaped peeler
that you were talking about before.
We're just gonna peel the
stringy part of the celery.
- I never knew you could
skin the strings out of 'em,
because I always eat 'em, and
they get stuck in my teeth.
- There you go.
All right, so then, with the
larger of those two knives
I want you to, going lengthwise, just cut
very thin strips of the celery.
You only need, like, two or
three really long, thin strips.
- Two or three long, thin strips.
- Yeah, so now just line
'em up next to each other,
like little celery soldiers.
All right, so going crosswise
and keeping your cuts
pretty close together...
- How, little pieces, big pieces?
- Tiny, little dice.
'Cause, like, I don't like
to bite into a big piece
of the celery in my lobster roll,
but I feel like a little crunch is nice.
So when you've got, like, I don't know,
three tablespoons worth, we're gonna add
that to the mayo.
How are you on celery?
- I got it all chopped up.
- Let's go right into the mayo.
- All right.
- And then we're gonna
basically do the exact
same thing with one of the pickles.
You got a jar of pickles on your station.
- Right.
- Spear a pickle.
And then...
- Spear a pickle.
- We only need, like,
probably half of this pickle?
You can put the other half on the plate
with the potato chips.
We'll eat that with our lobster roll.
And then same thing, just
go lengthwise, thin strips.
And then crosswise into little bits.
Enjoy pickles?
- I do.
They're good, I feel like when
I get a little dehydrated,
I'll eat some pickles,
and it'll help rehydrate
with the sodium and potassium
that's in the cucumber.
- All right, let me know when
you're done with your pickle.
And then, we're just gonna
chop up some of the dill
that's on that same tray?
All right, you have your dill?
- Dilled up.
[laughing]
- And then, just go, chop crosswise.
Don't have to be, like,
super crazy about it.
But finely chop the dill,
about, I don't know,
a tablespoon or a teaspoon's worth?
And then add that to the mayo,
and then we're gonna stir it together
and give it a taste.
Find a small spoon, and
just stir this together,
and then we'll give it a
taste, and see what it needs.
- Let's see.
Oooh.
- We got a little vinegar from the pickle,
but I'm just gonna add,
like, a couple dashes.
- Splashes of vinegar?
- Yeah, I feel like it cuts
the richness of the mayo?
And then the one thing about this mayo is
it's pretty liquidy, so
it's got to sit on ice
while we deal with our lobster.
- So we need to put it
on ice so it coagulates?
- Okay, aioli on ice, or
mayo, I keep calling it aioli.
So you've got a skillet over
here with a lobster roll in it?
- Check.
- Or a bun?
And a little, dainty little
brush with some softened butter.
- Check.
- I just want you to pick
up some of the butter
and brush that on the cut, the outsides,
the two outer edges of the bun?
- On the outside, like the cut part?
- Exactly.
Both sides, 'cause you
gotta have a toasted bun.
- Oh, without a doubt.
- All right, one buttered side down,
and let's grab this whole
set up with the lobster.
- What, the big tray, little tray, what?
- The whole thing.
- All right.
- We've have a couple tools.
You've got a lobster cracker.
You've got a lobster mallet.
And the toothpicks are really there
just to poke the lobster
meat through the shell.
So I want you to pick up the mallet,
and actually, just reach behind you
and hand that to me.
Cool, awesome.
I'm gonna use a mallet.
You're probably not gonna need one.
- Nope.
- All right.
Have you ever taken--
- That's what I've got these
hands for.
- All right, first,
just twist the tail away
from the body, and then
take the claws away
from the body, like
where they meet the body.
Cool, and then put the guy's head,
so you're big tray is kinda gonna be the
shells and the waste.
- All right.
- And we're gonna try
to keep the meaty part
of the meat on the little tray.
- All right.
- Okay, so then with the
claws, just break the arm
away from the claw, and
then, I find it easiest
to take the, I guess it's
the thumb part of the claw,
pull that out, and then
just, kind of, crack it,
push it away.
[crack]
Did you crack your lobster claw already?
- With my hands.
- All right.
All right, so we're just getting the meat.
That's what's happening now.
[cracks]
Oh, you've definitely done this before.
[cracks]
- That one got me in the face.
[laughing]
In the face.
- Let me know when you're ready to get
into that lobster tail.
- Oh, get into it?
- Yeah.
- I was about to say,
mine's already peeled.
- Almost there.
All right.
- I feel like I need a de-poop this guy.
- Wait, did you get into tail already?
- Yeah.
- Dude.
- I'm already done with my lobster.
You're just giving me
such good instructions.
- I just think you know
your way around a lobster.
- Well, that and just, I
learned at a younger age,
it's always best to listen to
the women that talk to you.
It makes life simpler.
- I knew you were smart.
[laughing]
So now, if you have
your shells on one part
of the tray and the meat on the other?
- Yep.
- We can get rid of those shells.
Get rid of that whole kit and kaboodle,
and we're just going to
cut the lobster meat up.
Using the cutting board and the big knife,
I want you to cut the lobster into, like,
half-inch pieces.
All of it.
Although if you want to
leave pieces of the claw
a little bit bigger, so you can see 'em,
that's fine with me.
All right, let's grab
the mayo off the ice,
and grab the other,
there should be a large,
like, empty bowl.
- Yep.
- Get your lobster meat in the big bowl.
And then there's a big spoon.
And then a few spoonfuls of the mayo
into your lobster meat.
And stir that around to, like,
very generously dress it.
All right.
Wipe down your board.
Grab the old bun.
Is she toasty?
- Oh, yeah.
[laughing]
- Toasty two times?
And then just grab the,
just so you have it
nearby the plate with
the chips and the pickle?
- Correct.
- And load up your roll.
Some people just do the New
England-style drawn butter,
but I don't know.
- I like 'em this way.
- All right, bun on the plate.
That's it.
Tell me when you're ready.
- Are you ready?
- I am ready.
- Then let's do it.
- Okay.
Three, two, one.
[gasping]
She's gorgeous!
It looks amazing.
- Yours does, too.
- It's perfect.
- I tried to be fancy
and put the claws on top.
- I like that.
Presentation, you want to
know what you're getting.
- Yeah.
- Yeah, it's real live lobster.
Wow, perfect.
- Oh, you cut your pickle differently.
- Well, that's okay.
[laughing]
Okay, let's switch.
- All right.
Bon...
- Cool.
- Bon appetit?
- Exactly.
I'm glad we could play a part
in your caloric intake today.
- No, thank you, I'm glad you...
- I feel honored.
- I'm glad you talked me
through cooking my first lobster
and making my first mayonnaise, so.
- First time for everything.
There were a lot of places to mess up.
Cheers!
- Cheers!
- Mmmmm. Mmmm-hmmmm.
Napkin?
- Thank you.
- Oh, yeah.
Would I be a good wrestler?
- I think so.
The way you just led me through this,
I feel like you could lead
someone through a match.
- Oh, okay.
All right, well thanks for
jumping in the ring with us.
Maybe next time I'm down
in your neck of the woods
I'll jump in the ring with you.
- Look me up.
- Okay.
[laughing]
That's a plan.
