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Chef/TV personality Andrew Zimmern brought his appetite for eyeballs and testicles to DFW recently, and last night the DFW-focused episode of Bizarre Foods America aired on the Travel Channel. Zimmern ate everything from stewed goat blood to giant water bugs, plus a whole lotta barbecue.
While it's far from "bizarre," barbecue is obviously a must for any DFW visitor. Zimmern accompanied Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn on a meaty sojourn that took them to Cooper's, Odom's and Lockhart Smokehouse.
Then it was off to Chicken Scratch where Tim Byres schooled him on how to dig an pit to cook barbacoa, aka an entire cow's head complete with its eyeballs and teeth. (Said Zimmern to Byres: "I'm really starting to get a man crush on you.")
There was also a failed hunting expedition with Tim Love and a visit to Woodshed Smokehouse for rattlesnake-rabbit sausage paella. But of course, the name of the show is Bizarre Foods America, and there were certainly plenty of weird delicacies consumed. Below, the five weirdest things Zimmern ate in DFW:
5) Head cheese. Between bites of brisket and shoulder clod at Lockhart Smokehouse, barbecue scholar Daniel Vaughn and Zimmern nibbled on headcheese, the jellied concoction that includes various animal parts.
4) Herring under a "fur coat." Found at Carrollton's Russian Banya, this is a technicolor lasagna-looking affair containing pickled herring, potatoes, beets, carrots, mayo and grated hard-boiled egg. (Be sure to wash it down with vodka.)
3) Century eggs. These long-fermented eggs were served at a home-cooked Thai dinner and Zimmern compared their "cheesy" yolks to a fine burrata.
2) Moronga. Found at Revolver Taco Lounge in Ft. Worth, Zimmern had high praise for this goat's blood stew that also included the goat's stomach lining and heart.
1) Giant water bugs. Also part of Zimmern's Thai feast, they were incorporated into a shrimp paste sauce called nam prik kapi; purchased at Hiep Thai Market in Arlington, they came from a package clearly marked "not for human consumption." Yum?
Missed the episode? It re-airs April 21 on Travel Channel, or scope out this video compiling Zimmern's top 5 favorite DFW moments.
· Bizarre Foods America Dallas: Red Meat & Rattlesnakes [Travel Channel]