Esaul and Grecia Ramos can now proudly call themselves the "Whisperers of the Smoke."
On Monday evening, the owners of San Antonio's 2M Smokehouse were crowned champions of the inaugural season of "Pitmasters" on the Food Network.
Along with the title and bragging rights, the Ramoses took home a $30,000 cash prize.
At McIntyre's, the Southtown venue was packed with family, friends and patrons who gathered to watch the "Pitmasters" season finale, as the couple faced off against Canadian chefs Connie DeSousa and John Jackson for the championship. Their challenge: create a five-course meal over the course of an entire day.
Watch party attendees cheered as Esaul and Grecia meticulously prepared each course and presented it to the judges, who appeared increasingly impressed with every dish. Even a tortilla no-show in the second round couldn't dampen the Ramoses' momentum as they delivered a memorable finale.
They got off to a strong start with their first course: grilled oysters with chili butter and chorizo, served alongside rosemary focaccia. They said the dish was inspired by their first date.
The second course featured duck carnitas, esquites and salsa roja. The Ramoses' only real stumble of the night came when they had to serve the course without tortillas, which had been left in the sun a little too long.
The judges' reactions proved that the third course was the Ramoses' best: smoked shrimp aguachile. After tasting it, judge Ernest Servantes, co-owner of Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin, told the couple they "were making San Antonio proud."
Esaul called the fourth course his "ribeye redemption," a nod to the last time he smoked a ribeye during the competition, when he undercooked it. This time, he nailed it, pairing the black garlic-seasoned steak with roasted carrots and a porcini mushroom soup.
For the fifth and final course, Grecia took on a challenge she had never attempted before: making a traditional concha in the smoker. The Mexican sweet bread was served up with a cup of café de olla.
"This solidifies that there really isn't anything that we can't do together," Grecia said.
When the winners were announced at the end of the episode, supporters at McIntyre's erupted in enormous cheers, as if the San Antonio Spurs had just won another championship. If there's any other reason for San Antonians to go honking on Military Drive, it's great barbeque.
"It's been a hell of an eight weeks, and I couldn't be more thankful and proud of what we did on that show," Esaul told everyone at the watch party. "In the words of a great hip-hop artist (Kanye West), 'Everyone asked me what I would do if I didn't win. I guess we'll never know.'"
Esaul Ramos opened 2M Smokehouse with Joe Melig on W.W. White Road in 2016.
Last year, Texas Monthly ranked 2M Smokehouse on the city's Southeast Side among the 50 best barbecue joints in the state and it landed a spot at the San Antonio International Airport.
Chef Grecia Ramos studied at the Culinary Institute of America in San Antonio and owns an artisan bakery called Baked in Castroville.
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