Watch Crave

Food writer Troy Johnson on a cross-country trip to discover his ultimate hot dish. From New Orleans, home of gumbo, where he uses aromatics to infuse crawfish and spice up its flavor to the headquarters of Tabasco where Troy traces the origins of America's fascination with all things hot. In Chicago, an American classic is given a kick with the infamous ghost pepper making the hottest wings anyone will ever eat, then to Philadelphia where Troy plays guinea pig at Monell Chemical Senses Labs and discovers just how high his tolerance level for heat actually is. In Texas, Troy experiments with two classic spicy dishes - Texas style chili and dips into salsa, before jetting off to Los Angeles for a 5-pepper creation that will set his taste buds on fire.

Troy Johnson goes all over America looking for the ultimate chocolate. In San Francisco he signs up at the Recchiuti for a chocolate 101 course to make unconventional flavors. In Seattle he discovers the cacao bean may potentially be a healthy choice. In Chicago he tries some savory chocolate.

Troy Johnson travels across America in search of the ultimate cheese dish. He stops in Seattle, Point Reyes, Madison, Philadelphia and finally Los Angeles.

Troy Johnson goes to New Haven, Connecticut, where he takes a bite out of a historic burger, then heads down south to Memphis, Tennessee, for a deep-fried version. In Austin, Texas, Troy tries a meatless combo that tests his love of chuck, but it's nothing a stop in Los Angeles can't cure where he finds over three hundred thousand combinations of fixings that send him into burger lovin' overload.

In North Carolina, Troy feasts on a pork shoulder that takes a half day to slow cook, and then catches the cattle train to Texas where he walks the "Avenue of Barbecue Dreams." Troy finds a barbecue pit that was made out of a school bus in Austin.

Troy hits the 'bacon belt' in Kentucky for a taste of America's oldest bacon smokehouse, then he heads to a Bacon-Palooza, where he tastes bacon inventions on the frontlines of the bacon 'revolution'. In Seattle, Troy sees bacon's future and the inventors of Bacon Salt, who have harnessed the flavor of bacon and made it vegetarian.

Troy goes across America to discover his ultimate ice cream scoop. He travels from the oldest recipe in Pennsylvania to San Francisco, Calif., where he uncovers two former Wolfgang Puck pastry chefs making off-the-wall gourmet ice cream flavors.

Troy goes on a cross-country trip to find the ultimate piece of juicy fried chicken. On his quest, Troy gnaws on drumsticks in Charlotte, N.C., before he gets greased up with Purdue University scientists to discover the best tasting fry oil. Then his craving takes him to New York for a spicy Korean twist on the American chicken classic. And then he hops down to Memphis, Tenn. to see if buttermilk or brine make the most crave-worthy fried chicken.

Food writer Troy Johnson is on the hunt for the ultimate American slice of pizza to satisfy his craving.