Three military cooking teams face off in final with chefs as their “brains”

Three military cooking teams competed for the championship trophy in the final of “2026 Please Take Care of Military Meals,” a competition exploring new possibilities for military dining, with professional chefs helping the cooks tackle a one-hour deadline.

The finalists were Navy M'eal from the Republic of Korea Navy Operations Command, Number One Shot from the Republic of Korea Army 1st Logistics Support Brigade and Combat Gourmets from the Republic of Korea Air Force 2nd Missile Defense Brigade. All three had advanced through the main round.

The final allowed military cooks to receive help from their paired professional chefs during the hour of cooking. How best to use that assistance prompted a lighthearted debate when Jo Gyeong-chan was seen helping prepare ingredients.

“Will you use the chef for his brain or his physical labor?” cast members asked. One view offered was that putting a chef to work on preparation could be appropriate when it takes considerable time.

Choi Hyun-seok and other chefs, meanwhile, volunteered to act as the “brains,” concentrating on seasoning, flavor balance and strategy. Describing his approach to the final, Choi Hyun-seok said: “Whether using waste, a palate to check the flavor or a strategic mind, I’ll use it as an all-purpose tool.”

Ingredient choices also drew advice. Choi Yeon-seok explained that pork could be better suited to cooking in large quantities than chicken: chicken can fall apart during prolonged cooking, while pork remains more stable when prepared in bulk.

Jo Gyeong-chan said he preferred a tangy pork dish using ingredients such as lime leaves or lemongrass, drawing on his specialty in Southeast Asian cooking.

The teams used a range of techniques to complete their dishes within the deadline, with menus combining Korean and Western cooking. Number One Shot chose a pressure cooker to save time, planning to use its internal temperature of up to 130 degrees to steam pork ribs for about 35 minutes and make pulled pork.

The intended result was meat that would break apart like jangjorim, then be coated in sauce before serving. To evoke a field setting, the team also chose military mess tins instead of conventional tableware.

Number One Shot paid close attention to preparation, cutting squid into uniform, bite-sized pieces measuring 3 centimeters.

Combat Gourmets presented a tomato soup containing cilantro. The team emphasized making food that fellow service members would enjoy rather than focusing on a professional-sounding menu name.

The chefs’ interventions during cooking helped shape the final flavor balance. Working with Combat Gourmets, Jang Jong-hyeon tasted the food midway through preparation and adjusted the seasoning with salt and sugar. He supported the team’s leadership by checking the balance of its menu.

The team joined by Choi Yeon-seok worked intensively to establish the direction of its dish, which incorporated rice. Its cooks actively followed the chef’s advice to address sweetness and unwanted odors.

Assessing a finished dish, Jang Jong-hyeon praised its balance as good enough “to open a new restaurant,” indicating his high assessment of the finalists’ cooking.

All three teams finished within the allotted time and moved on to judging to determine the winner. The panel conducting the rigorous assessment included Lee Gap-su, director of the Logistics Management Bureau at the Ministry of National Defense of South Korea; Kim Jong-hyeon; chef Jo Gyeong-chan; department head Jang Ji-hun; and culinary expert No Yeong-seung.

Source: JTBC Entertainment (YouTube)