Cajun Boudin Food

LOUISIANA BOUDIN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Chop the meats, liver and fat into chunks that will fit in the grinder. Mix the meats, liver and fat with the onion, celery, poblano peppers and garlic, then the salt, curing salt (if using) and either the Cajun seasonings or the spice mix you made from this recipe. Put it all in a lidded container and set in the fridge at least an hour, and up to a day.
• Put the contents of the container into a large pot and pour in enough water to cover everything by an inch or two. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until everything is tender, at least 90 minutes and up to 3 hours. Strain the cooking liquid (you'll need it later) and spread the meat, fat and veggies out on a sheet pan to cool.
• When everything is cool enough to handle, grind it through the coarse die (6.5 mm) on your grinder. You can also hand chop everything.
• Put your meat mix into a large bowl and add the cooked rice, parsley and green onions. Mix well, and add up to 4 cups of the reserved cooking liquid. Mix this for 3 to 5 minutes so you make a more cohesive mixture to stuff into a casing. You now have boudin.
• You can just shape the mixture into balls and fry them (they're awesome), or use your boudin as stuffing for something else, like a turkey. Or you can case it. Stuff the boudin into hog casings, and while you're doing it, get a large pot of salted water hot -- not simmering, just steaming. You want the water to be about 165ºF to 170ºF. Poach the links for 10 minutes, then serve. If you are not serving them right away, no need to poach the links yet.
• Boudin does not keep well, so eat it all within a couple days. It does freeze reasonably well, however.

MY BOUDIN

Steps:

• Combine the pork, liver, vegetables, and seasonings in a bowl and marinate for 1 hour or overnight, covered, in the refrigerator. Place the marinated mixture in a large pot and cover the meat with water (by 1 to 2 inches). Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the meat is tender, about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
• Remove the pot from the heat and strain, reserving the liquid. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then put the solids through a meat grinder set on coarse grind. (You can also chop with a knife if you don't have a meat grinder, which is what I usually do anyway.)
• Place the ground meat in a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, mix in the cooked rice, parsley, scallions, and the reserved cooking liquid. Stir vigorously for 5 minutes. When the boudin-rice mixture is first combined, it looks very wet and it's pretty spicy. Don't worry; after poaching, the rice absorbs the excess moisture and much of the spice. The wet texture and extra spice ensure that your final boudin will be moist and full of flavor.
• At this point you can feed the sausage into the casings. Poach the links gently in hot (not bubbling) water for about 10 minutes, then serve. Alternatively, you can use the mixture as a stuffing for chicken, or roll it into "boudin balls," dredge in bread crumbs, and fry in hot oil until golden brown.

CAJUN STYLE BOUDIN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• To prepare casings: Let casings soak in cool water about five minutes to remove salt on outer surface (no longer, or they will become too tender to stuff) and flush salt from the inside by placing one end on faucet nozzle and turn on cold tap water (if you see holes or water leaking, cut and discard).
• Remove casing from faucet and gently squeeze out water; cover rinsed casings and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Mix all ingredients very well in a large bowl (you're looking for a moist but not runny mixture).
• Fill the casings with the mixture and make links by twisting the sausage where you wish the links to be.
• Four inches is a good size for a regular serving, smaller links may be made for appetizer servings.
• Place the sausage in large saucepan or dutch oven in a single layer; cover and heat over high heat to a low simmer.
• Reduce heat to maintain low simmer (sausages may burst if cooked at too high a heat) until the sausage is heated through, approximately 15 minutes.
• Drain and let rest for about 15 minutes before slicing; serve while warm.

26+ CAJUN RECIPES FROM THE BIG EASY (+CAJUN AIOLI WITH GARLIC)

Steps:

• Stir everything together in a bowl until smooth.
• Refrigerate until you're ready to serve with fries.

BEST STOP BOUDIN

Steps:

• Add the pork butt, pork liver, onions, green bell peppers and 1 cup of the Cajun seasoning to a large stockpot and cover with water (about 10 gallons). Cover the pot, bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce to a simmer and cook until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Drain the cooking liquid from the meat and vegetable mixture and reserve for later use. Allow the meat and vegetable mixture to cool slightly, then add it to a food processor or grinder and process to a medium-coarse consistency.
• Add the browning sauce to the reserved cooking liquid (approximately 5 gallons) and stir until well blended.
• Add the cooked rice to the ground meat and vegetable mixture and season with the remaining 1 cup Cajun seasoning. Fold together well until it becomes a uniform mixture. Add 7 to 8 quarts (28 to 32 cups) of the reserved cooking liquid/browning sauce mixture and combine until it is well mixed and has the consistency of a hearty stew. Refrigerate the mixture until firm and easy to handle, at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Fill a cast-iron pot halfway with cooking oil and heat over medium heat until the oil reaches 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, add the cornmeal breading mix and flour and mix to distribute evenly. Using a 2 1/2-inch scoop, form the cooled mixture into balls and roll in the coating mix. Fry in the oil, in batches, until golden and crisp, about 6 minutes. Let drain on paper towels and serve warm.

CAJUN BOUDIN

Steps:

• Combine the pork shoulder, liver, and 4 cups of water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the pork cubes are tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Bring the rice and 4 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside.
• Once the pork is tender, remove from the saucepan with a slotted spoon and allow to cool a bit. While the pork is cooling, stir the green onion, chopped onion, celery, bell pepper, parsley, cilantro, and garlic into the simmering pork broth. Season with salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the onion is tender. Meanwhile, grind the meat using the coarse plate of a meat grinder. Stir the ground meat into the vegetable mixture, and cook, stirring frequently until the water has nearly evaporated, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice, and set aside to cool.
• While the meat mixture is cooling, rinse the sausage casings inside and out with plenty of warm water. Keep the casings in a bowl of warm water until ready to stuff. Once the sausage mixture is cool enough to handle, stuff into the prepared casings using a sausage stuffer. Prick the sausage with a needle every 4 to 6 inches.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to keep the water at a very gentle simmer. Add the sausage and cook gently until the sausage is hot on the inside, firm to the touch, and has plumped, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.