Andouille and Smoked Cajun Sausage ~ Foamheart

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Ok, last picture I swear. had a couple a CSR's that had been here a week and needed a home. Soooooo......... 

Made a little boudin. Think I'll try and smoke 'em tomorrow.



The reason I am smoking it is, well the good taste for one but it drys out the casing so they don't shrink while cooking.
Making a recipe for boudin is crucial. It took me years to get it close to the best...which in my opinion is Don's. I still cant replicate Don's exactly of course, mainly because I cant get myself to leave those large chunks of meat and fat in tact, I'm a bit OCD and cant stop chopping it till a certain point. In addition, the full method is something I cant actually see them make and exactly how they make or season their broth...assuming they make their own broth/stock like the old school method I use.

I have made more bad batches of boudin (well, edible, just not ideal) than good because I have just in the last couple years got my recipe where it needs to be, and its a lot of work...it takes a lot less time to eat it than make it!

Also, there is only one old school grocer here in central Virginia that still sells pork liver, a key element in boudin, not enough so you really taste it, but without it, missing something.

If anyone hasn't tried it, boudin makes a great breakfast patty fry too. I always keep a portion to the side for that rather than stuff it.

I didn't think smoking boudin was really a Louisiana thing. But I have done it, and it does make the casing a little crisp and edible. Boudin is usually kind of squirted in the mouth out of the casing like a go-gurt, then the casing discarded from the Cajuns I know. I think frying it, grilling it and smoking it takes away from the delicate balance of what boudin is...a full meal in a tube ready to dispense.

As far as heating without shrinking the casing (Boudin is a fully cooked product with a few raw ingredients like green onion and parsley, usually...and only needs to be cooked "a little" before eating), I have found that heating the entire length of a string of boudin without cutting the links apart is best. I have also cut the links apart, and used those little black office spring document clips to hold the casing ends together, but you cant microwave with those...and I have found the microwave to be a very good way of cooking/heating boudin once you know how to do it right. But the clips can be used for low boil, steaming, crock pot, grilling, etc.. Also, your instructions to inspect the casings for holes is huge with boudin...any holes and you'll get a blowout heating boudin.

I think next batch I make, I will tie single serving like, half pound links individually. This will allow easier portioning/heating.

On the sausage. Do you follow a particular method? Have a link to add you your own excellent post of where you got the method from?

I am prepping to make a big batch of deer/pork sausage. I made a sample batch of 2lbs using my tweaked Cajun/creole seasoning (basically Emerils with some extras) and it came out great, but I just tossed them in with a pork loin I was smoking, which means they didn't get much smoke before hitting critical temp. I want to dry/cure/rest properly and low temp smoke before smoking to temp...and dry/cure/rest afterward like you did. I will be using cure #1 Prague powder.

Any advice or links for further research on this you can offer?

Again, great post with pics. i wish more people were more thorough like that...but I still want to know you're secret ingredient for that "twang"...can you at least give me a hint or riddle to figure out?
icon_wink.gif
 
 
Making a recipe for boudin is crucial. It took me years to get it close to the best...which in my opinion is Don's. I still cant replicate Don's exactly of course, mainly because I cant get myself to leave those large chunks of meat and fat in tact, I'm a bit OCD and cant stop chopping it till a certain point. In addition, the full method is something I cant actually see them make and exactly how they make or season their broth...assuming they make their own broth/stock like the old school method I use.

I have made more bad batches of boudin (well, edible, just not ideal) than good because I have just in the last couple years got my recipe where it needs to be, and its a lot of work...it takes a lot less time to eat it than make it!

Also, there is only one old school grocer here in central Virginia that still sells pork liver, a key element in boudin, not enough so you really taste it, but without it, missing something.

If anyone hasn't tried it, boudin makes a great breakfast patty fry too. I always keep a portion to the side for that rather than stuff it.

I didn't think smoking boudin was really a Louisiana thing. But I have done it, and it does make the casing a little crisp and edible. Boudin is usually kind of squirted in the mouth out of the casing like a go-gurt, then the casing discarded from the Cajuns I know. I think frying it, grilling it and smoking it takes away from the delicate balance of what boudin is...a full meal in a tube ready to dispense.

As far as heating without shrinking the casing (Boudin is a fully cooked product with a few raw ingredients like green onion and parsley, usually...and only needs to be cooked "a little" before eating), I have found that heating the entire length of a string of boudin without cutting the links apart is best. I have also cut the links apart, and used those little black office spring document clips to hold the casing ends together, but you cant microwave with those...and I have found the microwave to be a very good way of cooking/heating boudin once you know how to do it right. But the clips can be used for low boil, steaming, crock pot, grilling, etc.. Also, your instructions to inspect the casings for holes is huge with boudin...any holes and you'll get a blowout heating boudin.

I think next batch I make, I will tie single serving like, half pound links individually. This will allow easier portioning/heating.

On the sausage. Do you follow a particular method? Have a link to add you your own excellent post of where you got the method from?

I am prepping to make a big batch of deer/pork sausage. I made a sample batch of 2lbs using my tweaked Cajun/creole seasoning (basically Emerils with some extras) and it came out great, but I just tossed them in with a pork loin I was smoking, which means they didn't get much smoke before hitting critical temp. I want to dry/cure/rest properly and low temp smoke before smoking to temp...and dry/cure/rest afterward like you did. I will be using cure #1 Prague powder.

Any advice or links for further research on this you can offer?

Again, great post with pics. i wish more people were more thorough like that...but I still want to know you're secret ingredient for that "twang"...can you at least give me a hint or riddle to figure out?
icon_wink.gif
There are very few things I ever use a recipe for. If I do have a recipe I consider it just a basic guide cause I will always have to change something.

I really don't know but as far as I can tell boudin is pretty much a coonazz thing. But others may have the same thing, lots of names in the world for the same thing.

You'll see in one of my first Boudin threads here that you don't need the pork liver because it can be hard to find. You can use chicken liver and only the most educated pallete will be able to disearn the diffrence. Its more a texture thingie than a taste I believe.

If you'll smoke it not only does it add flavor, it drys the casing so it doesn't pull, I think freezing does the same.

All of my sausage/andouille knowledge was learned as a kid when butchering. Then I found this site and it made me want to learn about bacon and brining. But all knowledge learned as a kid by working when we killed hogs had laid dormant until this site made me rememeber and want more. Plus I have my 92 yr old Pop with me and he has alzhieners and he started remembering not when he and I did it but when he and his dad did it. Of course it tastes a lot better when its you making it.....LOL

The closest you'll probably come to my spice mix will be to try the NOLA recipes. 

You are talking cures. The only difference between andouille and sausage is the cure. We now add cure to sausage for safety, the only other difference, andouille is a celibration of cracked black pepper vice the cayenne that is normally used in everything else here. They could grow it , hell its a weed here. But cracked black that was different it had to be bought.

There are so many ways to make boudin, there is not one exact way. Couldn't be, all the different ways are good, be it heated with eggs for breakfast, deep fried balls at the fair, of in a casing, the cajun burrito! Light on the rice , heavy on the rice, ground meat or stringy, chicken or pork liver, etc etc..... Some folks even grind their rice and meat together.... and its still good.

As soon as I figure out what I am going to do about a smoker, my smoked groceries will be alot better. I hope you find your favorite combo, but when you do you'll still l have to keep trying to imporve it....LOL Its the fun of smoking!!
 
 
There are very few things I ever use a recipe for. If I do have a recipe I consider it just a basic guide cause I will always have to change something.

I really don't know but as far as I can tell boudin is pretty much a coonazz thing. But others may have the same thing, lots of names in the world for the same thing.

You'll see in one of my first Boudin threads here that you don't need the pork liver because it can be hard to find. You can use chicken liver and only the most educated pallete will be able to disearn the diffrence. Its more a texture thingie than a taste I believe.

If you'll smoke it not only does it add flavor, it drys the casing so it doesn't pull, I think freezing does the same.

All of my sausage/andouille knowledge was learned as a kid when butchering. Then I found this site and it made me want to learn about bacon and brining. But all knowledge learned as a kid by working when we killed hogs had laid dormant until this site made me rememeber and want more. Plus I have my 92 yr old Pop with me and he has alzhieners and he started remembering not when he and I did it but when he and his dad did it. Of course it tastes a lot better when its you making it.....LOL

The closest you'll probably come to my spice mix will be to try the NOLA recipes. 

You are talking cures. The only difference between andouille and sausage is the cure. We now add cure to sausage for safety, the only other difference, andouille is a celibration of cracked black pepper vice the cayenne that is normally used in everything else here. They could grow it , hell its a weed here. But cracked black that was different it had to be bought.

There are so many ways to make boudin, there is not one exact way. Couldn't be, all the different ways are good, be it heated with eggs for breakfast, deep fried balls at the fair, of in a casing, the cajun burrito! Light on the rice , heavy on the rice, ground meat or stringy, chicken or pork liver, etc etc..... Some folks even grind their rice and meat together.... and its still good.

As soon as I figure out what I am going to do about a smoker, my smoked groceries will be alot better. I hope you find your favorite combo, but when you do you'll still l have to keep trying to imporve it....LOL Its the fun of smoking!!
OK...OK, so you are not going to give me any hint of that "special twang" ingredient...but I had to try!

I tend to use more methods and instinct with cooking these days too, but certain things like Boudin I have determined the best way is a good recipe that I have refined over time. But like you said, almost all Boudin is good. It's like Pizza...hard to find a way to hate any of it...I can like a 78¢ frozen cheese pizza from the grocery freezer, but my preference is something better.

Boudin is definitely a coon-ass thing. I think it can be found nearby Louisiana like east Texas, Mississippi, etc, and I've even seen Whole Foods in Virginia sell something they call "boudin"...but its a raw product!...NOT coon-ass boudin. I have a "Cajun transplant" buddy I have worked with for years who introduced me to boudin...and other great foods of Louisiana, so I have a good gauge on whats real and NOT authentic, and he brings stuff back when he visits.

As I said, Don's makes the best boudin I have bought in my opinion. Bergerons is really good too and I have bought Poche's from Cajun Grocer (dot com) which is good, but I have had my fair share of boudin that wasn't worth the money, and I have made boudin I regretted too!

Don's was one of the places that told me almost nobody in Cajun country smokes boudin, but they get requests from "yankees" for it frequently, from the northeast to the northwest. I had my very first fried whole boudin links at a place in east Texas that claims to be "Cajun". It was unremarkable...and "Cajun" is subjective apparently! Some customers will believe anything you tell them...like what American's think is Chinese food...is "Chinese"! Not! But, to each their own, like you said...if its good for you...good for you!

Chicken liver is a great substitute for pork, I love chicken livers by themselves, floured and pan fried. For the liver in my boudin, its the one thing I actually grind. I cook it first in the boil with the seasoned meat making the broth, then cool it, grind it fine, keep it cold and add it cold to my mixture so it disburses evenly. You will not hardly find a piece of it in my boudin, but that richness of flavor is there. I dont grind anything else for my boudin...I use only pork steaks (a country cut that is hard to find in some places too) and when they are falling apart tender I hand separate it, then knife chop it to keep some of that special texture. The day I bought a sausage stuffer and stopped using the grinder with attachments as a stuffer, changed everything. I did that just for boudin because running the rice even through the open stuffing plate ruined the boudin texture. I find it improves my sausage too, to mix and stuff the old fashioned way. but I do grind all of my own meat for everything, i almost never buy pre-ground meat anymore

I wish I had a 92 year old "Pop" that could remember the old ways of making stuff. Get what you can out of him while he is here. Sorry to hear of the alzheimers...I understand it is a terrible thing, even with an old person you expect to be feeble.

Note to self..."Black Pepper"...andouille...noted...

Happy smokin', man. Hopefully people like us bringing boudin to people's attention will spread the idea. Folks just don't know what they are missing. I have met few people who don't like boudin...and few people who have a clue what it is.
 
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Well, slap me stupid...  I just saw this awesome thread...  NICE job on everything...    I especially liked the "suction feet" on your stuffer....  You've been holding out on me, not suggesting those feet earlier...  

Well, all is forgiven...  I just ordered those suction feet...   I've been procrastinating about the c-clamps on my stuffer for several years...  they seem to interfere with several things...  stuffer placement...   crank handle turning...   walking around and stuff getting hung up on the clamps...     Soooooo, soon that will NOT be a situation....  

I will definitely showcase the rubber feet in the future and let all know my buddy turned me onto them....   albeit through the side door...   
biggrin.gif
  ....
 
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Well, slap me stupid...  I just saw this awesome thread...  NICE job on everything...    I especially liked the "suction feet" on your stuffer....  You've been holding out on me, not suggesting those feet earlier...  

Well, all is forgiven...  I just ordered those suction feet...   I've been procrastinating about the c-clamps on my stuffer for several years...  they seem to interfere with several things...  stuffer placement...   crank handle turning...   walking around and stuff getting hung up on the clamps...     Soooooo, soon that will NOT be a situation....  

I will definitely showcase the rubber feet in the future and let all know my buddy turned me onto them....   albeit through the side door...   
biggrin.gif
  ....
Sorry Dave I thought we all went into a large discussion about the suction cups a couple a years back. I fired the Sec. for not getting an acknowledgement memo from you. I think the new one will not make that mistake.

I have and OLD Weston tater cutter, that the local resturaunt gave me to avoid their embarassment for mounting it improperly. LOL  

It works for me, problem is now I get a blow out instead of the stuffer physically moving from too much pressure. Its always something.
 
 
OK...OK, so you are not going to give me any hint of that "special twang" ingredient...but I had to try!

I tend to use more methods and instinct with cooking these days too, but certain things like Boudin I have determined the best way is a good recipe that I have refined over time. But like you said, almost all Boudin is good. It's like Pizza...hard to find a way to hate any of it...I can like a 78¢ frozen cheese pizza from the grocery freezer, but my preference is something better.

Boudin is definitely a coon-ass thing. I think it can be found nearby Louisiana like east Texas, Mississippi, etc, and I've even seen Whole Foods in Virginia sell something they call "boudin"...but its a raw product!...NOT coon-ass boudin. I have a "Cajun transplant" buddy I have worked with for years who introduced me to boudin...and other great foods of Louisiana, so I have a good gauge on whats real and NOT authentic, and he brings stuff back when he visits.

As I said, Don's makes the best boudin I have bought in my opinion. Bergerons is really good too and I have bought Poche's from Cajun Grocer (dot com) which is good, but I have had my fair share of boudin that wasn't worth the money, and I have made boudin I regretted too!

Don's was one of the places that told me almost nobody in Cajun country smokes boudin, but they get requests from "yankees" for it frequently, from the northeast to the northwest. I had my very first fried whole boudin links at a place in east Texas that claims to be "Cajun". It was unremarkable...and "Cajun" is subjective apparently! Some customers will believe anything you tell them...like what American's think is Chinese food...is "Chinese"! Not! But, to each their own, like you said...if its good for you...good for you!

Chicken liver is a great substitute for pork, I love chicken livers by themselves, floured and pan fried. For the liver in my boudin, its the one thing I actually grind. I cook it first in the boil with the seasoned meat making the broth, then cool it, grind it fine, keep it cold and add it cold to my mixture so it disburses evenly. You will not hardly find a piece of it in my boudin, but that richness of flavor is there. I dont grind anything else for my boudin...I use only pork steaks (a country cut that is hard to find in some places too) and when they are falling apart tender I hand separate it, then knife chop it to keep some of that special texture. The day I bought a sausage stuffer and stopped using the grinder with attachments as a stuffer, changed everything. I did that just for boudin because running the rice even through the open stuffing plate ruined the boudin texture. I find it improves my sausage too, to mix and stuff the old fashioned way. but I do grind all of my own meat for everything, i almost never buy pre-ground meat anymore

I wish I had a 92 year old "Pop" that could remember the old ways of making stuff. Get what you can out of him while he is here. Sorry to hear of the alzheimers...I understand it is a terrible thing, even with an old person you expect to be feeble.

Note to self..."Black Pepper"...andouille...noted...

Happy smokin', man. Hopefully people like us bringing boudin to people's attention will spread the idea. Folks just don't know what they are missing. I have met few people who don't like boudin...and few people who have a clue what it is.
I now buy my hog liver in what I think is a 35lb box, divide it in close to 1/2 pieces and then freeze it. 
 
I'll look out for the "super secure" stuffer problems...    Is the new sexretary cute and younger that the one who departed ??   Probably...  OK... use me as an excuse...   

Dave
 
 
I'll look out for the "super secure" stuffer problems...    Is the new sexretary cute and younger that the one who departed ??   Probably...  OK... use me as an excuse...   

Dave
I use a butter knife to slide under and break the vacumm, doesn't damage the cups and usually pretty handy. But that always grab the best suction when you are trying to move it....LOL. Its a suction cup conspiracy.
 
Good point....  I'd hate to screw them up...     Thanks...   OH !!   do you use oil or anything to improve the suction...    just curious...   sometimes it's needed....    I use spit to hold suction, on the windshield, for my  GPS...    
 
LOL.. Wow Dave sorry, don't know why I missed this. You're right of course, you spit on the glass, when stuffing sausage I have water pooled up all over the place. It makes the casing slip and slide easily with getting stuck or ripping. I don't add anything but there is always loads of H20 on the counter.
 
I now buy my hog liver in what I think is a 35lb box, divide it in close to 1/2 pieces and then freeze it.

Hey Foam, where are you getting your 35# box of pork liver from? I need dat....

I'm about to make a 50# batch weekend after thanksgiving, going visit my uncle in mississippi and making a batch at his place. I'll be using about 6~8# of pork liver....
 
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THANKS! I will go check out Iverstine, I had not heard about that place.
Also, did not know you shop @ Lamendola's. I live like 2 minutes from the store. They have remodeled the place and it is very nice now. Big meat dept....
 
THANK YOU FOAMY!!

I called Iverstine and they will have 6# of fresh pork liver for me to pick up next weds. Awesome!

I have been looking for a source of fresh pork liver for a long time, you came through for me big time buddy.
 
You are quite welcome. BTW the butcher in there, when approached correctly, has a lot of knowledge he'll happily share.

I think he just started smoking hams for the holidays. Wait till you see his meat counter...... bring all your plastic cards!
 
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