Boudin Time!!! Step by step...and pics.- recipe added

[mosparky]

This is going on the to do list, for sure. First time I've seen skin or trotters used. That might be the over the top ingredient. I'll have to scale it down a bit.

 

[checkdude]

Awesome writeup! I have made some using different recipe and do enjoy it. Will definitely try making your version. Looks like it will have different texture and flavor. Am from up north of you, have not have boudin before, should it have any heat? Hot sauce or hot pepper mabey? I do like a bit of heat.

 

[indaswamp]

curious why you have to cook the skin and then grind it, couldnt you save a step and use pre ground skin since you arent really removing anything in your process? I love rice and veggies so adding sausage is just a natural for me... I dont have any cajun influence in my genealogy, but I sure feel like it would work for me.

You have to cook the skin so it becomes soft to grind. Then it has to dissolve into gelatin.

 

[indaswamp]

Awesome writeup! I have made some using different recipe and do enjoy it. Will definitely try making your version. Looks like it will have different texture and flavor. Am from up north of you, have not have boudin before, should it have any heat? Hot sauce or hot pepper mabey? I do like a bit of heat.

This will be mild by Louisiana standards. It will still have a little heat in the back of you throat after you start eating it. It is not a burn your mouth on fire hot though. Unless you love pepper, you probably won't need it.

 

[indaswamp]

FYI, the casing is still raw after stuffing. I package in vacuum bags and just microwave the link in the bag to steam the casing. Or you can put in a sous vide bath @170~180* for ~10 minutes until the casing is cooked.

BTW, the traditional way cajuns eat boudin is to grab a bite with your teeth through the casing and just pull it out of the casing. This throws some people off, so they just slice the casing with a knife and eat it with a spoon. If you want crispy casing, you cook the casing on a grill or in da oven until crispy but watch for busting the casings.

 

[indaswamp]

This recipe is comparable to what you will find in boudin shops in SW Louisiana.

 

[indaswamp]

Chopping with the jambalaya paddle left some long strings of meat. If you want a more consistent texture, you can pull the large muscles out of the pot once the butt is loose and slice the meat against the grain into 1/2" steaks. When it falls apart, it will be a uniform size.

 

[indaswamp]

That's some good looking sausage!
Nice job on the linking!
Al

Thanks Al! I've got a lot of practice over the years on stuffing sausages...LOL!

IDS, Great post and awesome sausage !!! likes !

Thanks crazymoon! Post up when you make some! <wink>

This is going on the to do list, for sure. First time I've seen skin or trotters used. That might be the over the top ingredient. I'll have to scale it down a bit.

IMO, both the skin (or pig feet) and the pork liver are not optional when making boudin. You'll just have pork rice dressing if you leave them out. And believe it or not, the addition of the pungent white pepper really helps tame the liver. Post up when you make it, Lemme know how you like it. I have people all over the country I've shared this recipe with making boudin and they all love it!

 

[indaswamp]

BTW, if you can't find fresh pork liver, I suggest using chicken livers. It will still be good with a much milder liver flavor.

 

[mosparky]

Under normal circumstances I detest liver and all other organ meat. But in this case it is a very small percentage of the over all dish and maybe that little somethin-somethin in the backgrond that makes it. My boss butchers alot of hogs at his home business, I think i can talk out of some, otherwise it's hard to come by in these parts.

 

[indaswamp]

Went to the camp this weekend and brought some boudin with us. Yep, this batch is spot on. Warmed it up and the depth of flavor was great. Smooth slide out of the casing, great mouth feel to it. Perfect amount of green onion. Heat was perfect too.

He ain't lying, boudin balls are a great appetizer. But I would have to say my favorite way is to sear some up a touch with a couple of fried eggs for breakfast. I have had a deboned chicken stuffed with it. Its pretty much a universal food!

Yep. What he said. I'll tell ya another great way to eat it for breakfast-two pancakes, boudin and cheese inda middle, maple syrup on top. WHAT!?! Food. Coma.

For those that haven't had the privilege to travel the small portion of the country where they live and breath boudin, be warned the stuff you might find in the brat section of Wally World etc. is not even close to the real thing.

Yep. All that prepackaged stuff is garbage and gives the real deal boudin a bad name... if you go to boudinlink.com they actually have a rating chart for all the prepackaged boudins sold. Most of it is not worth buying.

 

[indaswamp]

Man-if you have access to fresh pork liver you are golden! Trust me, after frying, then boiling down to nothing, and with the white pepper in there...the liver is in there in the background, not pungent, and the depth of flavor it brings is unbelievable. There are many people I have shared this recipe that detest liver, but love this boudin. I would not steer you wrong when it comes to cajun food my friend.

Can you get fresh pork skin as well?

 

[indaswamp]

Important point-
Do not add any additional water to the pot. the 1.25 gallons is all you will need. You will end up with just over 2 qts. of stock and dissolved gelatin for inclusion into the boudin.

 

[mosparky]

Just to clarify, What do you mean by fresh ? Never frozen...probably not. For food safety reasons, he won't bring it to be unless it's frozen and it's my day off, so I can pick it up and take it home immediately.
Pork skin Not really. He only does skinless. He does not want to go thru the trouble of stripping the hair from it, so he skins the whole hog

 

[indaswamp]

Yes, I was referring to not frozen fresh liver. Does he not butcher the hogs on site? Yes, you can freeze the liver for safety concerns but simmering @+190*will take care of that.

You'll have to source the skin. I sometimes by cracklin fat which is fat back with the skin on. I trim the fat and save that for making sausages and use the skin in boudin. You could also save the skin from pork bellies when you make bacon. Trim first though before smoking and freeze the skin off the bellies for later use in boudin.

 

[mosparky]

I work for him at the grocery store. He also has a butcher business at home (some 40 mi away). In that business locals bring him their livestock and he processes them. He does not actually sell meat, he sells the service. Heh doesn't want the meat to spoil in his truck so frozen is best option. Maybe he wiLl bring fresh on my day off if I meet him when he comes to work at 5 or6 in the a.m. I been meaning to get some beef tongue from him too.

 

[mosparky]

Meant to ask...is the liver raw when you puree ?

 

[indaswamp]

Meant to ask...is the liver raw when you puree ?

Yes.

 

[petehalsted]

if you go to boudinlink.com they actually have a rating chart for all the prepackaged boudins sold. Most of it is not worth buying.

Man, they give the place I was introduced to "real" boudin, a B- (The Boudin Hut, in Port Arthur). Makes me really want to try some stuff from the A list!!!

 

[indaswamp]

Yea, you really ought to sample some of the A stuff...

We eat boudin in S. La. like the rest of the country eats snack sticks.