Need some cajun gumbo help

[NefariousTrashMan]

So Sunday since it was snowmageddon here in Missouri I decided to make gumbo for my first time. Well I burnt the first roux and had to start over. My question is did I not make this roux dark enough? I was worried about burning it again. Gumbo tasted great just was not as dark as pictures on the internet.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

This might help. Check out post 14...

Gumbo?

First off I have never had gumbo. Even when I was in New Orleans I did not try it but was always interested. A few days ago my favorite YouTube brits Jolly visited New Orleans and among other things they had gumbo and loved it. I decided I had to give it a try. I watched 10 different gumbo...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[mike243]

I actually prefer a lighter rue, it can get bitter if not careful trying to make the perfect batch, I like to make rue with butter most of the time but seen a lot of folks say they only use it to make seafood dishes

 

[NefariousTrashMan]

This might help. Check out post 14...

Gumbo?

First off I have never had gumbo. Even when I was in New Orleans I did not try it but was always interested. A few days ago my favorite YouTube brits Jolly visited New Orleans and among other things they had gumbo and loved it. I decided I had to give it a try. I watched 10 different gumbo...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Thanks I missed that one

 

[Brokenhandle]

Thanks I missed that one

Me too!

Ryan

 

[chilerelleno]

Gumbo roux should be Dark Brown, e.g. dark chocolate.
It is a labor of love and patience making right, constant stirring until done.

And you'll need some File powder too for authentically flavored and thickened batch.

Now as to which proteins go into it, well that's a subject of much debate.
Much like whether Okra belongs in there or not? I like it.
Sausage, shrimp and oysters are in my recipe.

 

[indaswamp]

As far as how dark a roux for a gumbo, that is a personal preference and depends on the type of protein used in the gumbo. Most wild game meats, a cajun dark brown roux is used-no exceptions (see below). Chicken, medium brown roux to a few shades darker usually....same with seafood. When adding sausage or andouille, it is recommended to go a few shades darker to compliment the flavors with the smoke.

As far as making a roux, you can run the heat med.-high as long as the roux is light and it is simmering,vaporizing water within the flour. But as soon as that finishes, you need to lower the heat because there is no water vapor removing heat from the pot and you are now frying. Watch and stir continuously.. There will come a point where the roux will 'clump' together and not flow when you stir. At that point, you have a medium brown roux. If you place an old tarnished penny next to the pot, when the color matches, you have a dark brown roux. Shut the fire...and either keep stirring as the pot cools for a about 5 minutes, then cover and let cool completely; or add onions to cool the pot if you will use the roux immediately. Can relight the fire after the intense heat has reduced and finish the gumbo.

Point of note, letting a dark brown roux sit and cool will create the Dark brown Cajun roux. This stuff is as dark as dark chocolate but is not burnt...it is nutty and very complex with a slight bitterness which will fade once it is cooked into the gumbo or gravy. The depth can't be matched by any other roux.

 

[indaswamp]

Yes- don't forget the file'....

just add it at the end of cooking. File when boiled can get stringy and slimy if you use too much and it gets too hot. I always add more to my bowl because I really like the flavor of file.

Point of note- you will never see a gumbo made with oysters in Louisiana that does not have file in it... it's like yin and yang....

 

[NefariousTrashMan]

As far as how dark a roux for a gumbo, that is a personal preference and depends on the type of protein used in the gumbo. Most wild game meats, a cajun dark brown roux is used-no exceptions (see below). Chicken, medium brown roux to a few shades darker usually....same with seafood. When adding sausage or andouille, it is recommended to go a few shades darker to compliment the flavors with the smoke.

As far as making a roux, you can run the heat med.-high as long as the roux is light and it is simmering,vaporizing water within the flour. But as soon as that finishes, you need to lower the heat because there is no water vapor removing heat from the pot and you are now frying. Watch and stir continuously.. There will come a point where the roux will 'clump' together and not flow when you stir. At that point, you have a medium brown roux. If you place an old tarnished penny next to the pot, when the color matches, you have a dark brown roux. Shut the fire...and either keep stirring as the pot cools for a about 5 minutes, then cover and let cool completely; or add onions to cool the pot if you will use the roux immediately. Can relight the fire after the intense heat has reduced and finish the gumbo.

Point of note, letting a dark brown roux sit and cool will create the Dark brown Cajun roux. This stuff is as dark as dark chocolate but is not burnt...it is nutty and very complex with a slight bitterness which will fade once it is cooked into the gumbo or gravy. The depth can't be matched by any other roux.

Thanks for the information, looks like I will need to try it again. Which is fine by me it’s cold and snowy outside and gumbo sounds good to me.

 

[mike243]

You can make a baked rue also, I made it 1 time and it was easier than stirring for a hour lol. Now I have a hankering for Jambalaya

 

[Gonna Smoke]

Keith @indaswamp, thanks for the great tutorial on roux.

Point of note- you will never see a gumbo made with oysters in Louisiana that does not have file in it... it's like yin and yang....

This is something I did not know...interesting. Filé is impossible to find around here...

 

[mike243]

Been awhile since I bought any but Kroger is where I got it from last, they have a pretty good variety these days. Also use to sell a powdered rue also, there are some commercial brands that can be found also in resealable glass jars so you can use what you need and maybe get a couple cooks out of it. Amazon has a good selection

 

[forktender]

Keith @indaswamp, thanks for the great tutorial on roux.

This is something I did not know...interesting. Filé is impossible to find around here...

Amazon, Charles. It's hard to find around here as well, I had to order mine.

 

[forktender]

As far as how dark a roux for a gumbo, that is a personal preference and depends on the type of protein used in the gumbo. Most wild game meats, a cajun dark brown roux is used-no exceptions (see below). Chicken, medium brown roux to a few shades darker usually....same with seafood. When adding sausage or andouille, it is recommended to go a few shades darker to compliment the flavors with the smoke.

As far as making a roux, you can run the heat med.-high as long as the roux is light and it is simmering,vaporizing water within the flour. But as soon as that finishes, you need to lower the heat because there is no water vapor removing heat from the pot and you are now frying. Watch and stir continuously.. There will come a point where the roux will 'clump' together and not flow when you stir. At that point, you have a medium brown roux. If you place an old tarnished penny next to the pot, when the color matches, you have a dark brown roux. Shut the fire...and either keep stirring as the pot cools for a about 5 minutes, then cover and let cool completely; or add onions to cool the pot if you will use the roux immediately. Can relight the fire after the intense heat has reduced and finish the gumbo.

Point of note, letting a dark brown roux sit and cool will create the Dark brown Cajun roux. This stuff is as dark as dark chocolate but is not burnt...it is nutty and very complex with a slight bitterness which will fade once it is cooked into the gumbo or gravy. The depth can't be matched by any other roux.

This sounds like Chef Paul, himself wrote this, nice write up.

After injuring my arm, my duck & goose season is over, and I don't have nearly enough bird to last until next yr. But I do have enough to make up a few good gumbo's. I'm going to follow your method next time I make up a batch.
I guess I'm weird, but I love making up a pot roux, that stuff is like napalm if you splash a little on yourself, I know you know.

 

[NefariousTrashMan]

You can make a baked rue also, I made it 1 time and it was easier than stirring for a hour lol. Now I have a hankering for Jambalaya

Man jambalaya sounds really good!

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

That roux looks a little light, but I'm sure it was still delicious. I think it's hard to take a picture sometimes and get a accurate picture of how dark the roux really is. Not burning it is extremely important so I'd rather take it off a shade lighter than risk burning. Usually I take mine to looking like milk chocolate rather than dark chocolate. I then cook my trinity in it and that tends to take it to a darker brown color. That darker color could be the sugars coming out of the veggies. Who knows? The trinity will quickly cool down the roux initially.

I was born in Beaumont, Tx and my dad's family got there from Louisiana. What I've experienced is probably different than what's typical in Louisiana. My dad cooked gumbo differently from his mother and I cook it differently than him.

It might sound silly but what I've done lately is use a Thermopen to get an idea of how hot the oil is. It's completely unnecessary but helpful. I like to get the temp of the oil around 380 if it starts getting closer to 400 I'll drop the burner down to low to settle it down. I'll start medium high but I'll drop the temp down to medium later on. I never stop stirring. It takes me around 45 minutes. If you get the oil hotter you can probably cook it quicker, but I cook gumbo maybe twice a year. I'm not risking it. There's nothing worse than burnt roux.

One thing that I think is almost as important as the roux is using a good stock. I make my own stock a few times a year. It freezes really well.

 

[indaswamp]

Filé is impossible to find around here...

https://www.cajungrocer.com/foods/cajun-chef-gumbo-file-1

 

[NefariousTrashMan]

That roux looks a little light, but I'm sure it was still delicious. I think it's hard to take a picture sometimes and get a accurate picture of how dark the roux really is. Not burning it is extremely important so I'd rather take it off a shade lighter than risk burning. Usually I take mine to looking like milk chocolate rather than dark chocolate. I then cook my trinity in it and that tends to take it to a darker brown color. That darker color could be the sugars coming out of the veggies. Who knows? The trinity will quickly cool down the roux initially.

I was born in Beaumont, Tx and my dad's family got there from Louisiana. What I've experienced is probably different than what's typical in Louisiana. My dad cooked gumbo differently from his mother and I cook it differently than him.

It might sound silly but what I've done lately is use a Thermopen to get an idea of how hot the oil is. It's completely unnecessary but helpful. I like to get the temp of the oil around 380 if it starts getting closer to 400 I'll drop the burner down to low to settle it down. I'll start medium high but I'll drop the temp down to medium later on. I never stop stirring. It takes me around 45 minutes. If you get the oil hotter you can probably cook it quicker, but I cook gumbo maybe twice a year. I'm not risking it. There's nothing worse than burnt roux.

One thing that I think is almost as important as the roux is using a good stock. I make my own stock a few times a year. It freezes really well.

Thanks for the information I made my own stock for the first time for the gumbo I made and man I will never go back to store bought again.