"Real" Jambalaya!

[tbrtt1]

Do you eventually scrape the bottom before serving or is this saved for the cook to enjoy in private?

It depends on how close to burnt the rice on the bottom is. If it is actually burnt it will permeate the whole batch. It usually singes pretty good and is not desirable to eat. If you don't get any rice stuck on the bottom you probably didn't get the pot hot enough to get it back to a boil fast enough after putting the rice in to make the rice pop (whew, long sentence). In other words you want the stock and meat at a hard roll when you put the rice in and this inevitably makes the rice stick to the bottom and slightly scorch. So we don't scrape the bottom after we cover it and cook the rice a bit in case there are some burnt grains of rice. One burnt grain losened from the bottom can ruin the whole batch.

 

[wade]

 
Not sure if this is allowed, but if the mods say so I will post a spreadsheet that has an exhaustive amount of ratio formulations and tips and tricks. I didn't make it and can't remember where I acquired it. But it is a fantastic reference. Mods let me know.

Please post the speadsheet as it would be very helpful

 

[tbrtt1]

 
Please post the speadsheet as it would be very helpful

Cool. Here it is. It is a bit complex but I typically use the Classic tab to get the basic rice to liquid to meat ratios. It was originally posted for public consumption so have at it. I just wanted to make sure there were no issues with this forum's rules. 

 

[bdskelly]

 
Cool. Here it is. It is a bit complex but I typically use the Classic tab to get the basic rice to liquid to meat ratios. It was originally posted for public consumption so have at it. I just wanted to make sure there were no issues with this forum's rules. 

Pretty handy little chart. Thanks for the post.

Brian

 

[wade]

Thanks for the chart it looks very useful.

I had some chicken thighs and some polish sausage that I made a month or so in the freezer and so made your Jambalaya last night following your picture step by step. It tasted as good as your pictures looked 

 Thanks.

 

[tc fish bum]

can I do that with rabbit? its so delicate it seems a nice match.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Nice job...I worked with an expert Chef in Regional American Cuisine with his focus on SouthWest. He made both Red and Brown for a comparison for our students. The Brown is my choice for the rich deep smooth flavor without the acid bite of the Tomato...JJ

 

[tbrtt1]

 
Thanks for the chart it looks very useful.

I had some chicken thighs and some polish sausage that I made a month or so in the freezer and so made your Jambalaya last night following your picture step by step. It tasted as good as your pictures looked 

 Thanks.

Awesome, glad it turned out good. My plan is to spread the gospel of the cajun brown jambalaya to the world!  

 
can I do that with rabbit? its so delicate it seems a nice match.

I don't see why not. I like you thinking and I love rabbit. 

 
Nice job...I worked with an expert Chef in Regional American Cuisine with his focus on SouthWest. He made both Red and Brown for a comparison for our students. The Brown is my choice for the rich deep smooth flavor without the acid bite of the Tomato...JJ

Once you get a good dose of brown jambalaya your hooked for life. 

 

[cecil]

Being from Gonzales (The Jambalaya Capitol fo the World) i love it when someone sets the world straight about how to cook a real jambalaya. There was a post this morning about hoe yo prepare real cajun jambalaya only he used tomatoes in it. I replied that no real cajun would ever be caught dead with tomatoes in their jambalaya. A good friend and I (who is now passed away) uesed to cook for groupps in a forty gallon pot over a wood fire. Haven't cooked a big one since he left us. You cok yours basically the same as i do except i only use onions and no peppers, I put green peppers after it is cooked for garnish. I also brown the sausage first and brown the pork in the sausage oil. I cooked a small one the other day on a last minute whim and didn't have enough black pepper and salt so I used only Tony's seasoning. Came out great.

By the way I have a sister who lives in the Woodlands in Windsor Lake Subdivision.

 

[cecil]

 
Being from Gonzales (The Jambalaya Capitol fo the World) i love it when someone sets the world straight about how to cook a real jambalaya. There was a post this morning about hoe yo prepare real cajun jambalaya only he used tomatoes in it. I replied that no real cajun would ever be caught dead with tomatoes in their jambalaya. A good friend and I (who is now passed away) uesed to cook for groupps in a forty gallon pot over a wood fire. Haven't cooked a big one since he left us. You cok yours basically the same as i do except i only use onions and no peppers, I put green peppers after it is cooked for garnish. I also brown the sausage first and brown the pork in the sausage oil. I cooked a small one the other day on a last minute whim and didn't have enough black pepper and salt so I used only Tony's seasoning. Came out great.

By the way I have a sister who lives in the Woodlands in Windsor Lake Subdivision.

The post on how to cook real Cajun Jambalaya was on Face book not this forum.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

I like the the brown jambalaya. If I want to have it in my neck of therapies I have to make it. Everything over here on the Left Coast is ketchup based with everything under the sun it. All hippy gypy yuppie upitty upitty!

 

[tbrtt1]

 
Being from Gonzales (The Jambalaya Capitol fo the World) i love it when someone sets the world straight about how to cook a real jambalaya. There was a post this morning about hoe yo prepare real cajun jambalaya only he used tomatoes in it. I replied that no real cajun would ever be caught dead with tomatoes in their jambalaya. A good friend and I (who is now passed away) uesed to cook for groupps in a forty gallon pot over a wood fire. Haven't cooked a big one since he left us. You cok yours basically the same as i do except i only use onions and no peppers, I put green peppers after it is cooked for garnish. I also brown the sausage first and brown the pork in the sausage oil. I cooked a small one the other day on a last minute whim and didn't have enough black pepper and salt so I used only Tony's seasoning. Came out great.

By the way I have a sister who lives in the Woodlands in Windsor Lake Subdivision.

Ha Ha Ha, my Sister-In-Law has a cousin that won the Jambalaya Cook Off one year. Her family will call the police if you have a tomato in the house while you cook a jambalaya. You may appreciate this: red jambalaya was always referred to as French Settlement Jambalaya! (French Settlement is a Village roughly a few miles north east of Gonzales for those not from the area). As in, "mais cher, dey make dat damn French Settlement jambalaya, yuck." Plus, tomatoes aint good for the cast iron anyway. 

Also, tell em all how we don't put tomatoes in our Gumbo either. Tomatoes are for spaghetti, sauce piquant and a little bit in étouffée and dats about it, (I'm exaggerating a bit, but not much).

P.S. Most of the folks I know brown the pork or chicken first since it seems harder to brown. But I may try the sausage first. Can't hurt. 

 

[palladini]

I so think I am going to have to get one of those Cast Iron Pots and make this dish, it does look so good!

 

[gregor]

Wow, this looks amazing.  I think I have a cast iron pot somewhere....

 

[tbrtt1]

I so think I am going to have to get one of those Cast Iron Pots and make this dish, it does look so good!

Wow, this looks amazing.  I think I have a cast iron pot somewhere....

It does require a cast iron pot to make authentic jambalaya. It's a good excuse to get one if you don't have one. If you have never had a cast iron pot, you have been missing out. I cook all my gumbos, etiuffees, jambalayas, pot roasts, any and all rice and gravy dishe (pork shops, chicken, gravy steaks) since it's a roux making machine. I have 3 of various sizes plus a skillet.

 

[dparker]

I just used my Lodge 7 qt as a fryer on Sunday and was thinking that I don't pull it out of the cabinet often enough...and here you've gone and given me a good excuse to do so. I'm in Northeast TX, but I do make a mean shrimp gumbo for someone on this side of the border. I guess I could try my hand at jambalaya (I'm with you on the no tomatoes thing).

Now, someone let me know when the "real chili" debate starts. ;)

 

[bena]

That looks tasty thanks for the thread!  Now to decide whether to look into a jambalaya cooker setup or just use my cast iron deep skillet.

 

[tbrtt1]

That looks tasty thanks for the thread!  Now to decide whether to look into a jambalaya cooker setup or just use my cast iron deep skillet.

All ya need is a7-9 quart cast iron Dutch Oven. You can get em at Acadamy for ~ $50 or so.

 

[sundown farms]

Drive through there 4-5 times a year. Great to understand the difference.Been working on smoking pork for tasso. Any advice would be appreciated?

 

[timberjet]

Awesome. Now tell me if I am wrong but would that actually make three types of jumbalaya? Brown, red and creole? Please elaborate. Thanks for the great post.