CAJUN BOUDIN

This is a basic recipe and simply a starting point for exploring boudin. The key to boudin is the balance of ingredients: meat to liver, rice to meat mixture and overall spice profile. You must experiment with different levels to find the proper ratio for your taste.

Recipe by

George Graham 

Prep Time 

45 min 

Cook Time

2 hours

Total Time

2 hours and 45 min

Serves

4 – 6

Ingredients

• 1 (4-pound) pork shoulder
• Water, for braising and boiling
• 1 pound pork liver
• 2 large yellow onions, diced
• 2 cups cooked Louisiana long-grain white rice, such as Supreme
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 4 tablespoons Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup diced green onion tops
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Dash of hot sauce

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

In a heavy pot with tight-fitting lid, add the pork roast and fill the pot with water to a depth of 4 inches. Cover, place in the hot oven and braise the pork roast for 2 hours or until falling apart. Remove the pork from the pot reserving the cooking liquid.

In a pot with water over high heat, add the liver and boil until well done, about 10 minutes. Remove the liver and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Add the onions to the liquid and let cook for 2 minutes. Strain the onions and reserve.

In a rice cooker, make the rice following the package directions and keep warm until ready to use.

In a food processor pulse the meat and liver along with the onions and garlic until it reaches a smooth, yet chunky consistency. Be careful not to over process to a pasty, mushy stage.

Incorporate the cooked rice in a ratio of 80% meat mixture to 20% rice. Gradually add some of the cooking liquid until the mixture is moist. Add the Cajun seasoning, cayenne, and green onions. Add salt, black pepper, and hot sauce to taste. Evenly incorporate ingredients together.

Stuff the mixture into sausage casings using a sausage stuffer.

Poach the stuffed boudin links in a large pot of simmering (not boiling) water (175ºF) for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and keep warm.

To keep the boudin warm without drying out, I suggest wrapping it tightly in aluminum foil and place in a slow cooker set to warm with a half-inch of water in the bottom.

Optionally, you can form the bulk boudin into patties. If your boudin is not in a casing, then first wrap it in plastic before adding to the slow cooker.

Boudin links should be eaten hot with an ice-cold beer and saltine crackers. Boudin balls can be rolled in crackers and fried. And boudin patties — one of my favorites — are perfect as a base for fried eggs at breakfast. Any way you try it, boudin is perfectly delicious.