Le Boudin Recipe
Wherever you go in southern Louisiana or east Texas, the local version of "Le Boudin" is a popular menu item at truck stops, restaurants, and diners...
...And believe me, every locale does have its own favorite boudin recipe. Some are highly spiced, some are less so. Some use liver, some don't. All use rice and fresh herbs.
The one thing that you can count on is that the taste is going to be good.
This cajun recipe was sent to me by my sister, who is a transplant to east Texas and a boudin connoisseur.
Step 1
- 4 lbs of pork shoulder and 1 lb fresh or frozen pork liver, trimmed and cut into large cubes.
- 2 chicken hind quarters (legs and thighs)
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 2 cups coarsely chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
Put the cubed meat, the chicken, and all the other ingredients into a large pot, completely cover with water, bring it all to a boil and then simmer it until the meat is soft and tender to the touch.
Remove the meat from the pot and strain the resulting stock to get out all the vegetables. They have given their all to "le boudin" at this point.
Step 2
- Prepare 2 1/2 cups of plain raw white rice by cooking it with 4 cups of the reserved stock. Let the rice simmer for about 20 minutes. It should be slightly gummy.
- Remove the meat from the chicken quarters, add it to the cooked pork and liver, and grind it all through the medium plate of your meat grinder.
- Add the cooked rice to the ground meat mixture, and add the following spices and herbs: 2 cups finely chopped white onion 1 1/2 cups finely chopped bell pepper 1 cup chopped parsley 1 cup chopped scallions (green onions) 1 tablespoon dried red pepper flakes (more if you want it hotter) 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- Mix the ingredients all together very well, adding reserved stock or water if it is needed to give the resulting sausage the consistency of pudding.
- Stuff the completed sausage into 38 mm hog casings or beef middles and store in the refrigerator or freeze the links for up to 4 months.
To serve your finished sausage, steam it or simmer it in water or stock until it is heated through.
I like to steam mine for 10 minutes and then grill it slowly on the bbq until it takes on a nice brown color. Delicious!
