My Boudin Recipes

CAJUN BOUDIN

Steps:

• Combine the pork shoulder, liver, and 4 cups of water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the pork cubes are tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Bring the rice and 4 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside.
• Once the pork is tender, remove from the saucepan with a slotted spoon and allow to cool a bit. While the pork is cooling, stir the green onion, chopped onion, celery, bell pepper, parsley, cilantro, and garlic into the simmering pork broth. Season with salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the onion is tender. Meanwhile, grind the meat using the coarse plate of a meat grinder. Stir the ground meat into the vegetable mixture, and cook, stirring frequently until the water has nearly evaporated, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice, and set aside to cool.
• While the meat mixture is cooling, rinse the sausage casings inside and out with plenty of warm water. Keep the casings in a bowl of warm water until ready to stuff. Once the sausage mixture is cool enough to handle, stuff into the prepared casings using a sausage stuffer. Prick the sausage with a needle every 4 to 6 inches.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to keep the water at a very gentle simmer. Add the sausage and cook gently until the sausage is hot on the inside, firm to the touch, and has plumped, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

BOUDIN DIP

Steps:

• Note: Depending on your region or access, the "boudin" or "cajun" sauage you're able to find could be raw or pre-cooked. Check the package directions to ensure which type you have. If you have cooked sausage, you can move on to the next step (there's no need to cook it again first). If you have raw sausage, it should be cooked before moving forward. If you're unsure how to cook sausage, check out this guideu00A0.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x5 baking dish (or similar size - should be able to hold 1 quart) with cooking spray, then set aside.
• Prepare sausage by removing casing and crumbling into small pieces (should be 1/2 inch or less in size). Tip: for best results, use your hands to crumble sausage; this way you can feel any remaining pieces of casing or other undesirable parts and remove them. Once crumbled, set sausage aside.
• Using a stand mixer (or a hand mixer + large bowl), mix cream cheese and sour cream on medium speed until smooth, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add cheddar cheese, 2 tablespoons of green onion, and sausage to bowl, then use a spatula to thoroughly mix all ingredients together.
• Pour dip mixture into prepared baking dish, spreading out and pressing it into an even layer.
• Bake dip for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
• Serve immediately with remaining 2 tablespoons of green onion garnished on top.

BOUDIN (BOUDAIN), A PORK AND RICE CAJUN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Place the pork shoulder, celery, onion, garlic, bell pepper, and salt into a large pot. Cover with 2 inches of water, bring to a boil and then turn down the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour. After an hour, add the chicken liver to the pot and continue to cook for 45 more minutes or until the pork is tender.
• Strain the meat and vegetables, reserving the liquid. Finely dice the meat and vegetables with a knife, in a food processor or in a meat grinder set for a coarse grind. Once diced, place meat and vegetables in a bowl.
• Add to the bowl the cooked rice, jalapeños, thyme, oregano, paprika, green onions parsley, black pepper, and cayenne. Stir in 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid and combine until the filling is moist and slightly sticky. If it appears too dry, add more of the reserved liquid. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.
• To stuff into casings for sausage, first rinse the outside of the casing and then place it in a bowl of water for 30 minutes to soften. Drain the soaking water and then rinse the inside of the casing by placing one end on the kitchen faucet, turn the water on low and allow it to flow through the casing. The casing will blow up like a balloon-this is fine.
• Lightly oil the stuffing horn on your sausage stuffer with vegetable oil. Tie a knot at one end of the casing. Take the other end and gently slide the entire casing onto the horn, leaving the knot plus an additional 4 inches hanging off the end of the horn.
• Place the filling into the feeder and push it through until it starts to fill the casing. Go slowly at first and note that you'll need to massage the casing as the meat goes through it so it fills the casing evenly.
• Once you've filled the casing, to form links, pinch it every 5 inches and then twist it until it's secure. You can then cut the casing to form individual sausages.
• To cook, poke holes into the casing then then poach in boiling water for 10 minutes. You can also grill or smoke the boudin.
• Alternatively, you can either serve the filling as a dressing, or you can roll it into walnut-sized balls, dip into finely crushed crackers and fry in 350 degree oil for 2 minutes or until brown to make boudin balls.

MY BOUDIN

Steps:

• Combine the pork, liver, vegetables, and seasonings in a bowl and marinate for 1 hour or overnight, covered, in the refrigerator. Place the marinated mixture in a large pot and cover the meat with water (by 1 to 2 inches). Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the meat is tender, about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
• Remove the pot from the heat and strain, reserving the liquid. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then put the solids through a meat grinder set on coarse grind. (You can also chop with a knife if you don't have a meat grinder, which is what I usually do anyway.)
• Place the ground meat in a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, mix in the cooked rice, parsley, scallions, and the reserved cooking liquid. Stir vigorously for 5 minutes. When the boudin-rice mixture is first combined, it looks very wet and it's pretty spicy. Don't worry; after poaching, the rice absorbs the excess moisture and much of the spice. The wet texture and extra spice ensure that your final boudin will be moist and full of flavor.
• At this point you can feed the sausage into the casings. Poach the links gently in hot (not bubbling) water for about 10 minutes, then serve. Alternatively, you can use the mixture as a stuffing for chicken, or roll it into "boudin balls," dredge in bread crumbs, and fry in hot oil until golden brown.