Creole Smoked Beef ???

[landarc]

Years ago, there was a restaurant in Oakland CA that sold a dish called Red Smoked Prime Rib, this was the best fire roasted prime rib I ever had. The flavors were exceptional and the wood smoke was sublime. I know she used a smoke shack, you could see it outside the restaurant. From what I know, the owner/chef was from Louisiana and her recipes were her families.

My question is, what wood and spices would be common to rural Louisiana that a person coming from that background would normally use. I asked her and a former head chef from there, and neither would give me a thing. They freely shared the gumbo recipe, but, no go on wood used or seasoning and technique for the prime rib. Any ideas?

[pat]

My friend owns and operates a restaurant in New Orleans. They use mesquite to smoke everything (even the seafood) but that might just be him!

[landarc]

Thanks Pat, I am pretty sure if it was mesquite I could have told. Although, if she mixed mesquite in with another wood, I might have been fooled.

[Southern Home Boy]

I've got cousins in Thibodaux that use a combination of Pecan and Persimmon. Very different flavor than any other I've had. I'm a simple Hickory guy myself, but that combination has a distinct flavor profile.

[landarc]

Ooo, I got pecan, but, persimmon you say, I will have to work on that. I think I can get some persimmon wood out here. I am thinking the wood is a big part of it.

[Southern Home Boy]

There's also a LOT of different species of Oak down there. Some of the bottomland hardwoods may have a different flavor when used as smoking woods.

[SmokeJumper]

Originally Posted by landarc

Years ago, there was a restaurant in Oakland CA that sold a dish called Red Smoked Prime Rib, this was the best fire roasted prime rib I ever had.

Declancy's by chance? A Southern friend told me about the closure with teary eyes. He always opined on the smothered pork chops and mac-n-cheese.
It was also a tragedy of epic proportions when the cajun restaurant Alcatraces in SF shut it's doors five years or so ago.

Best of luck reinventing that smokehouse prime rib. Looking at Prudhomme's cajun pan blackened prime rib recipe here the only surprise seasonings are white pepper and fennel seeds. Does that ring any taste bud bells?

[landarc]

It was T.J.'s Gingerbread House in Oakland. Flat out the best jalapeno corn bread and red smoked prime rib. And the house gumbo was excellent. That recipe was pretty unusual in terms of technique.

[GeauxBigRed]

Lots of oak and pecan in Central Louisiana (lived there for many years). Here's the thing about people in Louisiana..especially the southern half, they let nothing go to waste. They use anything and everything when it comes to cooking/food....that doesn't you help you narrow it down at all but, I'm not that useful.

[jason]

Can you share the gumbo recipe?

As for seasonings, check out Emeril's Essence. It's a good start for any cajun/creole seasoning. You can buy it pre-made or make it up yourself.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/e...ipe/index.html

Ingredients
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

[Bigmista]

Originally Posted by jason

Can you share the gumbo recipe?

As for seasonings, check out Emeril's Essence. It's a good start for any cajun/creole seasoning. You can buy it pre-made or make it up yourself.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/e...ipe/index.html

Ingredients
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Add sugar and that's not far off from many BBQ rub recipes.

[landarc]

Thanks Jason, I was sort of headed there minus the onion powder, but, I can add that.

Geaux, yes, I believe that to be true, not being from down there, the issue is what is it that they are not wasting.

[landarc]

Originally Posted by jason

Can you share the gumbo recipe?

Her recipe did some things that were not common from what I have seen.

1. She would make up a batch of very spicy fried chicken. It was essentially a buttermilk fried chicken but the flour was about 25% cayenne and was a little on the salty side.

2. She used green bell pepper, celery and yellow onions for making her roux.

3. She used the fried chicken oil (turned bright red by the fried chicken) and fine white flour to make the roux and she would cook it to a chocolate.

4. She would fry up the vegetables in the oil and flour so it melted into the roux as it was cooking.

5. The stock was a mix of seafood/chicken stock made from shrimp shells, crab and chicken backs.

6. Once the roux was done, she would add a cup of stock, and the fried chicken. Once the chicken was heated, a cup of stock was added and the sausage and seafood was added, once it got close to heated, the rest of the stock was added.

7. Her gumbo was a lot closer to soup, you had to add okra and/or file to get it thickened up. The dark roux lacks thickening properties and really is all about color and flavor. The okra and/or file thickens.

[GeauxBigRed]

Originally Posted by landarc

Her recipe did some things that were not common from what I have seen.

1. She would make up a batch of very spicy fried chicken. It was essentially a buttermilk fried chicken but the flour was about 25% cayenne and was a little on the salty side.

2. She used green bell pepper, celery and yellow onions for making her roux.

3. She used the fried chicken oil (turned bright red by the fried chicken) and fine white flour to make the roux and she would cook it to a chocolate.

4. She would fry up the vegetables in the oil and flour so it melted into the roux as it was cooking.

5. The stock was a mix of seafood/chicken stock made from shrimp shells, crab and chicken backs.

6. Once the roux was done, she would add a cup of stock, and the fried chicken. Once the chicken was heated, a cup of stock was added and the sausage and seafood was added, once it got close to heated, the rest of the stock was added.

7. Her gumbo was a lot closer to soup, you had to add okra and/or file to get it thickened up. The dark roux lacks thickening properties and really is all about color and flavor. The okra and/or file thickens.

There are so many different ways to do gumbo..some parts of Louisiana add tomatoes (no thanks). Where I lived the gumbo wasn't thick, it was essentially soup served over rice. That recipe is very close to how I make mine except I don't use fried chicken.

[landarc]

The fried chicken was very different, but, hers was a very good gumbo. And I am not saying that just because she was a super hot Creole/Cajun beauty, her gumbo was very good. The recipe came from an older black woman from Louisiana who said it was her family's traditional recipe and was not hers to keep. And yes, I got my hand whacked with a wooden spoon for eating the fried chicken on it's own.