PDA

View Full Version : Serious Request for Authentic Gumbo with Andouille


SmokinAussie
06-20-2011, 06:57 AM
G'Day Bruces...:becky:

I'd only be asking this if I had no farkin' idea.


I've no farkin' idea :confused:

I really don't...:tape:

I'm in the process of smoking my first Andouille sausage with the assistance of my Brothers in Smoke.... The sausage is on the smoker now and its taken a LOT of smoke. I'm still an hour or two out before cooling it fast in ice bath.

I've followed the recipes real good.

Now what!:becky:

I wanna make a dish never seen before with this sausage... at least in my Country...

What can you show me....:pray:

Cheers!

Bill

Zing
06-20-2011, 07:29 AM
Have not tried this recipe yet, though it looks very good. I have a new smoker on the way, and plan to make andouille as one of my first cooks. Then I will be making some of this.

http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/02/20/chicken-andouille-sausage-gumbo-recipe/

Ltigar
06-20-2011, 07:30 AM
this is gonna be good.
too bad gumbo has okra in it....i hate the stuff...beh

1FUNVET
06-20-2011, 08:07 AM
this is gonna be good.
too bad gumbo has okra in it....i hate the stuff...beh


You can leave the okra out and it's still great.

Johnny_Crunch
06-20-2011, 08:10 AM
this is gonna be good.
too bad gumbo has okra in it....i hate the stuff...beh

Gumbo without okra is like a car without gas. Useless!

deguerre
06-20-2011, 08:11 AM
You can leave the okra out and it's still great.

Sacrilege!:becky:

brotherbd
06-20-2011, 08:15 AM
Hey SmokinAussie,

Take a look at Saiko's thread on gumbo.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61129

I've made his recipe with rave reviews from Cajun and non-Cajun friends and they have said it reminds them of home, mom's, dad's, grandma's or grandpa's...., well you get the picture.

It is some real good eating, biggest thing to learn to do right is making that roux. If you do it hot and fast you gotta keep on it and don't blink, no one comes near when your making it, don't answer the phone and turn off the TV, don't let anything divert your attention and never stop stirring.

If you use a lower heat it'll take a while but it's a lot more forgiving process and a really easy but really slow way is to do it in the oven.

This is a great site for Cajun recipes, I've even gotten their cookbook as a gift from my wife and kids.

http://www.realcajunrecipes.com/

Lots of good stuff in there and several ways to make roux.

Hope this helps with your adventure.

Blessings,

brotherbd

p.s. another good site for Cajun and Creole recipes is here:

http://gumbopages.com/

I've read that World Class Southern Chef John Folse even visits the gumbo pages and has shared recipes and advice from time to time. If you've ever been able to see him on TV, the man knows how to cook and make your mouth water something fierce.

Cass
06-20-2011, 08:29 AM
The roux is really important in making a good gumbo; here is a tip:

Pre heat oven to 350.

Whisk your fat (I generally use peanut oil) with your flour (A ceramic Dutch oven works well).

Cover, place in oven and stir well every 20 minutes for about 1 1/2 hours.

Your end result will be a very deep, chocolate color roux, without having to stand at the stove the entire time stirring.

This can be done days ahead of making your gumbo, just keep refrigerated.

Good luck! :-D

Surgical Chili
06-20-2011, 08:31 AM
Made right, it's the best!

Here are my thoughts on making it right:

1. Okra is very useful as it helps thicken it. File powder works too but is hard to find.

2. Make a good roux, but be very careful not to burn it. This requires a lot of rapt attention and whisking.

3. Use whole head-on shrimp. Shell them raw and reserve the shrimp meat in the fridge until the END of the cooking.

4. Boil the shrimp heads and shells to create a very tasty broth for the soup while you sautee all the other ingredients.

5. When the broth is ready, throw the sauteed sausage, onions, peppers, celery, and okra all into it, then slowly add the roux.

6. Season it after it has reduced some.

7. Add the raw shrimp to the boiling gumbo at the end. If you add them earlier, they will overcook and become chewy.

8. Serve it over rice. Don't put the rice in the pot. It will suck up all the broth and dry it out if you do.

altongrady
06-20-2011, 08:39 AM
Bill, I have used this recipe for several years. You can substitute chicken stock for the seafood stock and still get a great gumbo.

Seafood Gumbo
1 1/2 cups ap flour
1 cup olive oil
3 cups chopped onion
1 cup celery
1 cup green pepper
2 cups sliced okra
4 cloves garlic chopped
1 teaspoon creole seasoning
3 quarts seafood stock
3 bay leaves
2 cups andouille chopped
1 teaspoon hot sauce
3 tablespoons parsley
3 pound shrimp - peeled
1 pound crab meat
1 pound fresh fish – tilapia works well – any white flaky fish will do
1 pound fresh oysters shucked
Chopped green onions
Chop onions, green pepper, celery, okra, and garlic and set aside covered.


In a heavy pot or skillet add flour and oil to make roux.

Brown the roux to a milk chocolate color.

Add onions, green pepper, celery, okra and garlic to roux when it gets to the right color and cook on low heat for 5-6 minutes.

Slowly add hot stock to the mixture stirring constantly until all is added.

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer.

Cook for 30 minutes - then add bay leaves, andouille, seasoning, hot sauce and parsley.

Continue to simmer on low for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Add shrimp, crab, fish and oysters and cook for 20 minutes on low heat.

Cover and let stand for 15 minutes.

Serve with rice and sprinkle with green onions.


Seafood Stock


shrimp shells and heads from the 3 pounds of shrimp and a couple of fish filets
2 onions (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=148), halved
2 stalks celery (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=216), chopped
2 lemons (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=125), halved
8 bay leaves (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=163)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=171)
1 teaspoon dried basil (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=317)
1 teaspoon dried thyme (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=348)
1 teaspoon dried tarragon (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=347)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=334)
3/4 teaspoon black peppercorns (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=337)
2 teaspoons salt (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=359)
4 quarts cold water (http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=459)
Rinse shrimp shells and fish in cold water and place in stock pot with all remaining ingredients.
Bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Raise heat to medium and cook for 1/2 hour.
Strain completely.

toddrod
06-20-2011, 09:07 AM
Gumbo without okra is like a car without gas. Useless!

Well then you have not had good gumbo.

1FUNVET
06-20-2011, 09:27 AM
Gumbo without okra is like a car without gas. Useless!


I make my own file and use it as a thickener. My wife is allergic to okra. I llike okra in mine, but not everyone does.

Cajunator
06-20-2011, 09:31 AM
Chicken-Andouille Gumbo

Try thgis one.
The filé goes in at the table, and then only a pinch for aroma.This is great with a baked sweet potato on the side. Scoop out half a spoonful of sweet potato, and fill the rest of the spoon up with gumbo. This is one of those soups that gets better after it sits in the refrigerator for a day. You might consider doing that, which will also reduce the amount of time needed on the stove by about a third.

1 6-lb. hen
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 sprigs chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 quarts chicken stock (or water)
1 Tbs. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. Tabasco
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 lb. andouille or smoked sausage
2 green onions, chopped
2-3 cups cooked rice
Filé powder
1. Cut the chicken into pieces a bit smaller than for frying. Sear them in 2 Tbs. of the oil in a large kettle or Dutch oven over fairly high heat. Keep turning the chicken pieces until they brown on the outside; they should not cook through.
2. Remove the chicken and reserve. Add the flour and the rest of the oil to the pot and make as dark a roux as you can. The critical instruction about making a roux is to avoid burning it. This is accomplished by constant stirring and watching the heat.
3. When the roux is medium-dark, turn down the heat and add the onion, bell pepper, garlic and parsley. Sauté them in the roux until the onions are clear and have begun to brown a little.
4. Return the chicken pieces to the pot, along with the chicken stock or water, salt, pepper, Tabasco, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook for about an hour.
5. Slice the andouille into one-inch-thick discs. Wrap them in paper towels and microwave them on medium power for about three minutes, to remove excess fat. Add the sausage to the gumbo pot.
6. Simmer the gumbo for at least another hour, up to two hours. Stir every now and then. If you plan to serve it the next day, just cook it thirty minutes, let it cool to warm, cover, and refrigerate. You might want to strip the chicken meat (see next step) while waiting for the gumbo to cool.
7. When you're ready to serve, remove the chicken and strip the meat off if you haven't already. Slice the chicken into bite-size pieces and return it to the pot. (You can also just leave the pieces as is if you're among family.) If you made it in advance, bring it up to a simmer for about a half-hour. Add the green onions, and simmer for another three or four minutes.
8. Serve over cooked long-grain rice with a pinch or two of filé at the table.
Serves six to ten.

Johnny_Crunch
06-20-2011, 09:37 AM
Well then you have not had good gumbo.

I haven't had good gumbo because I like mine with okra? Whatever!

landarc
06-20-2011, 09:50 AM
Another completely overdone Landarc recipe...

Sexy Cajun Chef Gumbo

The Background:
Somehere back around 20 years ago, I was given the chance to cook with a woman who was cooking in a very popular Cajun/Creole restaurant in Oakland, CA. The owner was from the area around New Orleans and she had taught the person I was to cook with how to prepare gumbo. The chef I would get to cook with was classically trained and had amazing technique. But, more importantly to me, she was stunningly beautiful. Hence the name.


Step One: The Oil

All gumbo that I know of starts with the roux. It is the heart of the preparation. The roux starts with the oil.

2 small to medium fryer chickens, cut up
1 small yellow onion
1 cup flour, oddly, if you can get it, southern flour is best.
1/2 cup chile powder, I know use chile de arbol powder
Salt to taste, no black pepper
6 cups vegetable oil, I prefer safflower or canola now. You can use lard, but, not necessary.



Combine dry ingredients in a large plastic bag. Roasting bags or Ziplocs work great.
Dredge chickens in dry mix. Allow to cure on rack until dry looking.
Bring oil to temperature (350F) in deep pot or a couple of large cast iron skillets.
Add chicken and fry as you would for fried chicken along with sliced onion
Cook chicken until just barely done, heated to 155F and pulled to cool.
The oil should have a deep red color. Filter the oil through at least two layers of cheesecloth, this must be done hot. Be careful!


I know the oil temperature is a little low, but, if you bring it up to 375F or more, you almost certainly will ruin the oil. Plus elements will burn in it, adding an acrid taste you do not want.

Step Four: The Stock

Make a good chicken or seafood stock. You will need enough to fill your pot almost full. I would say 4 to 6 quarts should be on hand and at room temperature. I usually cheat now and use ‘stock from a box’ available at gourmet stores, and then add some onion, celery and maybe a handful of shrimp, chefs treats baby!

Step Three: The Roux

This is a typical Louisiana roux, not a French roux, so the technique is a little different.

2-3 cups reserved oil
Equal amount of southern flour by weight to oil
3 medium-large yellow onions, medium chop
4 large green bell peppers, medium chop
3 large stalks celery or the heart of celery, medium chop
Heat oil in a large stock pot or cast iron oven, when oil starts to shimmer, add vegetables and flour at once. Start stirring and keep stirring slowly. I do not like to agitate the mix. The roux will start to come together, then it will turn into a mass of glop. Keep working it, the flour will cook and eventually the mess will settle out into a smooth velvety liquid, keep slowly cooking it until it gets to the color of mahogany. Move quickly to step four. You really have almost no time at this point to mess around.

Step Four: The Gumbo

To my view, this is where you make the gumbo yours. But, remember back in step one, where we fried the chicken up? You didn’t eat that chicken did you? This is the first thing added to the gumbo roux and mixed in. I add a couple pounds of smoked sausage, a couple pounds of shrimp, in the shell or not. And a pound or so of crayfish. Then cover with broth and bring to a slow simmer with the lid on. This takes no more than 15 minutes. Add chopped okra, to taste, although it is needed to thicken as well. Use frozen okra if you are a wuss about the slime. A cup at least please. Return to simmer. By now, you should have a nice deep red broth holding all the flavors. To me, gumbo is more of a soup than a stew. Serve around a mound of rice.


Man, that gal could cook, and she was one of those beautiful creatures, maybe 5'-7", dark hair, green eyes and with a feline grace. That was one of the most enjoyable 10 hour nights of cooking I can remember.

Lake Dogs
06-20-2011, 10:20 AM
> It is some real good eating, biggest thing to learn to do right is making that roux.
> If you do it hot and fast you gotta keep on it and don't blink, no one comes near
> when your making it, don't answer the phone and turn off the TV, don't let
> anything divert your attention and never stop stirring.

> If you use a lower heat it'll take a while but it's a lot more forgiving process and
> a really easy but really slow way is to do it in the oven.

No truer words could be said. Oh, first, use regular flour, NOT self-rising! Also, keep
that wisk in your hand and DO NOT walk away from the pot. Particularly as the roux becomes the color of peanut butter. I usually make them on medium-high temp until they become peanut colored. At that time I turn the heat way down to just above a simmer and ease it in to the darker color. It will burn in an instant! Oh, it's also a tad more forgiving if you use slightly more oil than flour.

Q-Dat
06-20-2011, 10:42 AM
Here's a pretty good article I found that gives really good insight on the origins and differences in types of Gumbo.

http://mollylehman.wordpress.com/journalism/features/gumbo-roux-okra-file-or-all-three/

jimithing78
06-20-2011, 11:33 AM
As everyone else has said the roux is definitely the most important part. If you see or smell any part of it burnt then just throw it away and start again. Any bit of burnt roux will ruin the gumbo. Also, roux is known as liquid napalm around here. Once you get it all nice and brown be real careful stirring it.

landarc
06-20-2011, 12:08 PM
Another thing to know Bill, and this differs from the article posted above, the roux in a gumbo is there for flavor and color, it offers no thickening properties. In a more classical French use, a roux is used to thicken a sauce, this is not the case with roux, as once you get past a medium tan, the thickening gluten is too denatured to work. A blonde or blanc rouge will offer great thickening. A brick, coffee or chocolate roux will not.

Hence the use of okra or filé in gumbo. There are also some folks that make un-thickened gumbo, such as Gumbo Vert (aka Gumbo Z'herbes) or the Gumbo from communities along the western shores of Louisiana, where Gumbo takes on more of a chowder character.

SmokinAussie
06-24-2011, 07:27 PM
Thanks for all the input guys!

Looks like Gumbo for dinner tonight!

Cheers!

Bill

brotherbd
07-02-2011, 05:54 PM
C'mon Bill!

How did the gumbo turn out? :noidea:

Last thing we heard from you was, and I quote...

"Thanks for all the input guys!

Looks like Gumbo for dinner tonight!

Cheers!

Bill"

What the heck! What kind of a thread ending was that? :crazy:

We want pictures of the process, the finished product, and the happy smiles of your family and friends as they enjoyed every last drop! :becky:

I wanted to see how you did, especially with that homemade andouille!

Now if you really want to go Cajun on them you might want to see if you can wrestle one of those Australian Gators :croc:and take a bit of tail meat from him. You can also take the same gumbo base and use some shrimp, oysters, nice fresh fish chunks, and a couple of crabs for a nice seafood gumbo.:hungry:

And don't forget the garlic bread! :doh:

Just talking about this is getting my keyboard wet. :tsk:

Looking forward to the review.

Blessings,

Lake Dogs
07-02-2011, 06:24 PM
I agree. How'd it go?

I'm due to make Chicken Fricassee, which like many cajun dishes starts out with a roux. I'll keep it very traditional; which means I make the roux using manteka (lard). I have 2 and only 2 uses for this stuff; roux and seasoning the smoker...

SmokinAussie
07-02-2011, 06:34 PM
How did you guys miss THIS (http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=109771)thread!

Mind you, I really appreciate you were interested in the result... and the results were great!

Cheers!

Bill