Boudin Discussion Thread

[Swine Spectator]

I didn't want to hijack Peeps awesome Cajun Fatty thread, so I started this one to continue the boudin discussion.

I have been making sausage for about 10 years. I think I'm pretty good at it. However, it has taken me years to even get close to making a good boudin. You see, with sausage, you need a decent meat/fat ratio and X amount of salt per pound, then season to taste. On the other hand, boudin is much trickier. The rice absorbs much of the liquid and seasoning and makes it much tougher to get right. I have a pretty decent recipe now, but I always load up whenever I get a chance to pass through Acadiana.

My personal favorite is Bubba Frey's at the Mowata Store. I also like Best Stop and Don's (Don's has the best Cracklin's IMHO). Poche's is pretty darn good and they have duck and alligator sausages as well.

Last week I stopped at Billy's is Scott, LA for the first time. I bought some of their smoked boudin. The texture and consistency were absolutely perfect, however, I think it would be too spicy for most folks (not me though).

In my experience, good boudin is virtually nonexistent east of Baton Rouge or West of Lake Charles, with the lone exception of Jerry Lee's in Greenwell Springs.

Anyway, I'd love to hear the thoughts of my fellow Louisiana Brethren or any of you who pass through.

David

 

[THoey1963]

Never had it. Would be interested to hear a little more about it.

 

[peeps]

I really enjoyed the Don's and Billy's that I have bought this year. I have a couple Don's stuffed chickens in my freezer I need to cook up. I think one is boudin stuffed and the other is crawfish etouffee stuffed.

Tasha brought back some boudin balls from The Big Store in Galveston last week and they are pretty good, but nothing even close to Billy's cheese stuffed boudin balls that I got in Opelousas the last couple times I passed through.

 

[peeps]

Also, growing up, my family would always serve it boiled and the casing was just about impossible to eat. Not the case now that I am my own grown cook and only serve it grilled or smoked :wink:

FWIW, my grandmother was a Broussard that grew up in Crowley in a little farmhouse where the Crowley Inn is now at I-10 and Hwy 13. I regret turning my nose up as a kid to all the gumbo, etouffee, boudin, jambalaya, etc that was put on my plate back then...

 

[80 gallon smokin]

Nunu's in Youngsville,LA has great boudin as does Hebert's in Maurice,LA. We travel to Scott,LA ounce or twice a year to get sausage, smoke sausage, boudin and smoke boudin from the Best Stop to put in the freezer. Acadiana is the heart of Cajun and boudin country.:thumb:

 

[5string]

You guys are makin' me just drool all down my whiskers. I applaud anyone who has the talent to make their own sausages and envy the hell out of someone who actually gets to live in my favorite city in the world, New Orleans.

 

[Lockon]

What is cracklin? Also, of the places you listed other than Don's, which ones ship?

 

[landarc]

I have never had Boudin in Lousiana, but, I have had boudin made by someone from LA, and Boudin shipped here from LA. Both were terrific, the texture is something unlike any other sausage out there.

Cracklins are the results of rendering pig fat, you end up with these little crunchy bits of fried pig fat. Delicious, not all that healthy in large quantities. People confuse pork rinds with cracklins, they are different.

Unless you dilute the fat with beer

 

[Cajun Ty]

Like 80 gallon said Nunu's boudin is very good, my personal favorite id Chops in Broussard, one time on the way to hunting lease i went to Chops, Dons, and my hunting buddy went to Best Stop and we both bought boudin and craklins to have a contest haha Chops beat them all hands down, which i hope they reopen soon cause they had a bad fire and had to redue the building ray:

Lockon, craklins are fried pork skins but not just the skin a real craklin has meat also and seasoned well :becky:

And i agree with Swine, there isnt any good boudin out of the Acadiana area thats why i love living here :thumb:

Landarc, you right about the healthy part down here they called cholesterol pellet hahahaha

 

[midwestsmokeboy]

I like to squeeze the innards out of the casing and squeeze it on my eggs YUMMM!

 

[deguerre]

Cracklins are Southern Jaw Breakers. :thumb:

 

[MS2SB]

SS, I'd love to see that recipe you've been working on.

 

[landarc]

Interesting, the boudin I have seen made, by a Louisiana cook, was so loose, it almost seemed like force meat. It had a lot of extra liquid, which struck me as odd. Now, I see what Swine Spectator said and it makes sense, that the liquid was to flavor the rice and counter it's tendency to absorb liquid.

The Chinese make a thing called Lion's Head Meatballs, and it is rice and meat, which is formed into giant meatballs. It has to be poached immediately after forming, as the soft mixture will flatten out if not poached right away. I imagine that is for the same reason.

 

[Swine Spectator]

What is cracklin? Also, of the places you listed other than Don's, which ones ship?

Poche's ships boudin:
http://www.pochesmarket.com/boudin.html

on a related note... the best boudin is from Acadiana, but the best andouille is from Laplace...

http://www.cajunsausage.com/

 

[Lockon]

Thank you, Sir :clap2:

Poche's ships boudin:
http://www.pochesmarket.com/boudin.html

on a related note... the best boudin is from Acadiana, but the best andouille is from Laplace...

http://www.cajunsausage.com/

 

[Wickedcajun]

Like 80 gallon said Nunu's boudin is very good, my personal favorite id Chops in Broussard, one time on the way to hunting lease i went to Chops, Dons, and my hunting buddy went to Best Stop and we both bought boudin and craklins to have a contest haha Chops beat them all hands down, which i hope they reopen soon cause they had a bad fire and had to redue the building ray:

Lockon, craklins are fried pork skins but not just the skin a real craklin has meat also and seasoned well :becky:

And i agree with Swine, there isnt any good boudin out of the Acadiana area thats why i love living here :thumb:

Landarc, you right about the healthy part down here they called cholesterol pellet hahahaha

Chops is open now... Passed by there this afternoon... Sign says OPEN...

 

[Wickedcajun]

I have an easy straightforward boudin recipe... I'll post it later, when I get home... You do need three things... Sausage stuffer(grinder mashes the rice too much)... Green onions... And LONG GRAIN rice... Will post recipe later... Peace out

 

[bigeater]

B&w meat market

I think they sell Poche's boudin at B&W meat mkt on N.Shep in Houston.They have a small,I mean small not over 10 pieces for about $4.One thing about it,nobody will give you their recipe.When I hot shoted in southern LA.I tried it ever where and I could never get a recipe.I always boiled a small piece of liver in the water that I cooked the rice in to give it just a hint of the flavor.There was a place called the crab house just this side of LAf that had the best seafood boudin.:clap2:

 

[Cajun Ty]

Chops is open now... Passed by there this afternoon... Sign says OPEN...

That makes me happy G :thumb::thumb: WAIT UP you passed by there and didnt stop smh

Oh just a note to everyone, down here in Acadiana the best Boudin topic is a long one, everyone has there favorite place to get some. Some people like a mushy boudin some dont, some like a meaty and some dont so really its up to the person to decide. I like Poches,Dons,Nunu's, Legnons here in town has a awesome crawfish boudin, but for me personally Chops is my favorite

 

[bigeater]

short grain rice

I thought they always used short grained rice