INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Every culture has a favorite snack food, whether it's peanut butter and
jelly or satay, tacos or a bowl of noodles. In the cajun country of
southwest Louisiana the universal snack seems to be hot boudin. Everywhere
you go, on country back roads or the main streets of towns like Lafayette,
Opelousas, or Breaux Bridge, you see signs advertising this spicy sausage.
Although this spicy mixture of rice, cooked pork, and onions is stuffed
into a casing, the casing itself is rarely eaten.The boudins casing gets a
bit tough from steaming, and its stuffing is so soft and juicy that
everything seems to gush out when you bite down. The best thing to do is to
abandon any hope of elegant dining , and hold the boudin in one hand, out
one end in your mouth, and squeeze the savory mixture out of the casing
into your mouth as you go along.
The smell of boudin steaming evokes the sounds of Cajun fiddlers and
accordion players warming up for their Saturday morning jams in small towns
Eunice or Opelousas. There is always a greasy stack or two of boudin ripped
open and spread on newspaper to munch on during the festivities. Boudin is
quite perishable and should be refrigerated immediately after being made.
If not used in 2-3 days, it can be frozen for up to two months.
Put the water and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a saucepan large enough to hold
the pork along with any bones or scraps. Bring the liquid to a boil and add
the pork, bay leaves, chile peppers, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, and a
pinch of thyme. Bring the pot back to the boil, reduce heat and simmer,
covered, over low heat for 45 minutes to an hour, or until pork is tender.
Add the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes additional minutes, until tender.
Remove the meat and onions to a platter to cool. Add rice to 1 1/2 cups of
the pork stock in the pot, cover, and cook over low hear until tender,
about 20 minutes.
In a meat grinder fitted with a 1/4 plate, grind the cooked pork and onions
into a large bowl. Add the garlic, sage, thyme, red pepper flakes, cayenne,
allspice, mace, parsley, the remaining teaspoon of black pepper and the
remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt, along with the chopped green onions and
the cooked rice. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until it is well
blended. Taste and correct the salt or other seasonings. Cool the mixture
in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, and then stuff it into medium hog
casings or just leave it in bulk for further use. It's not necessary to to
tie boudin into links---just coil it as you go along.
Boudin is best heated by steaming. Coil the boudin in a colander or on a
plate and place it in a large pot above an inch or two of water. Cover the
pot and steam over moderate heat for 15 minutes. Makes about 4 pounds
Author's note: Steaming boudin in the casing is the traditional way to heat
up the sausage, but we like to form the meat into thin patties and fry it
for breakfast or a quick and spicy lunch. It helps to add an egg or two to
the mixture to bind it before frying. This is as good as any corned beef or
roast beef hash you've ever tasted.
Source: Hot Links and Country Flavors Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly
Page(s): 53, 54
Posted to bbq-digest by Gary Wiviott <gwiv@enteract.com> on Feb 21, 1999,
converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

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