Louisiana Boudin Sausage
User Reviews
4.9
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Prep Time
30 mins
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Cook Time
2 hrs
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Total Time
2 hrs 30 mins
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Servings
12
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Calories
321 kcal
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Course
Main Course, Snacks
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Cuisine
Cajun
Louisiana Boudin Sausage
Description
This recipe begins with chopping the meats, liver, and pork fat into grindable pieces, then mixing with chopped onions, celery, poblano or green bell peppers, garlic, kosher salt, curing salt if used, and Cajun seasoning. After refrigerating to marinate the flavors, the mixture is simmered gently in water until tender. The cooking liquid is reserved. Once cooled, the meats and vegetables are ground through a coarse grind and combined with cooked long-grain white rice, fresh parsley, and green onions. Additional cooking liquid is added to improve moisture and consistency. The mixture is either stuffed into hog casings to make links or formed as loose sausage.
Boudin sausage has a rich, savory flavor accented by garlic and Cajun spices, with a moist texture from the rice and cooking liquid. It can be served warm and is often poached for a tender finish but also holds up well to grilling or smoking, which imparts extra flavor.
For safety and flavor when smoking, curing salt is essential. When using a seasoning blend without salt, increase the salt amount accordingly. The sausage can be enjoyed by itself or as part of a heartier meal. Cooking times allow for tenderness and integration of flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds duck whatever
- 1 1/2 pounds venison
- 1 1/2 pounds beef
- 1 1/2 pounds pork
- 1/2 pounds liver
- 1/2 pound pork fat
- 1 onion chopped, large
- 2 celery chopped, stalks
- 2 poblano pepper chopped, or green bell peppers
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 garlic chopped, cloves
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Instacure No. 1 (optional)
- 3 Cajun seasoning or see below, to 5 tablespoons
- 2 cups white rice long-grain is best, cooked
- 1 cup parsley chopped
- 1 cup green onion chopped
- Hog casings
Instructions
- Chop the meats, liver and fat into chunks that will fit in the grinder. Mix the meats, liver and fat with the onion, celery, poblano peppers and garlic, then the salt, curing salt (if using) and either the Cajun seasonings or the spice mix you made from this recipe. Put it all in a lidded container and set in the fridge at least an hour, and up to a day.
- Put the contents of the container into a large pot and pour in enough water to cover everything by an inch or two. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until everything is tender, at least 90 minutes and up to 3 hours. Strain the cooking liquid (you'll need it later) and spread the meat, fat and veggies out on a sheet pan to cool.
- When everything is cool enough to handle, grind it through the coarse die (6.5 mm) on your grinder. You can also hand chop everything.
- Put your meat mix into a large bowl and add the cooked rice, parsley and green onions. Mix well, and add up to 4 cups of the reserved cooking liquid. Mix this for 3 to 5 minutes so you make a more cohesive mixture to stuff into a casing. You now have boudin.
- You can just shape the mixture into balls and fry them (they're awesome), or use your boudin as stuffing for something else, like a turkey. Or you can case it. Stuff the boudin into hog casings, and while you're doing it, get a large pot of salted water hot -- not simmering, just steaming. You want the water to be about 165ºF to 170ºF. Poach the links for 10 minutes, then serve. If you are not serving them right away, no need to poach the links yet.
- Boudin does not keep well, so eat it all within a couple days. It does freeze reasonably well, however.
Notes
- Poaching is the traditional cooking method to keep boudin moist and tender.
- Grilling or smoking the links adds flavor but requires using curing salt (Instacure No. 1) for safety.
- If using a salt-free Cajun seasoning, increase the amount of kosher salt to maintain proper seasoning.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 12Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 321 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 321kcal | 16% |
| Carbohydrates | 12g | 4% |
| Protein | 16g | 32% |
| Fat | 23g | 35% |
| Saturated Fat | 9g | 45% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 3g | 18% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 10g | 50% |
| Trans Fat | 0.1g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 104mg | 35% |
| Sodium | 642mg | 27% |
| Potassium | 389mg | 8% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 3925IU | 79% |
| Vitamin C | 26mg | 29% |
| Calcium | 35mg | 4% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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