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Added the excellent gumbo megapost to the OP / 2nd post where we have links on gumbo stuff. Thanks Phil that was super. Agreeing with Klyith, I also live in the NE now and getting shrimp with heads is difficult. I usually just use a chicken stock instead or use a fish stock made from the head and bones of some trout or whatever whole fish I can get and grill. And, as I and others have said in here often, making your own stock is probably the best single change you can make to improve your gumbo, jambalaya, etoufee etc. You'll notice the difference. I have a probably 20 yr old wooden spoon now that has part of the front of it flattened down after making 70-100 gumbos with it and other rouxs etc. It's "just right" but also kinda warped into that from use.
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Sep 3, 2023 20:44
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Great effortpost! For serving, like to have filé powder alongside hot sauce on the table for folks to season to individual taste if I am serving a group. That said, I don't make gumbo enough at home and I typically don't have filé on hand.Phil Moscowitz posted:I know Justin Wilson uses it in some of his videos but his gumbo looks like poo poo and I've never heard of anyone else ever doing this. Don't bother. Oh thank God it's not just me I think I said this just upthread, but the one gumbo I've seen him make looked like stuff floating in squid ink. It was so bad I thought maybe it was just a bad VHS scan.
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Sep 3, 2023 22:08
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Oh, another addition to the megapost could be a link to instructions on oven roux.
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Sep 3, 2023 23:35
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Gumbo is Great Anyway, my go-to is chicken or smoked turkey leg with andouille, trinity, fried okra and chopped tomato. For oven roux, I do 350° for 2-3 hours, I generally use peanut oil or rendered bacon fat. I mix throughly to start and then scrape the sides of the pan and give it a stir every once in a while with a flat whisk as the flour tends to settle to the bottom, but it doesn’t really need much attention. If I’m making it ahead, I turn off the oven somewhere around brick red or milk chocolate stage and then let it sit in the oven as it cools for something closer to dark chocolate. If you want to sauté your trinity in the roux, I’d pull it instead of letting it cool in the oven, it’ll get darker as the veg cooks. I go a little heavier on flour than 1:1.
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Sep 4, 2023 00:44
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Shooting Blanks posted:The only thing I'd add is that andouille is far more available on the Gulf coast than in other parts of the country. Maybe this has changed, but even within the last couple years I've had to remind folks that any good quality, smoked pork sausage can be used in a pinch. Just don't get some jalapeno & cheddar abomination, you want something that's basically pork, fat, spices, and casing.  I guess all the rice can stand the extra spice.Klyith posted:
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Sep 4, 2023 01:28
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D'artangan is in most of the standard chain grocery stores in NY, and I'm pretty sure I've seen it in NC. So that seems pretty widespread on the east coast. You may need to find the frou-frou meat section rather than the normal sausage section. Also it's expensive as gently caress. Real good though. What I would not get is the "andouille" flavor of some of the the semi-new companies that do a dozen different flavors of sausage / chicken sausage. This will generally be just a spicy-flavored meat tube with zero smoke, and isn't worth it at all. Kaiser Schnitzel posted:You forgot to mention the part where if you don’t have a good vent hood you should preemptively put out a bunch of those renuzit cones because your whole house is gonna smell like shrimp stock for a week. Oh hoho, I am about to change your life: leave the lid on when you're making stock. Why is it tradition to not cover the pot while making stock? 1. to evaporate off more water for stronger stock 2. to keep your pot from boiling over 3. to keep the temperature even and with mild convection so that the scum sticks to the surface for skimming All of these problems are more easily handled with other methods: 1. Use less water in the first place. If you are cooking a large carcass (ex turkey), break it up first so you can cover with less water. Or just don't fully cover it with water at the start, and come back after 15 minutes to bonk it with an implement until something disjoints and it stays down. 2. This really should not be a problem with a modern stove. Maybe if you have a crap gas stove with bad low-end temp control. 3. Stop giving a poo poo about scum on the surface. This "scum" is mostly denatured proteins. It's not actually bad in any way, unless you are trying to make a very clear & refined stock for fine cuisine. A more vigorous simmer with the lid on will keep that stuff in suspension in the liquid instead of sticking to the surface. If you are making gumbo, or for that matter 99% of the other things you might cook at home, you don't care about the clarity of your stock. You're not making consommé, you're making normal food. It will taste absolutely fine if you don't skim while cooking & simmer a bit more vigorously. Skim at the end, if you need to remove excess fat or stuff like gloopy broke-down veg bits. Then strain. Perfect stock. Hat tip to JKLA's The Food Lab for all this info.
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Sep 4, 2023 02:34
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Klyith posted:What I would not get is the "andouille" flavor of some of the the semi-new companies that do a dozen different flavors of sausage / chicken sausage. This will generally be just a spicy-flavored meat tube with zero smoke, and isn't worth it at all.
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Sep 4, 2023 02:45
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Savoie's is my go-to, but Zummos is good, too. Those are the legit brands I see most often outside LA. Andouille and tasso freeze really well, and it looks like Savoie's will ship it to you, so if you're able to stock up... This place local to me will also ship, as well as Rabideaux's (I think - mobile site isn't working right for me), where I used to stop when driving from Houston back to BR.
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Sep 4, 2023 03:33
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 Rough night for the Tigers …At least Tulane is undefeated
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Sep 4, 2023 03:42
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Discussion Quorum posted:Savoie's is my go-to, but Zummos is good, too. Those are the legit brands I see most often outside LA. Andouille and tasso freeze really well, and it looks like Savoie's will ship it to you, so if you're able to stock up... Side note on Zummo's, they also make a smoked boudin that is phenomenal as an appetizer. Pan fry a couple of those up, serve with crackers and your sauce of choice, and go to town.
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Sep 4, 2023 04:42
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I dont bother with Andouille unless im home and just buy the best local kielbasa i can find instead (or just the cheap poo poo it works too) and it’s always very good. People get a little too hung up on andouille imo. When its good its good but kielbasa is far easier to find outside of LA and wors every bit as well imo.
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Sep 4, 2023 11:13
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Phil Moscowitz posted:Roux ...another option is to render out a bunch of the fat from the andouille you were already going to use and make the stock with that plus some additional oil of choice.
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Sep 6, 2023 19:57
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Johnsonville makes a chicken andouille that is well uh its passable. I was devastated when my local grocery stopped carrying Maxwell's andouille.
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Sep 8, 2023 02:55
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I like the aidells andouille (it’s got some nice spice to it) and Kroger brand has been nice too. I don’t have a lot of experience with authentic andouille though. Anyway, I finally figured out the trick to making good grits (you treat them like mashed potatoes that need lots of butter and some other kind of dairy and lots of salt). I’d like to make shrimp and grits for friends but my friend has a shellfish allergy. What are good subs that can get a similar flavor profile? I’ve thought of doing andouille sausage rings, but they’re not gonna have the bits of “sauce” that shrimp would from the garlic and spices getting quick sautéed. What are peoples’ thoughts?
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Sep 17, 2023 03:35
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I would not try to replicate shrimp and grits without shrimp. It's like trying to make shrimp etouffee without shrimp... you don't. You make some other kind of etouffee. If you wanted to keep it "Cajun" you could use tasso ham (or some other sort of smoked ham), can't vouch for this recipe specifically but smoky and cheesy plus grits is a classic combo https://www.dartagnan.com/grits-with-tasso-ham-recipe.html
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Sep 17, 2023 04:41
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fr0id posted:I like the aidells andouille (it’s got some nice spice to it) and Kroger brand has been nice too. I don’t have a lot of experience with authentic andouille though. Here’s a non-seafood option. code:
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Sep 21, 2023 14:07
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Phil Moscowitz posted:On the subject of grits, I’m going to make grillades Sunday for brunch and the Saints game. Recipes usually call for eye of round or veal, which I’ve done a few times. But wondering what other cuts could be used. I was visiting some family and, somehow, their grocery store didn't have anything like top round or chuck roast. Ever since then when buying beef for grillades I'll start with a hunk of something cheap and then make up the rest with ribeye. Works pretty well and the extra richness only helps.
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Sep 21, 2023 14:50
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Yeah the last 2-3 times I made grillades I just used whatever big cut was cheap that had at least some marbling. I might have tossed in a short rib or two to give it some gelatin.
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Sep 21, 2023 15:04
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Making a crock pot of red beans for some guests tomorrow, the idea crossed my mind to grab a can of blue runner red beans to blend up and give that more creamy texture. Anyone ever try that or am I about to do something stupid?
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Sep 24, 2023 03:43
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Do it
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Sep 24, 2023 03:48
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TheKingslayer posted:Making a crock pot of red beans for some guests tomorrow, the idea crossed my mind to grab a can of blue runner red beans to blend up and give that more creamy texture. Anyone ever try that or am I about to do something stupid? I dunno about a blender, but I often use a can of small red beans even when using dry deans, because the canned start pre-cooked and fall apart more. However, the true secret of creamy beans is that you have to let them cool down for a while. The really good texture is from the starch gelatinizing. Cooking temp is too hot, the starch molecules are totally melted and disordered. They have to come down in temp* to start forming some ordered networks. Then when it gets actually cold it crystalizes, which is why cold rice is hard and gritty. *dunno how much, seems like the range is 40-70C depending on which types of starch? and the low end of that is an unsafe temp to hold food at. This is why red beans are always better the 2nd day.
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Sep 24, 2023 04:34
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Made the grillades with sirloin flap steak and a few short ribs. It was fantastic.
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Sep 24, 2023 23:28
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Hello, it’s October which means gumbo, okra shrimp and crab in this instance  Dogge likes gumbo 
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Oct 2, 2023 00:58
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Double post apparently, here is a gumbo recipe from October Food & Wine. It seems good, might try it out to do something different. 
Phil Moscowitz fucked around with this message at 14:47 on Oct 2, 2023 |
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Oct 2, 2023 00:58
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I really need to make a pot of gumbo soon.
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Oct 2, 2023 01:17
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I’ve got good friends. I’m coming into BR late October for a long week, and they’re all planning what they’re gonna cook me. 
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Oct 2, 2023 01:30
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Some details for the gumbo megapost - I used tomato paste and about a TB of fish sauce (in addition to Worcestershire) instead of chopped fresh tomato. It was great. This was about 6 quarts crab stock to 1.5 cups oil and 1.5 plus cups of flour on the roux. It’s a good consistency—not too thick but has substance.
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Oct 2, 2023 01:45
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Helped my kid make homemade play-dough for school. My contribution was stirring the 2cups of flour and various other ingredients until it stuck together. Felt like good practice for an upcoming gumbo weekend.
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Oct 2, 2023 06:06
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Made gumbo for the first time this weekend using the serious eats recipe. I had planted some Okra seed in the yard earlier this summer and ended up with a pile of Okra that was about to go bad so I quickly threw together everything I needed to use it up in some gumbo. Was actually shocked how good it turned out, used two brands of andouille sausage I found at the grocery + a few chicken thighs. Definitely will be making more this fall/winter and will try some variations from the tips in this thread. Now I'm going to go reheat a bowl of it for breakfast.     
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Oct 11, 2023 12:10
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Jato posted:Made gumbo for the first time this weekend using the serious eats recipe. I had planted some Okra seed in the yard earlier this summer and ended up with a pile of Okra that was about to go bad so I quickly threw together everything I needed to use it up in some gumbo. Was actually shocked how good it turned out, used two brands of andouille sausage I found at the grocery + a few chicken thighs. Definitely will be making more this fall/winter and will try some variations from the tips in this thread. Looks pretty fantastic, like you’ve been doing this for years! Did you eat it over beans?? Phil Moscowitz fucked around with this message at 19:08 on Oct 11, 2023 |
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Oct 11, 2023 18:17
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Phil Moscowitz posted:Looks pretty fantastic, like you’ve been doing this for years! Thanks! Ate it with rice and red beans. That bowl was a little heavy on the beans.
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Oct 11, 2023 20:05
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I made shrimp stock with shells the last time I made etouffe and it was awesome - but all I did was add the shells to store bought chicken stock. It's an easy way to do it. But yes, your house will smell like shrimp for a week.
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Oct 15, 2023 01:44
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Happy I have a vent hood so instead the neighbor’s yard smells like shrimp.
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Oct 15, 2023 16:13
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Mulaney Power Move posted:I made shrimp stock with shells the last time I made etouffe and it was awesome - but all I did was add the shells to store bought chicken stock. It's an easy way to do it. But yes, your house will smell like shrimp for a week. Whew, that's the truth. After that, the last time I made it I used my Instant Pot and put it outside. And speaking of stock, how do you guys store yours? Can it? Freeze it?
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Oct 15, 2023 16:35
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10 Beers posted:Whew, that's the truth. After that, the last time I made it I used my Instant Pot and put it outside. Reduce it down to 1/3 or 1/4 of the volume and dump into ice cube trays and freeze, then toss the frozen cubes into a ziploc bag in the freezer. I do the same for pesto (minus the cheese) and with ginger / garlic paste for indian food. I dont reduce those last 2 obvi
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Oct 15, 2023 16:47
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10 Beers posted:And speaking of stock, how do you guys store yours? Can it? Freeze it? Freeze in an old spaghetti jar or whatever. If you have a large bird carcass that you want to make a lot of stock from, freeze the carcass instead and make the stock when you're gonna use it. Dead bird is smaller than a gallon of stock, especially if you whack it with a cleaver a couple times before putting it in a freezer bag.
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Oct 15, 2023 16:51
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I think my house is going to smell like gumbo for a week after last night. It was good, though, got that roux nice and dark. Chicken and sausage. You know, I've never actually used file powder...I think I'd have to order it. One thing I've learned, if you're using raw bone in chicken you want to simmer for a few hours, and it's better to wait until the last 45 minutes max to add the sausage. Otherwise the sausage itself loses flavor. Mulaney Power Move fucked around with this message at 17:14 on Oct 15, 2023 |
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Oct 15, 2023 17:11
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until last year i'd always used the zatarain's file powder they sell in stores and buying a bag of ground file from a spice vendor had so much more flavor, like a tin of months-old ground pepper compared to freshly ground black pepper. the like green tea/bay herbal quality really comes through in a gumbo and is much nicer
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Oct 15, 2023 17:24
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eke out posted:until last year i'd always used the zatarain's file powder they sell in stores and buying a bag of ground file from a spice vendor had so much more flavor, like a tin of months-old ground pepper compared to freshly ground black pepper. the like green tea/bay herbal quality really comes through in a gumbo and is much nicer Never seen that in the store. No fish stock either, not even bouillon. I think I'd need to go to the Asian market for that.
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Oct 15, 2023 23:37
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Mulaney Power Move posted:Never seen that in the store. No fish stock either, not even bouillon. I think I'd need to go to the Asian market for that. Yeah, when I make etoufee, I’ve bought fish bouillon cubes from my local Asian supermarket. On one occasion I used a seafood hotpot base, which was a thick goopy bag of stock and veggies that needed to be mixed in boiling water, and that came out really nicely,
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Oct 15, 2023 23:54
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