BOUDIN!! 70#.....Long, lots of pics...

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indaswamp

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Apr 27, 2017
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South Louisiana-Yes, it is HOT
Big batch of Boudin today....4 boston butts worth, so a 4X batch. Had to use the 15gal. jambalaya pot. I have not made boudin in a while cause I been needing a new burner for the rig. Got that sorted out so off we go!!

Ok...First I cut the fat caps off (saved for goose/pork sausage) the 4 butts and deboned them. You will see further down thread why I did this...
IMG_20240418_121034.jpg


Mixed up the seasoning...half will be used on the butts, the other half will be added to the finished boudin when mixing...
IMG_20240418_114632.jpg


Butts seasoned up ready to sear...
IMG_20240418_121050.jpg


Used some of the pork fat left over from skimming the jambalaya I cooked last weekend...
IMG_20240418_121340.jpg


First two inda pot to sear....medium heat, I don't want to burn them.
IMG_20240418_122706.jpg


Added 16 blade bones from the freezer to the 4 off the butts. These were off the pork I have bought in the last two weeks making stuff....will make the stock in the pot for the boudin...
IMG_20240418_125228.jpg



~5# pork liver....
IMG_20240418_130142.jpg


Pureed inda blender with a little water to make a slurry....
IMG_20240418_135501.jpg


After the butts are good and seared on all sides, pull those and set to cool on a large sheet pan. Add the onions and celery to the pot...
IMG_20240418_134008.jpg


Looking good...
IMG_20240418_134823.jpg


Now to add the pureed liver...
IMG_20240418_135624.jpg


I want to sear the crap out of the liver. This will soften the bite from the liver and deepen the flavor and color for the finished boudin...


While the liver and onions are browning, I sliced the deboned butts into roughly 1/2" steaks. The meat will fall apart in the pot and this will give a great texture in the final product. I don't grind the meat.
IMG_20240418_140429.jpg


Pulled out a 5.5# bag of pork skins from the freezer. This is from the hams and front shoulder I bought in Oct. 2023 for making Salumi...
IMG_20240418_140630.jpg

IMG_20240418_140618.jpg


Put the skin in a ham net so I can fish it out of the pot later to grind thru 4.5mm plate...
IMG_20240418_144704.jpg


Liver and onions is looking good so time to add 1/2# sliced green onion....
IMG_20240418_140854.jpg


Now add the pork back to the pot...
IMG_20240418_142207.jpg


I added 2 gallons of water, put the bones in along with the bag of skin. Brought that up to a soft boil while I sliced more green onions...
IMG_20240418_162750.jpg


Added the bottoms to the pot... the tops will be for the finish...
IMG_20240418_162919.jpg


Now add 1/4c. both onion and garlic powder to the pot...
IMG_20240418_170135.jpg


And let it cook....simmer on low for 4 hours. While that is cooking, I cleaned up the kitchen and got the grinder set up to grind the skin.
IMG_20240418_181826.jpg

Ok, 2 hours later, time to fish the bag of skins out of the pot. I used one of my ham hooks...worked perfect.
IMG_20240418_182056.jpg


Cooked skin out of the bag...
IMG_20240418_182145.jpg


Skin ground through 4.5mm plate...
IMG_20240418_183230.jpg


There is a TON of flavor in that ground skin. Added back to the pot to cook down some more to melt into gelatin...
IMG_20240418_184028.jpg


1 hour out from the stuff in the pot being ready, I cooked the rice....that is a #12 dutch oven full to the top....16cups of rice and 22c. of water...
IMG_20240418_191052.jpg


Now we are looking good! meat is falling apart and the bones are boiled clean...
IMG_20240418_193850.jpg

IMG_20240418_194302.jpg


Prepped 2 totes for mixing...layer green onion tops in each....
IMG_20240418_184949.jpg


rest of the seasoning divided between the totes....
IMG_20240418_185144.jpg


now the meat from the pot on top to gently cook the green onion tops....
IMG_20240418_195717.jpg


Now I take 2qts. of the stock from the pot and run my immersion blender through it. This pulverizes the ground skin and essentially makes gelatin...it's all jiggly and thick! Repeat until all the stock in the pot has been run through with the immersion blender....
IMG_20240418_201831.jpg


Divided this evenly between the two totes...and add the rice (divided)...
IMG_20240418_203154.jpg

IMG_20240418_203351.jpg


And mix very well with a spoon.....yep, it's done when the spoon will stand....
IMG_20240418_204956.jpg


Had to fish out a few pieces of cartilage that came off the bones....
IMG_20240418_204316.jpg


And it's done. Here is a close up shot.
IMG_20240418_205004.jpg


It is still piping hot and a little runny, but will tighten up as the rice absorbs more liquid and the boudin chills....the gelatin will set like jello.


Of course I had to eat some....this is supper for me. Damn good with a beer! Long day in the kitchen for me....time for my recliner! Have the boudin on ice. Got (5) 2gallon bags....70# total. Half of it will be going to my cousin.
IMG_20240418_210421.jpg


Oh- the close up plate shot......money....
IMG_20240418_210429.jpg
 

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Thanks JLinza JLinza ; I'm wore out. Forgot how busy making boudin is...no time to stop and rest really doing it all by myself. Easier to do a big batch like this with a group of guys.
 
Won't be able to stuff into casings tomorrow, will have to wait until Saturday. No problem. just keep it iced until then. Will post pics. when I stuff....
 
Wow! I'm just blown away Keith. That was a huge cook and your attention to detail is incredible. I love Boudin but hard to find a good one. Buc-ee's of all places sells a decent one frozen.
 
Big batch of Boudin today....4 boston butts worth, so a 4X batch. Had to use the 15gal. jambalaya pot. I have not made boudin in a while cause I been needing a new burner for the rig. Got that sorted out so off we go!!

Ok...First I cut the fat caps off (saved for goose/pork sausage) the 4 butts and deboned them. You will see further down thread why I did this...
View attachment 694769

Mixed up the seasoning...half will be used on the butts, the other half will be added to the finished boudin when mixing...
View attachment 694768

Butts seasoned up ready to sear...
View attachment 694770

Used some of the pork fat left over from skimming the jambalaya I cooked last weekend...
View attachment 694771

First two inda pot to sear....medium heat, I don't want to burn them.
View attachment 694772

Added 16 blade bones from the freezer to the 4 off the butts. These were off the pork I have bought in the last two weeks making stuff....will make the stock in the pot for the boudin...View attachment 694773


~5# pork liver....
View attachment 694774

Pureed inda blender with a little water to make a slurry....
View attachment 694805

After the butts are good and seared on all sides, pull those and set to cool on a large sheet pan. Add the onions and celery to the pot...
View attachment 694775

Looking good...
View attachment 694811

Now to add the pureed liver...
View attachment 694810

I want to sear the crap out of the liver. This will soften the bite from the liver and deepen the flavor and color for the finished boudin...


While the liver and onions are browning, I sliced the deboned butts into roughly 1/2" steaks. The meat will fall apart in the pot and this will give a great texture in the final product. I don't grind the meat.
View attachment 694813

Pulled out a 5.5# bag of pork skins from the freezer. This is from the hams and front shoulder I bought in Oct. 2023 for making Salumi...
View attachment 694807
View attachment 694808

Put the skin in a ham net so I can fish it out of the pot later to grind thru 4.5mm plate...
View attachment 694777

Liver and onions is looking good so time to add 1/2# sliced green onion....
View attachment 694809

Now add the pork back to the pot...
View attachment 694776

I added 2 gallons of water, put the bones in along with the bag of skin. Brought that up to a soft boil while I sliced more green onions...
View attachment 694778

Added the bottoms to the pot... the tops will be for the finish...
View attachment 694779

Now add 1/4c. both onion and garlic powder to the pot...
View attachment 694780

And let it cook....simmer on low for 4 hours. While that is cooking, I cleaned up the kitchen and got the grinder set up to grind the skin.
View attachment 694781
Ok, 2 hours later, time to fish the bag of skins out of the pot. I used one of my ham hooks...worked perfect.
View attachment 694782

Cooked skin out of the bag...
View attachment 694783

Skin ground through 4.5mm plate...
View attachment 694784

There is a TON of flavor in that ground skin. Added back to the pot to cook down some more to melt into gelatin...
View attachment 694785

1 hour out from the stuff in the pot being ready, I cooked the rice....that is a #12 dutch oven full to the top....16cups of rice and 22c. of water...
View attachment 694788

Now we are looking good! meat is falling apart and the bones are boiled clean...
View attachment 694789
View attachment 694792

Prepped 2 totes for mixing...layer green onion tops in each....
View attachment 694786

rest of the seasoning divided between the totes....
View attachment 694787

now the meat from the pot on top to gently cook the green onion tops....
View attachment 694793

Now I take 2qts. of the stock from the pot and run my immersion blender through it. This pulverizes the ground skin and essentially makes gelatin...it's all jiggly and thick! Repeat until all the stock in the pot has been run through with the immersion blender....
View attachment 694794

Divided this evenly between the two totes...and add the rice (divided)...
View attachment 694795
View attachment 694796

And mix very well with a spoon.....yep, it's done when the spoon will stand....
View attachment 694798

Had to fish out a few pieces of cartilage that came off the bones....
View attachment 694797

And it's done. Here is a close up shot.
View attachment 694799

It is still piping hot and a little runny, but will tighten up as the rice absorbs more liquid and the boudin chills....the gelatin will set like jello.


Of course I had to eat some....this is supper for me. Damn good with a beer! Long day in the kitchen for me....time for my recliner! Have the boudin on ice. Got (5) 2gallon bags....70# total. Half of it will be going to my cousin.
View attachment 694800

Oh- the close up plate shot......money....
View attachment 694801
Lots of work, I can almost taste all the flavors lol ! Nice
 
Wow! I'm just blown away Keith. That was a huge cook and your attention to detail is incredible. I love Boudin but hard to find a good one. Buc-ee's of all places sells a decent one frozen.
Thanks Brian. Good boudin is hard to find, even here in Louisiana. Commercially, the farther east you go, the more rice they use and the boudin tends to be dry....at least this is what I have found. If you want a true SWLA Boudin, Billy's in Lafayette is one of the best.
That is a lotta work. Can't say I've ever had boudin.
Think scrapple, but made with rice and pork skin instead of corn meal....and not a loaf, pulled through casing. More moist and a lot spicier too.....best I can describe it for guys in the NE.

Lots of work, I can almost taste all the flavors lol ! Nice
Yeah, lot of work. But could not pass up dirt cheap pork butts. Knocked a lot of stuff of my list. Been meaning to make more boudin for a while. Now that my cooking rig is back in action with a new burner, I'll be well stocked with boudin for sure!
 
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That may be one way to get me to eat liver. Looks fantastic Keith

Point for sure
Chris
 
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I'm lazy, and that would be WAAAY too much work for me. Haha
But I wouldn't hesitate to chow down on a bowl or two of it. It looks delicious.
Nicely done!!!
 
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Reactions: gmc2003
Man first great write up! That is a ton of work and seems like if you saved 16 blade bones you did even more work before!
 
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I don't like liver, but I love it in boudin. I was born in Beaumont, Tx and we'd buy it on the side of the road. I'm not sure how it compares to what you get in Louisiana proper. I've only made it a few times, but I've noticed the pork liver makes a big difference if you can find it. I've never done the pork skin thing but that's a fantastic idea. That looks amazing!
 
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That may be one way to get me to eat liver. Looks fantastic Keith

Point for sure
Chris
It's in there, but you really can't pick it out...only about 6% liver....
But it just does not taste like boudin without it. Some of the older recipes use 12-15% liver along with the heart, kidneys and "other stuff"....it is, well, Offal! LOL!!!

I'm lazy, and that would be WAAAY too much work for me. Haha
But I wouldn't hesitate to chow down on a bowl or two of it. It looks delicious.
Nicely done!!!
Thank you ebz!

Man first great write up! That is a ton of work and seems like if you saved 16 blade bones you did even more work before!
Thanks! Yeah....80# Andouille, 20# Cajun fresh sausage, 30# Brats, 35# Calabrian fresh sausage, 25# Smoked Cajun Tasso, 10kilos Pistachio and Lemon Salami, 10kilos Nduja Salami, and 70# Boudin.......Lot of work.....Been real busy inda kitchen.
sure looks good. Been while for me eating some dat.
Thanks Rick!

I don't like liver, but I love it in boudin. I was born in Beaumont, Tx and we'd buy it on the side of the road. I'm not sure how it compares to what you get in Louisiana proper. I've only made it a few times, but I've noticed the pork liver makes a big difference if you can find it. I've never done the pork skin thing but that's a fantastic idea. That looks amazing!
Thanks Dustin. The modern recipes use a lot less liver, It is in there, but most people just can't pick it out, but without liver you don't have boudin IMO, you have rice dressing......
 
My first thought was my goodness so much effort. Then I saw pig liver

:emoji_neutral_face:

LOL, one of my work buddies lives in Pierre Part so I've had boudin on several occasions and enjoyed it. Only thing I had to pass on was the day he cooked gar.

Very nice post and write up.
 
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This reminds me, I need to break out my boudin recipe. We went low carb for several years to lose some weight so anything "rice" was off the table. We're back to enjoying some carbs again (and swelling up at the belly as a result!). I went to order my favorite Louisiana boudin from Don's Specialty Meats and their shipping is outrageous now. It used to be reasonable but now, I could buy jumbo lump crab meat for the cost of getting boudin shipped to me in Virginia. And there IS NO good boudin in Virginia unless I make it. Almost nobody has a clue what it is here. I think whole foods in Richmond used to sell something they called boudin...you can call a duck a cat but it dont make it so...

I spent probably two years perfecting my boudin recipe to get it as close to the good Louisiana stuff as possible. I was exposed to Boudin by a Cajun transplant work buddy who moved up here when the oil business crashed down there. They would bring back boudin and smoked sausage when they went home to visit. Thats also how I found out I had never had the best smoked sausage in the world...from Louisiana, in my opinion. Most of the smoked sausage in Virginia is like a rope of baloney. Proper smoked sausage is far more coarse in texture.

Boudin takes a lot of time to make properly. The recipe I made began with a cajun recipe and uses pork steaks. I had never heard of that and couldn't find it until I found an old school grocer in Charlottesville. That's also the only place I could ever find pork liver...a must for boudin. Chicken liver may work but whatever you do, dont try beef liver...I ruined a whole batch of boudin doing that. I hate beef liver. Big mistake and it doesn't stay in the background of boudin like pork liver does.

My recipe takes two days not even including stuffing the casings. Before Amazon days, the only place I could get casings was Whole Foods and it wasn't cheap. I actually packaged boudin in small food saver packages that could be microwaved quickly or heated in a pan with water, cut the end off and eat like a Go-Gurt squeezing it out of the plastic. I find the microwave is best for heating boudin in casings too, every time I try to heat it in a pan with water (in casings) it squeezes out in to the water and I end up with boudin soup! Got to keep a very close eye on boudin when heating, even in the microwave, walk away for a minute and its ejected itself from the casings!

I tried to get my son-in-law to eat some boudin traditionally out of the casing. For people who dont know, it's often heated in the casings but you dont actually eat the casings, you use your hands and mouth to extract it from the casing directly in to your mouth. Son-in-law said "I'm not eating anything that looks like its coming out of a condom!".

Many people do smoke, grill or fry it in the casings and then the casing is also eaten with it. I dont prefer it that way. I've done it all, but one time, and that's it. Boudin is such a delecate balance of flavors, the only reason to cook it that way in my opinion is if its not all that great tasting on it's own. One of the best breakfasts in my opinion though, is boudin, out of the casing, pan fried in a skillet as a patty until the exterior is crispy, served with fried eggs. It's very hard to stop eating great boudin.

I HAVE to make some boudin now...its killing me. I think that old grocer may not still be there so finding pork liver now around here might be impossible. I cook mine in the stew pot with everything else, then seperate it, cool it overnight and run it through the small die of my grinder, then mix it in to the boudin with the green onions and parsley. I've never seen or read of it bieng pureed in to a slurry like this. Your end product looks rightious and proper though!
 
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I think that old grocer may not still be there so finding pork liver now around here might be impossible.
Find a butcher shop that gets fresh pigs. They can get fresh liver for sure...

I've never seen or read of it bieng pureed in to a slurry like this.
It's a secret to smoothing out the liver flavor and push it in the background... and yeah- do not use beef liver.....way too strong.

The pork skin is the ticket though....so much flavor.
 
The only butchers nearby are in the city. I hate the city but have to go in there even for that old grocer. Your suggestion made me search though, and there does appear to be a couple options. Those other butchers are probably very expensive. They are serving people with money in the city. Might be my only choice if I want proper boudin. I hope the old grocer still has it, their prices were old school cheap but had to catch them at the right time. They would get a 5 gallon bucket of livers in, package them, then on the shelf, and they would be gone in 3-4 days max. The nearby (not the rich area of town) community loves pork liver, apparently.
 
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