Boudin - Cajun Recipe

There are all kinds of ways to make boudin (pronounced Boudan or Boudain), and you will get a different opinion from most any Cajun you ask, and most of them will not share their recipe, or will leave a little something out. Cajuns are sneaky like that, I should know, I'm one of them!

This is a basic recipe. Add what you want, or take out what you don't like. Use your imagination! Most boudin has pork, and some has liver in it, but some people don't like liver, so just leave it out. You can also make boudin with crawfish or shrimp.

It is time consuming to make this, so make this when you have some time set aside. It's not really hard to make, just takes a while.

You can make this and stuff into sausage casings, or use it to stuff bell peppers, chicken,  pork chops or whatever you wish.
I think it would taste awesome stuffed into tomatoes!

Ingredients:

• 5 lbs. of Boston butt pork roast (Try buying when it's on sale.)
• 5 0z. more/less of your favorite Cajun seasoning
• 5 bunches (more or less) of green onions, or shallots
• 5 cups COOKED Long Grain Rice
• Cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to your own taste
• Chopped cooked liver, if desired
• Sausage casings if you are making stuffed boudin (*See note)
  

Directions:

1. Place the pork roast in a large pot of water. (Add nothing to the pot but the pork roast at this time)Bring to a boil and, lower heat to medium and cook for about an hour, or until tender.
2. As the pork roast simmers, you will notice a brown foam rising to the top from time to time. You need to skim that off as it forms.
3. Remove the pork roast after it has finished cooking and set aside to cool. Be sure to save the stock. It has lots of flavor in it, and helps make the boudin mixture moist.
4. After you have removed the pork roast, add green onions and chopped onions to the stock you just saved and boil for about 15 minutes.
5. Remove from stock with a fine slotted spoon and set aside to cool off. (You need all of this and the pork roast to cool off, as you will be mixing with your hands.)
6. If you are using a lot of pepper, you may want to use new plastic gloves to keep your hands from burning.
7. Once the pork and the onions have cooled off, you need to grind the pork and onions together. If you don't have a grinder, you can always use a food processor. The mixture should not quite be as fine as raw hamburger meat.
8. Once you have the pork meat and the onions incorporated,  now it's time to add the cooked rice and seasonings. These you will mix by hand.
9. First, add the cooked rice; and you need to mix this very well, making sure the rice has no lumps in it when mixed.
10. Next, add Cajun seasonings, salt and pepper, Cayenne pepper, or whatever type of seasonings you like with about 1 cup of the stock you
11. just saved. Make sure you mix all of this well! That's why you use your hands and get all messy! You want this mixture to be sort of moist
12. and spicy if you like it that way.
13. Once you have all of this mixed up, taste test for seasonings. You may want to add more at this time. Again, it's up to your taste. If you need to add more spices, add them now, and mix with your hands again.
14. Once you have the taste you like, you can now either stuff it into sausage casings with a sausage stuffer or just freeze the mixture and save for later to stuff chicken, pork chops, or veggies, or to make boudin balls.
15. If you want to stuff the mixture into sausage casings and do not have a sausage stuffer machine, you can always cut the bottom off of a 1 liter plastic soda bottle, insert the neck end into the sausage casing, and stuff it that way...an old Cajun trick!
16. You may have to put duct tape (another Cajun trick) around the neck to keep stuffing from coming out. This trick was taught to me by my good friend Thaddeus Hebert, thanks!
17. If you have a long roll, you can tie it off as you go along...making uniform links, just cut off between ties.
18. If you have stuffed the mixture into the sausage casings and want that great boudin, all you have to do is warm the boudin up, or some people also like to grill them.
19. If not grilling, you can put them in the microwave, or put them in a pan with a little water. ( I prefer this method over the microwave.) Since everything is all cooked it doesn't take long.