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| From Nola Cuisine |
**UPDATE** My latest Boudin Recipe complete with PHOTOS!
The commonly known Louisiana Boudin (BOO-dahn) is Acadian through and through, traditionally made as a way to stretch the meat after a Boucherie, to feed more mouths. There are two varities, Boudin Blanc, commonly just refered to as “Boudin”, and Boudin Rouge, which is becoming very difficult to find. It is made in a similar fashion but with fresh pig’s blood. Believe me, if I ever get my hands on some fresh pig’s blood, you will definately see a Boudin Rouge recipe on this site.
In Cajun country there are as many Boudin recipes as there are cooks, most using basically the same ingredients, in different proportions. You can find Boudin sold just about anyplace along the road that has a roof (probably some without.) Gas stations, shops, you name it, they will most likely have a sign that says “Hot Boudin”.
The old Creole versions were more along the lines of the traditional French, made with meats and fowl and a panada (bread and cream) as a binder (To see a more traditional French version of Boudin Blanc, see my friend Carolyn’s recipe at 18thC French Cuisine). The Acadians use(d) rice, something that was/is plentiful in South Louisiana.
I make mine with lots of green onions and parsley, also Louisiana staples, and the mark of a good Boudin. A lot of recipes will just make basic rice, cooked in water. That just doesn’t make sense to me, so I like to use the Pork cooking liquid to cook my rice, utilize all of that flavor. You could use leftover cooked rice in this recipe, but I prefer to make fresh. You can stuff Boudin into casings as I’ve done here, or shape into Patties or Balls for pan frying. I also like to get some thick Pork Chops and stuff them with Boudin. Boudin is great for breakfast, or for lunch with saltine crackers and a cold beer. The recipe:
Cajun Boudin Sausage Recipe
1 1/2 lbs Pork Steak
1/2 lb Very Fresh Pork liver (not frozen), rinsed
1 Medium Onion, Coarsely chopped
3 Garlic Cloves
2 Bay Leaves
1 Sprig Fresh Thyme
Water to cover by 1 inch
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
2 Cups Uncooked Long grain Rice
1 Bunch Green Onions, thinly sliced
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Italian Parsley
Cayenne to taste
Cut the pork steak and liver into 2 inch pieces and place in a large saucepan, along with the onion, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves. Cover with cold water by 1 1/2 inches. Season well with salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer, skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Simmer for about 1 hour or until the meat is very tender. Remove the bay leaves, and thyme, then strain the solids from the broth, reserve the broth.
Grind the meats and cooked onion and garlic while they’re still hot, you could also chop this by hand.
For the Rice:
In a saucepan with a lid, combine the rice with 3 Cups of the reserved broth. Taste the broth for seasoning, if necessary season with salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then down to very low heat and cover. Cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
When the rice is cooked, combine it with the ground meat mixture, green onions, and parsley. Mix thoroughly and season to taste with Kosher salt, black pepper, and Cayenne.
Stuff into prepared hog casings (instructions on how to link homemade sausage), or form into patties or balls for pan frying. This also makes a great stuffing.
To heat the stuffed Boudin sausages, either poach them in water between 165-185 degrees F, or brush the casings with a little oil and bake in a 400 degree oven until heated through and the skins are crispy. When I poach them, I take the Boudin out of the casings to eat it because they become rubbery.
Other recipes for Sausages and Seasoning Meats at Nola Cuisine:
Andouille Sausage Recipe
Chaurice Sausage Recipe
Tasso Recipe
Pickled Pork Recipe
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Looks great, but I think I will wait until after summer here to have a go.
I LOVE boudain! I can’t imagine living anywhere that I can’t buy some at the corner store.
This may be blasphemy, but does boudin freeze well (or at all)?
Let us know how it turns out if you do Tanked.
Me too, Laurie Kay, you’ve just described Detroit, which is why I have to make my own. I’ve never seen it in a store here. You can find a few different brands of Andouille, all terrible, once again why I have to make my own.
To tell you the truth BWG, I’m not sure. I have a few links from this batch in the freeze now, when I pull them out I will comment here on how the texture held up. I have them vacuum packed, so I imagine they will be good.
Sorry, forgot to mention boudin balls – the boudin isn’t put into casings, but formed into a 2 to 4 inch ball, dipped in egg and rolled in seasoned flour or seasoned bread crumbs or fish fry. All good, but my favorite is flour.
Mais cher, dem boudin balls – ca c’est bon. MM-mm.
i froze boudin many of time because i buy in bulk an i thaw 2 links at a time in microwave then bake in the oven on 400 degrees for 20 to 30 mins. and it tastes good as if it were fresh hope this helps
I had not heard of Boudin until I picked up a copy of theis months Food & Wine magazine. I googled it to look for a recipe. I guess I need to live in the south!!!
I love boudain balls fried in seasoned flour . i did not know to dip in egg and how to season my flour properly. or can i buy seasoned flour and where? My married children and their families love it also and we need to learn. My parents were born in La. and I was too so good food is very important to my children.
thanks,
Bobbie Wilkerson
I made a batch of boudin blanc recently and have made two decisions: Use less liver (4 or 5 to 1 butt to liver) and cook the liver and the pork butt separately. For one thing, the butt takes an hour or more, the liver only 30 minutes. For another, when cooked together and when using a 3/1 ratio, the liver flavor dominates not just the broth but the resulting sausage. I like the liver flavor, but my last batch was overpoweringly liver. I think the liver should be in the background. Just my .02.
Hi Danno,
Having made several batches of your recipe for andouille, and it is by far the best I’ve ever eaten, do you have one for crawfish boudin? The Richmond chapter of the LSU alumni assoc. just had their twelfth annual crawfish boil, (Louisiana crawfish, of course, 154 in attendance!), and I thought of c. boudin I used to get in Baton Rouge, at the Acadian Supermarket (alas, now gone). Any leads would be appreciated! Thanks,
Tom
I don’t have a recipe for crawfish boudin but if you ever get down to Thibodaux, the Bourgeois (sp?) Meat Market has the best I have ever eaten. I fly down from Montana, drive to Thibodaux just to bring back a suitcase full of it.
I love boudin. I am originally from Houston TX and have my pick of places of where to eat Boudin but now I live in Colorado (past 14 years) and I can’t find Boudin. I purchased it before in Walmart and a Meat Market (both places were terrible). I came across your recipe about two months ago and I love it. I put too much cayenne pepper in the last time and it was too salty but now I just need to add a little at a time. Thank you soooo much for posting ths recipe. I tried going to the Meat Market to see if they would put my boudin in casings but I was told that I would have to have 50lbs of boudin before they would even do it for me.
Thanks again
Boudin Fan
Where is the best place to order Boudin that can be shipped to Ohio. What compares to the quality I am used to: The Mowata Store variety.
VickieK – the best place, IMO, to order boudin balls or just plain Boudin is from Tony’s Seafood in Baton Rouge, La. Totally awesome place. Everything is delicious there! I must try this recipe though, probably a lot cheaper than buying it.
This will be perfect to make for our family Christmas gathering. Thanks! amjenti
Don’t hand out your best boudain award until you’ve tried Steamboat Bill’s in Lake Charles, Lousiana.
Is there a such thing as beef boudin? I know i’ve probably just blasphemed Cajun cooking by asking, but I’m not a big fan of pork and I was just wondering if beef would suffice.
laissez le bon ton roullette!!! Ibought a grinder in new york,make my own foods,almost starved to death up here.
The best boudin in Louisiana is Jerry Lee’s on Greenwell Springs Rd in Baton Rouge and they will ship out of state. I have tried MANY different places, including homemade, and theirs is the best by far. Tony’s in Baton Rouge does not even compare. Not in the same league. No offense, Vickie.
I live in middle Tn. and walmart has boudain which is fairly good. My favorite way of eating it is for breakfast. I coat it with one or two eggs and then fry it slow in a skillet. My second choice is with white or navy beans for lunch or the evening meal–place boudain in with beans while warming them to eat. Simple but really good taste and very economical also–maybe once a week.
The only thing is, Boudin is NOT ACADIAN. It’s from Louisiana. Acadians are from Nova Scotia. Though “Cajun” comes from Acadian, they are not the same. Bousin is Cajun.
who said the best boudin comes from BATON ROUGE!??? this is funny.
Ronnie’s on Florida Blvd in Baton Rouge makes the best Boudin around…
we live in mo and my sister-n-law has a friend who goes to la and get boudin sausege no one else around has ever heard of it i taste and i was hooked keep up the great food la
we are always lookin for great recipes so e mail me some if u like