Your best jambalaya recipe please...

[Complete Turf Care]

I have some wild pig in the freezer and lots of deer. I'm thinking about trying a jambalaya with either or both of these.

You might find it hard to believe that a cajun has never made a jambalaya, but I never have. I've eaten lots of it. Some good and some bad, but I've never cooked one myself.

So? Do you have a good recipe for jambalaya?

 

[workinonit]

Best Jambalaya I've ever eaten. Straight from a Cajun.



JAMBALAYA



6 lbs onions

2 lb bell pepper

1 large jar chopped garlic

1 lb celery

10 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cut in half across the grain

10 lbs smoked sausage cut in ½ to ¾ inch pieces

10 lbs Boston butt to cut into cubes Trim the thick pieces of fat but leave the rest

10 lbs long grain rice (not parboiled) or thin spaghetti noodles

1 large jar of Beef Base (soup base)

1 large jar of Chicken Base (soup base)

2 gallons water

Cayenne, black pepper, salt

Bay leaves about 8 leaves

4 cans rotel tomatoes



Brown Pork with a high fire until it sticks then add a little water and scrape the bottom and repeat until meat is tender (normally takes about 4 times). Add sausage and do the same until browned. Add chicken and brown for a few minutes. Add all seasonings and cook until they are tender. Add water then skim the grease from the top. Add pepper and salt to taste (it will need to taste on the hot side because the rice will soak it up) Once the water is boiling add the rice and return to a boil then reduce the heat a little and cook (boil) until the water is at the top of the rice then lower the heat as much as possible, cover the pot and simmer for about 20 minutes. Two or three times I will typically stir by sliding the spoon along the edge to the bottom and lift up taking care not the break or smash the noodles or rice.



Recipe can be halved or doubled as required.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

Looks like a good recipe. But 30 lbs of meat will feed about 60 people. I'll have to cut it down to about 10 people. I don't have 60 friends...

 

[workinonit]

I do 2,5 lbs of each meat when I do it. That fills my 20 Qt black iron pot. Yea the guy that came up with this lives in Baton Rouge and cooks for large gatherings. He makes this in a big 10 gallon or so black iron wash pot.

 

[dstig1]

When you say beef base and chicken base, do you mean bullion cubes? I was thinking you meant beef broth, but I don't see it mentioned in the recipe otherwise, so it must be solids that are part of the seasonings?

 

[MossRoad]

I have some wild pig in the freezer and lots of deer. I'm thinking about trying a jambalaya with either or both of these.

You might find it hard to believe that a cajun has never made a jambalaya, but I never have. I've eaten lots of it. Some good and some bad, but I've never cooked one myself.

So? Do you have a good recipe for jambalaya?

In all seriousness, start with a small batch of this and give it a try. We use andouille sausage and shrimp in ours. It'll give you a hint how your deer or pig will taste.

Pig or deer that's not been made into a spiced sausage might not be so good.

 

[workinonit]

When you say beef base and chicken base, do you mean bullion cubes? I was thinking you meant beef broth, but I don't see it mentioned in the recipe otherwise, so it must be solids that are part of the seasonings?

It's called Better Than Bouillon and comes in several flavors including beef and chicken. Comes in a small jar and is a liquid product.

 

[workinonit]

The wild game won't be any different in Jambalaya than anything else. If it were me I would get sausage made from one or both of the meats so I would have that for the recipe as well. We have places here that make some really good smoked sausage from wild game. Almost every processor around here makes a good country style breakfast sausage.