Gumbo

[fourarmed]

I was just rereading some of the smoker discussions, and it got me to thinking about leftover 'cue. That got me to thinking about gumbo. I make it regularly, and freeze single portions for my lunches.

I start with a large stockpot and a cast iron dutch oven. The stockpot goes on the back burner, and I put in about 1-2 quarts of liquid, consisting of the drippings I get when I unwrap the foil from the meat I smoke, venison stock from boiling down the trimmings when I butcher, maybe some canned chicken stock, and water if necessary. I put in a handful of wild rice, and diced-up leftover brisket, pork shoulder, chicken, wild turkey, squirrel, venison sausage, and whatever else I find in the freezer.

I put about a half cup of canola oil in the dutch oven with about an equal amount of flour, and stir it over high heat with a metal spatula, scraping the bottom constantly to prevent the flour from burning. When the roux gets dark red-brown I turn the heat down to medium and add diced onion, celery, green chilies, and red and yellow bell peppers. When this mix is cooked soft, it goes into the big pot.

I add water if necessary, bring to a boil, and dump in a couple of cups of brown rice. When the rice is cooked, I put the pot under the electric broiler, brown the top, and stir in the browned part. I do this several times. I add salt if necessary, and serve. If it isn't hot enough from the green chilies and venison sausage, I add a dash of dried habanero powder at the table.

[deltaenterprizes]

I was just rereading some of the smoker discussions, and it got me to thinking about leftover 'cue. That got me to thinking about gumbo. I make it regularly, and freeze single portions for my lunches.

I start with a large stockpot and a cast iron dutch oven. The stockpot goes on the back burner, and I put in about 1-2 quarts of liquid, consisting of the drippings I get when I unwrap the foil from the meat I smoke, venison stock from boiling down the trimmings when I butcher, maybe some canned chicken stock, and water if necessary. I put in a handful of wild rice, and diced-up leftover brisket, pork shoulder, chicken, wild turkey, squirrel, venison sausage, and whatever else I find in the freezer.

I put about a half cup of canola oil in the dutch oven with about an equal amount of flour, and stir it over high heat with a metal spatula, scraping the bottom constantly to prevent the flour from burning. When the roux gets dark red-brown I turn the heat down to medium and add diced onion, celery, green chilies, and red and yellow bell peppers. When this mix is cooked soft, it goes into the big pot.

I add water if necessary, bring to a boil, and dump in a couple of cups of brown rice. When the rice is cooked, I put the pot under the electric broiler, brown the top, and stir in the browned part. I do this several times. I add salt if necessary, and serve. If it isn't hot enough from the green chilies and venison sausage, I add a dash of dried habanero powder at the table.

Close but no cigar, green chilies and habanero in GUMBO? That is blasphemy! You cook the rice and pour the gumbo over it! I lived in New Orleans for 50 years and never heard of anything like that.
Sounds good, at least you have a roux with the holy trinity needs some shrimp and crab and maybe some oysters.My grand ma taught me to cook creole she only did it for 70 yrs.
Sounds more like a good soup/stew ?
Not intended to offend.

[Single Shot]

Close but no cigar, green chilies and habanero in GUMBO? That is blasphemy! You cook the rice and pour the gumbo over it! I lived in New Orleans for 50 years and never heard of anything like that.
Sounds good, at least you have a roux with the holy trinity needs some shrimp and crab and maybe some oysters.My grand ma taught me to cook creole she only did it for 70 yrs.
Sounds more like a good soup/stew ?
Not intended to offend.

I thought the HOLY TRINITY was Shrimp Mussels and Crawdads???

Hey Check this out. MOUNTAIN MAN GUMBO: http://www.castbullet.com/cooking/jrgumbo.htm

[fourarmed]

Shrimp? Crab? Oysters? Hell, I live in KANSAS! Maybe I should change the name of it to jumbo or mumbo. Or maybe Zumbo...after all, it is toasted.

[Baron von Trollwhack]

Not really a gumbo, minestrone, or vegetable soup. But nevertheless, it sounds delicious, with meat flavors, fresh vegetables and seasonings. Make it your own to avoid the "it's not gumbo" reactions. Spicy hunter's rice boil? BvT

[JSH]

I was told the Holy Trinity was celery, onion and bell pepper?
Speaking of roux, takes three beers to make a good roux. And if it isn't made in an iron pot or skillet, it isn't worth a darn.
I was ignorant in the ways of Cajun cooking until be good fortune I ran across a bunch of coon ass' fellows while hunting a few years back. I was under the impression before this that "cajun" was a whole bunch of cayenne pepper on every thing. So far from the truth.
They were here in Kansas hunting chinese chickens, as they were under the impression that in Kansas every rock you turned over would produce a pheasant. I did my best to show them a good time. They invited me to a feast the night before they left. They had packed about 300 pounds of seafood on ice up here with them. Must have been 100 people at this thing.
They came back up before the year end that year for one more hunt and I was curious about their cooking. Ludric, gave me a first hand lesson. I tried to absorb as much as psssible and listen and watch and do. We got to talking and he has cooked with the likes of Paul Prudhomme, John Folse just to name a couple. Have to throw this in, don't even bring up Emeril, that will throw him into fits, which is whole other story.
The three beer roux does hold true. He had sent me a couple of cook books for Christmas and I had tried to make a roux that looked, tatsed and smelled right. Pretty hard to do on an electric stove. You have to get your oil just right then put your flour in and keep bumping the heat up or so I have found that to be the case on my stove.
When the flour starts to bubble, you open your first beer. By the time you have consumed three it will be a pefect dark roux. Ilike mine on the dark side as it has a better flavor IMHO. I have tried the fast roux method and gotten it to work but it just doesn't taste right in the end product to me.
I went to La. in about 97 for a week of hunting and visiting. I cooked a "supper" for a crowd and they were all supprised at my ability to say the least. One older fellow that we hunted with, forget his name, deemed me a "coonass from Kansas". That has stuck with me from then on when ever I get the chance to call one of them on the cell phone and they are in duck camp playing cards I will be on the phone for an hour talking to different ones. Great folks from down there, but you just don't walk up and become friends. One has to prove to them they are worthy of the friend ship.
One last thing, had the good fortune to run across another coonass from way up north, Alexandria area. He goes back down every couple of months. So I have him haul back 40-50 pounds of boudin every time. There is some made locally here, but it is far from orgiginal.
Jeff

[deltaenterprizes]

Jeff, you got it right about the roux and holy trinity and people thinking lots of cayenne make it "cajun".My Maw-maw(grandma) never used any pepper I just use a pinch