Cajun-Style Boudin Sausage
What goes better with a traditional crawfish boil than homemade, Cajun-style boudin sausage? The hot sausages can be served as a side dish, but also make a great meal on their own. At the restaurant, we often serve homemade boudin atop braised winter greens with a side of coarse-grain mustard. If you don’t have the Hastings Creations Pork Rub, you can still make this dish by substituting any type of salt-free, store-bought pork rub, although the flavors won’t be as intense.
Makes 10 to 12 links
1 tablespoon peanut oil
11/4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes
1/2 pound fresh pork liver, rinsed in cold water, patted dry and cut into 2-inch cubes
1/2 cup diced yellow onions
1/4 cup seeded and diced poblano pepper
1/4 cup diced celery
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh garlic
31/2 cups Spicy Ham Hock Broth (page 000)
11/2 cups cooked medium-grain white rice
1 tablespoon Hastings Creations Ancho Pork Salt (page 000) or kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon Hastings Creations Pork Rub (page 000) or store-bought, salt-free pork rub
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 (1/2-inch diameter) hog casings, about 2 feet in length
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- Heat the peanut oil in a large rondeau or wide saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the pork shoulder and liver and sauté until well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the onions, poblanos, celery, and bay leaf and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ham hock broth and stir to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the meat is tender, about 11/2 hours.
- Remove the bay leaf and stir in the cooked rice during the last 5 minutes of simmering. Cover the pan, remove it from the heat and allow the mixture to steep for 30 minutes or until the rice has soaked up most of the liquid from the meat mixture.
- Season the meat mixture with the Ancho pork salt, pepper, and pork rub. Stir in the parsley and green onions. While the mixture is still slightly warm, push it through a meat grinder fitted with a 1/8-inch die. Either using a feeding tube or a funnel, stuff the sausage into the casings, making 3-inch long links. Sausages can be cooked immediately or chilled until ready to cook.
- Before serving, preheat the oven to 375˚F.
- If the sausages have been chilled, allow them to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before cooking. Add the butter and sausages to a large, iron skillet. Place in the oven and roast until the boudin is golden brown and heated through, 17 to 20 minutes, turning the sausages over halfway through. Serve hot.
