Pork Boudin

Boudin

2 pounds boneless pork butt, chopped into 2” cubes

¾ pound pork liver, chopped into 1” cubes

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped

1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped

8 garlic cloves

2 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped

2 teaspoons Mexican chili powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 cup green onions, finely sliced

6 cups cooked long grain white rice

Combine the pork butt, pork liver, onion, celery, bell peppers, garlic, hot peppers, and Mexican chili powder in a large stock pot. Add water. Boil over medium to medium-high heat for 2 hours, until the pork butt becomes tender.

At this point, we want to separate the solids from the liquids. You can use a colander to drain it, but be sure to save the cooking liquid. After you separate the solids and liquids, let the solids cool until they’re easy to handle.

At this point, we want to chop the solids. How you do this is a matter of personal preference. I like the meat in my boudin to be smooth, while others like something that it more rustic. If you like something that is more rustic, you can finely chop the solids using a knife. I puree the solids in a food processor. Add some of the reserved cooking liquid. You don’t want the mixture to be watery, but you don’t want it to be dry. (You’re looking for something that has the consistency of cooked grits or oatmeal.)

Stir in the cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, parsley, and green onions. If you taste the mixture, it should taste over-seasoned.

At this point, you can freeze the meat mixture in small portions. (Boudin is time-consuming to make, but I sometimes want boudin when I get home from work on a Tuesday evening. I can pull a container out of the freezer and proceed with this recipe. Boudin on demand – that’s the life!)

Add the rice and mix well. I like to add the rice a little at a time, just to make sure that I don't overload it with rice. The mixture should be moist, but not watery. If you make a ball and gently squeeze it, liquid should not gush out. At this point, you can stuff the boudin into casings or you can proceed and make boudin balls. Or you can eat it just like it is. There is something really special about a breakfast of fried eggs and fresh boudin.

For Frying

Gluten-free flour

Salt and pepper

Oil for frying

Heat the oil to 350^oF in a skillet with oil that is at least 1½” deep.

Season the flour with salt and pepper.

Form balls of boudin using between 2 tablespoons and 4 tablespoons for each ball. When you hold the boudin ball in your hand and apply soft pressure, it should be flexible but very little liquid, if any, should drain. If much liquid drains, continue applying pressure to remove the liquid.

Dredge the boudin balls in the flour and fry until golden brown. You don’t have to fry them for very long because everything is already cooked. You’re really just frying them to heat them and get a crisp crust.

Some notes…

-I like to taste the liver in my boudin, but liver is one of those foods that most people either love or hate. Feel free to increase or decrease the amount of liver in this recipe. However, I would encourage you to not omit it completely. Without any liver, the boudin won’t have any depth.

-I specifically called this pork boudin. You can use this recipe or a variation of it to make duck boudin or chicken boudin or…. When I make duck boudin, I don’t make it quite as spicy as my pork boudin, but that’s a personal preference.

-If you taste the mixture before you add the rice and it’s too salty and too spicy, then it’s right. The rice will absorb a lot of those seasonings.

-My favorite accompaniment is a Creole mustard aioli. Sounds fancy, but it’s just Blue Plate mayonnaise mixed with Creole mustard.