Gumbo Question

[Duracraft]

I use bone in chicken. I have boiled it for broth and then cut up and put the pieces in whole. I have also seared the chicken in a separate pan and then added to the Gumbo once the broth goes in. Both are good.

Same with the andouille; I sometimes cook it in a separate pan (seems less greasy but may miss some flavor) and sometimes just put the cut up pieces in the roux straight from the package.

What do others do?

[Gunning Bird]

FWIW, I do the following:

Scratch make the roux using a stick of butter and safflower oil
Pre-cook (brown each side) the andouille and sausage medallions prior to adding to the pot (avoids an oil slick on top/too much oil)
Use bone-in chicken thighs or leg quarters for the broth
Don't add salt until after the andouille and smoked sausage are added to the stock/roux mixture

[Duracraft]

FWIW, I do the following:

Scratch make the roux using a stick of butter and safflower oil
Pre-cook (brown each side) the andouille and sausage medallions prior to adding to the pot (avoids an oil slick on top/too much oil)
Use bone-in chicken thighs or leg quarters for the broth
Don't add salt until after the andouille and smoked sausage are added to the stock/roux mixture

So you use the chicken you use to make the broth in the Gumbo? Correct? I have done that and it's good.

[willk]

Boil chickens, make roux, brown sausage, set sausage aside, saute trinity being heavier on the onion, (last step can be done with or without roux, I do it without roux) add roux, add the juice from chicken boil, add sausage back, let simmer, pick chicken meat, add chicken meat, simmer add okra, cook white rice, eat. Obviously there's other things flavor wise, SPG, green onions, herbs, cayenne, or some sort of cajun seasoning, hot sauce and what not if you want but it's that simple. I make a pile of gumbo at Christmas every year and do it in stages. Make roux in advance, chop trinity, and boil chicken one day and then put it all together the next usually. Last year I made 15 gallons I think.

[willk]

This was duck gumbo I made in February with the birds from the last hunt but pretty much same method.

[3 1/2" MAGUM]

Making the Roux before hand is much easier. I always make more than enough and keep adding until I get it right. Not sure if there's a wrong way to make gumbo. I've had it with all kinds of stuff in it. Like lots of other meals, it's richer if you cook-fridge-eat.

[willk]

Your last sentence, 100%.

[centurian]

All I know is gumbo is good. I have a recipe I got from a restaurant operator in Enterprise, AL. Not the traditional gumbo recipe. Shrimp and oyster gumbo he called it is mighty good. Served over steamed rice. Now I gotta make it.

[ecu1984]

Boil chickens, make roux, brown sausage, set sausage aside, saute trinity being heavier on the onion, (last step can be done with or without roux, I do it without roux) add roux, add the juice from chicken boil, add sausage back, let simmer, pick chicken meat, add chicken meat, simmer add okra, cook white rice, eat. Obviously there's other things flavor wise, SPG, green onions, herbs, cayenne, or some sort of cajun seasoning, hot sauce and what not if you want but it's that simple. I make a pile of gumbo at Christmas every year and do it in stages. Make roux in advance, chop trinity, and boil chicken one day and then put it all together the next usually. Last year I made 15 gallons I think.

what he said

[Duracraft]

Boil chickens, make roux, brown sausage, set sausage aside, saute trinity being heavier on the onion, (last step can be done with or without roux, I do it without roux) add roux, add the juice from chicken boil, add sausage back, let simmer, pick chicken meat, add chicken meat, simmer add okra, cook white rice, eat. Obviously there's other things flavor wise, SPG, green onions, herbs, cayenne, or some sort of cajun seasoning, hot sauce and what not if you want but it's that simple. I make a pile of gumbo at Christmas every year and do it in stages. Make roux in advance, chop trinity, and boil chicken one day and then put it all together the next usually. Last year I made 15 gallons I think.

Thanks for the information. I ended up searing the chicken pieces (Whole chicken) in the andouille sausage dripping/grease. Then added them to the gumbo to cook for a while. Gumbo turned out great although I still can't get a thick roux. I started with 1.25 cups flour to 1 cup oil and ended up adding probably another 1/4 cup. I got it chocolate brown but still not to "chalky." Just trying to cut back on the grease. I pulled grease off with paper towels the next morning and that does help.

[nitro5x6's]

I spent a lot of time in SE LA. Friends we hunted with rarely made their gumbo exactly the same. Basic ingredients sure, but always had some different ones too. I've eaten it with Boudin in place of Andouille , squirrels, frogs, all manner of fish, including Black Drum. Grease is flavor. The rice you add is to soak up some of the grease.

To my palate, the best thing to drop into Gumbo is peeled hardboiled eggs. Chicken , duck, quail it doesn't matter .

There is only one hot sauce I use on gumbo. Crystal. Anything else ( especially Texas Pete ) sucks.

[Tater]

Crystal is simply the best hot sauce ever made.

[nitro5x6's]

Hunted at Hackberry for 10 days with a well known Chef from NOLA. Everything he made was incredible. He layered his gumbo like a surgeon putting a knee back together.

Of course, we uncultured fell onto it like wormy hippies after a hunger strike. Burned my mouth and ate too much , but sumbitch it was fine. He brought bread from his restaurant and local butter. We foundered. The next night he made Redfish Courtbouillon that were swimming earlier that day. Memorable meal after all these years. I still cannot replicate that dish.

[nitro5x6's]

I asked for the Courtbouillon recipe and he generously wrote it out longhand. To his mind , the most important ingredient was 2 TBSP local honey. To balance out the acidity of the creole Tomatoes.