What is Boudin?
Boudin is a popular Cajun food that has been enjoyed in the Louisiana area for hundreds of years. It can be described as a seasoning mixture inside a pork or chicken casing, often served with white rice and sometimes hot sauce.
You may have seen Boudin being sold at local carnivals, church fundraisers, farm stands, and festivals throughout Louisiana. Many people enjoy eating it with crackers or just plain by itself. While you may not know what it is called when someone politely offers you some of this delicious treat (hint: they are saying “C’est c’est bon!”), nearly everyone knows how good it tastes!
The origin of the word “boudin” is thought to come from the French word “boudain,” which means sausage. However, it was not until many years later that the Cajun people began calling their original boudin recipe by the same name. The first written record of this food dates back to France in 1802. It is believed that they were most likely eating a blood sausage that contained rice and spices, similar to what we know today as Boudin or boudain.
Cajuns living in Louisiana most likely learned about making this type of meat when they were still under French colonial rule (1699-1764).
How to Cook Boudin?
This is a guide for cooking Boudin. It is intended to give some insight into cooking like a Cajun and making their own Boudin. It will explain all of the necessary steps and equipment needed, including preparation prior to cooking it.
Now let’s get started with our very easy recipe:
You will need:
- One pound of pork sausage.
- 2 cups rice.
- 1 cup chopped onions.
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
- 2 teaspoons salt.
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or ground red pepper.
- Two 8 ounce packages of chicken livers from about three large livers (optional)
Directions:
- In a large skillet, lightly brown the sausage in its own fat.
- Remove from pan and drain off excess fat by placing skillet in a sink or on a piece of crumpled paper toweling.
- Coat bottom of Dutch oven with three tablespoons melted butter, add onions and cook until transparent but not brown.
- Add rice to the onion mixture and blend well.
- Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper; blend well again.
- Stir in meat, liver (if desired), 2 1/4 cups boiling water, or all-purpose broth (chicken or beef).
- Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cover tightly and simmer for 20 minutes without removing the lid, stirring only once halfway through cooking time. Serves four to six people.
You are now ready to eat your creation!
We hope this has been very helpful and you can cook Boudin like a Cajun soon.
Other Ways Boudin is Prepared
There are even more creative ways to cook with Boudin since there are so many ingredients inside one link.
One way to cook with Boudin is to stuff the entire thing into your favorite fruit or vegetable. For instance, you can take a long cucumber and hollow it out. Then, stuff the cucumber with boudin sausage and fixings like bread crumbs, lime juice, onions, mayonnaise, or hot sauce. You can also marinate your favorite sized boudin links in a sweet and sour sauce made from tomatoes, apricots, pineapple, or orange juice. After marinating it for several hours, grill the sausages over charcoal until they are cooked all the way through.
When you take apart a link of boudin sausage, there are many things inside of one link. Every type has different ingredients inside, but most types have rice as well as pork meat. Some varieties even have crawfish, shrimp, or vegetables mixed in their sausage too. For a little extra spice, you can add some hot sauce to your boudin sausage. Grill the links on a charcoal barbecue and enjoy.
Recipes that use Boudin Sausage
If you have boudin leftover from your last gathering, here are some creative ways to serve it up so that you can still utilize this wonderful sausage:
Scrambled eggs with Boudin. Add cooked crumbled Boudin to scrambled eggs along with milk and heat until hot and bubbly (not dry). Serve with toast or saltine crackers.
Boudin Balls. This is Cajun country’s comfort food at its best. Just mix together crumbled Boudin, chopped onions, eggs, and milk, then roll into small balls about an inch in diameter. Roll the balls in flour; then deep fry them to a golden brown color. Drain on paper towels, serve hot with ketchup or cocktail sauce for dipping along with French fries or white rice if desired.
Pigs in a Blanket – Boudin wrapped in pastry dough or crescent rolls instead of hot dogs wrapped in biscuit dough are very popular party appetizers that will disappear off the buffet table before you know it!
Stuffed Pork Chops – Cut 3/4-inch thick center-cut pork chops horizontally almost all the way through, then stuff with crumbled Boudin mixed with bread stuffing. Close and secure with toothpicks while sautéing in oil until golden brown on both sides, adding more oil if necessary. Remove excess oil from skillet before adding sliced onions, cooking slowly until caramelized (brown), about 15 minutes or so. Add water and cream of mushroom soup; simmer 20 to 25 minutes before transferring chops to a baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Top with cheese (and bacon) and broil until cheese is bubbly; serve hot over white rice if desired or with mashed potatoes or green beans almandine.
Jalapeno Poppers – Jalapenos are hollowed out then filled with cream cheese mixed with crumbled Boudin and a dash of hot sauce. Roll stuffed jalapenos in bread crumbs or cornmeal mix, then deep fry until golden brown for this Cajun treat. Serve piping hot with Ranch dressing on the side for dipping if desired; also great as an appetizer for informal gatherings and parties.
Corned beef and cabbage – A wonderful Irish tradition that has become very popular throughout Louisiana during Mardi Gras time, use leftover corned beef cooked with cabbage, carrots, and potatoes. Just add some chopped onion and cook until tender; serve on your favorite Irish soda bread with butter as a tasty accompaniment, along with a pot of tea for dunking if desired before serving as dessert.
