Best Gumbo Recipes

Couple of things:
1. Summer Beer is GRAYT!! We keep the suff around all summer. Doesn't last long for some reason!!!;-) Especially good to take to the beach.
2.SJ is right on with his recipe and re-heating the second day. Fresh gumbo is not nearly as good as the second (or third) day. Kind of like field peas and such.
3. Purists don't like it but a good packaged base is not a bad way to start out if you are not really comforatable with making a roux from scratch. Really easy to burn and mess up your gumbo. Zataran used to make a base but I haven't seen it up here in a long time. They have one with rice already in it, but this is not the way I like it.

Check out www.nolacuisine.com recipes, pictures, commentary. I'm getting chills just thinking about it. Recipe links are on the right column down a bit. I have been inspired to make my own tasso and andouille..after I build a smoker (may take a while ). There are a couple different gumbos the darker roux one being more classic I guess, though I prefer the gumbos from the brick roux. Plus I think there is a gumbo z'herbes there as well..all greens. I haven't tried it yet but it will happen soon it looks great. Good luck! Maybe experiment and use duck fat for the roux. Now I can't go to work today, I am off to the store.

I can't get the above link to load...any suggestions?

This sounds good SJ. I like the sound of dark roux, sausage & shrimp...mmm & red wine too!
I prefer roux & file (okra is OK...but not as the main thickening agent).

I need some clarification on your layering process...
1. About how much liquid to make your shrimp stock? To cover?
2. When do you add the roux...to the sauteed trinity & sausage?
3. Do you go ahead & add some rice BEFORE you set it away until minana?

I forgot to add the roux in my recipe. OOPS! good catch.

1) shrimp stock-- add shrimp peels and heads to a little canola oil (or butter) and brown. Add onions and celery (can also add carrots), salt and pepper. sautee for 5-10 minutes on medium heat. Add water. Amount of water depends on how much stock I want and how much soup I make. I usually make big batches of gumbo, and would add maybe 3qrts of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 30-45 minutes (uncovered). You can skim off fat which floats to the top.

2) I add roux to thicken just prior to adding the shrimp. Stir in roux in small portions until disolved. Note that the soup will not thicken immediately, so careful with the amount which you add.

3) Yes, I typically add cooked some cooked rice toward the end of cooking. I try to keep it as a thick soup, but also love to pour the gumbo over a bowl of rice for a full entree feel. Always serve with corn bread. Yum!

Though not as tasty as homemade shrimp stock, it is a little less work to use chicken, or fish bullion cubes to make a stock. Fish is better than chicken, if you have a choice.

I can't get the above link to load...any suggestions?

Try it again perhaps, it just worked for me. Good luck

Well Gang....
Thanks to all your help, suggestions, food shopping sources (Shrimpers was the ticket for andouille & tasso as well as shrimp), and on-line links; the "maiden gumbo voyage" is simmering on the stove at this very minute!! Of course I'm not going to truly indulge until TOMORROW on SJ's recommendation!
For one thing, after all the recipe comparisons, shopping, chopping & prep; I'm too pooped to even think about indulging in gumbo tonite!!

But...it looks (& sample tastes) like it will be glorious! Rich thick dark chocolate brown roux just the way I love it... but OY-VAY what a major Pain in the Arse making that roux was... I was so intimidated about burning & spoiling it that I spent over 30 minutes on the roux alone.

Elgordoboy...I found a back door into www.nowalcuisine.com and got the downlow on cooking roux. Per the blog, the critical factor is going
S-S-L-L-O-O-W-W and drinking (I subbed wine for beer) at each change of color!!!

I had plenty of time to ponder over how old-timey 18th-19th century cooks could find time to sit around stirring roux for hours on end when just carrying & boiling water was a major ta-doo...

THANKS to All of YOU!! Bon Appetit!!

Can't wait to hear how it turns out!!! You go girl!

I just copied some good soundin' stuff. Nice roux shots, drsvelte. Do you ever use Kitchen Bouquet to darken up your roux? Was the darker pix just bacon grease or smoked meat grease? In other words, was just the flour cooking longer that got it that dark?
Maybe I'll go check out this other NOLA link too. Thanks for the grayt soundin' recipes ya'll.

Was the darker pix just bacon grease or smoked meat grease? In other words, was just the flour cooking longer that got it that dark?

Just plain old flour and vegetable oil! The trick, as Dune-AHH found out, is to take your time and don't rush things. The first pix is after maybe 10-15 minutes, the second after about 20 minutes or so. Medium heat and lottsa stirring and whisking.

I just copied some good soundin' stuff. Nice roux shots, drsvelte. Do you ever use Kitchen Bouquet to darken up your roux? Was the darker pix just bacon grease or smoked meat grease? In other words, was just the flour cooking longer that got it that dark?
Maybe I'll go check out this other NOLA link too. Thanks for the grayt soundin' recipes ya'll.

I started to use bacon grease ... but then I wimped out, because everything I'd read about making roux noted that you should start with a very clean pan & if you see black specks forming in the roux then it's burnt and must be thrown out. Since this was my first attempt I was afraid I wouldn't know the difference between bacon bits and burnt bits ... so I scrapped using the bacon grease, cleaned the skillet & instead used LARD as the fat.

DrSvelte's pictures helped alot

Okay, do ya'll just eyeball it or do you meaure your flour and vegetable oil and or lard and/or drippings? How do you keep it from getting lumpy when you add to the stock? Any tricks would be appreciated. That sure sounds good that way. I guess I've always quit before it got good and really chocolatey brown. I'm gonna try it. Thanks ya'll. I think Publix has some head on shrimp up here in Tennesse.
Also, tell me more about tasso please. I went to the link. Thanks. How much would you put in your pot of red beans and rice? Is it hot or just spicy like salt pork or country bacon? I gotta try this.

Okay, do ya'll just eyeball it or do you meaure your flour and vegetable oil and or lard and/or drippings? How do you keep it from getting lumpy when you add to the stock? Any tricks would be appreciated. That sure sounds good that way. I guess I've always quit before it got good and really chocolatey brown. I'm gonna try it. Thanks ya'll. I think Publix has some head on shrimp up here in Tennesse.
Also, tell me more about tasso please. I went to the link. Thanks. How much would you put in your pot of red beans and rice? Is it hot or just spicy like salt pork or country bacon? I gotta try this.

Approx. 1 - 1 ratio of fat to flour. But slowly add the flour to the hot fat ...
maybe sprinkling 1/4 of the flour at a time & whisking that in well before adding more.

My roux was the color of Dr.Svelte's darker photo. It turned dark chocolate once I added the trinity to the roux. I actually took the roux off the burner, then added the trinity & stirred like hail. There was so much heat in the roux it continued cooking...because once I added the trinity, while the roux was glossy & shiny on the surface, it started getting "fudgey" on the bottom of the cast iron skillet even though I was stirring & folding like a mad woman.

I added the stock TO the roux / trinity mixture after that had cooked for a little while (maybe 5-8 minutes) ... a little stock at a time, constantly whisking to incorporate. I started by incorporating about 1/4 of stock to the roux/trinity still in the hot skillet (over med. low burner). Then I transferred that thinned out base to the big soup pot before finishing incorporating the balance of the stock. (Keep in mind...this was my 1st attempt ... so I may have made it more labor intensive than an experienced gumbo maker would)

IMO Tasso is spicy, but not "hot" per se. I like to chop & saute it before adding (though that's not required because it's cured). I like alot of meat in red beans & rice... so if the recipe calls for 1/2lb., I double that by
mixing meats: 1/2 lb. of sliced sausage + 1/2 lb of chopped tasso. That's just me, tho ... I like my red beans & rice all mushed together, thick and sticky like the consistency of jambalaya.

Hot roux and cold stock. It can be added all at once and you get no lumps.

Hot roux and cold stock. It can be added all at once and you get no lumps.

I read about that (and conversely cold roux / hot stock) ...
technically, why does it work (or how do it know)?
and does cold mean "refrigerator cold" ... or just "room temp cold"?

The cold means just not hot in my experience, room temp has always worked fine. I think when the hot stock is added to hot roux it maybe cooks the outside quicker making little bitty dumplings (lumps). Cold roux perhaps gives it time to dissolve and incorporate. Cold stock and hot roux..roux dissolves before the whole things heats up and begins thickening. Cold-Cold I dunno maybe it wouldn't incorporate well and will separate. I have only had personal experience with the hot hot (strained gravies) and hot roux cold stock.

The cold means just not hot in my experience, room temp has always worked fine. I think when the hot stock is added to hot roux it maybe cooks the outside quicker making little bitty dumplings (lumps). Cold roux perhaps gives it time to dissolve and incorporate. Cold stock and hot roux..roux dissolves before the whole things heats up and begins thickening. Cold-Cold I dunno maybe it wouldn't incorporate well and will separate. I have only had personal experience with the hot hot (strained gravies) and hot roux cold stock.

Thanks for the explanation.
My stock was room temperature when I added it. I had no problem w/ lumping, but found the need for alot of brisk whisking to incorporate together.

Sounds grayt ya'll. Thanks for all your tips.

Interesting talk about roux. I've had some formal cooking classes at CIA Hyde Park, NY, and we talked about the correct way to add roux, but I forgot and just wing it now. I do remember one time when I added some water to the roux, hoping to add that mixture to the soup, but that was not good. It was lumpy and I had to throw it out and make a new roux to thicken my soup. After that experience, I just add in small portions of the roux (usually warm, but not hot) to the entire batch of soup, and it dissolves very nicely.

As for measurements for roux, I just throw some fat or oil into the pan, and add flour slowly, until I get the consistency for which I'm looking. I learned that from my grandma.

The slow cooking is the only way to make a good roux. I usually heat the pan over medium heat to start, but after i stir in some flour, and the heat is up, I adjust the heat to low, and cook. Always make starting the roux the first thing you do. It will have plenty of time to cook while you peel shrimp, chop veggies, make stock, cook soup.

The slow cooking is the only way to make a good roux. I usually heat the pan over medium heat to start, but after i stir in some flour, and the heat is up, I adjust the heat to low, and cook. Always make starting the roux the first thing you do. It will have plenty of time to cook while you peel shrimp, chop veggies, make stock, cook soup.

I also turned the heat down in the course of cooking the roux.

So you actually go off and leave the roux to cook on it's own without constantly stirring it?

I was too intimidated to attempt that ... I had EVERYTHING prepped and lined out, in order, on the counter before I started cooking the roux ... was petrified it would burn if I wasn't ON IT.

Dune-AHH, after you make it a bunch of times, mess up a few batches, you'll get the hang of it. Like a lot of things, it is all in the timing. Low heat, slow down, relax and let the thing work.

And look at it this way: A messed up roux is another excuse to have another beer (glass of wine, whatever). You aren't out any money, the skillet is not ruined (probably a little better seasoned) and you learned something. What the he!!.

when I add the fat to the pan, I watch the pan to make sure my fat doesn't get too hot. I then add some flour until I get that consistency right. By that time, I am ready to reduce heat. Then, I will stop watching it closely. After reducing the heat, you need to stir more frequently (watching it) because the pan is still hot. After pan temp decreases, I will just stir it occasionally between other cooking tasks, every five minutes or so. On low heat, I have never come close to burning the roux -- it just browns. I've never used a cast iron skillet to make a roux, but I imagine that using one will increase the tendency to burn and also increase the time for the temp of the pan to reduce after you turn the heat to low, so be careful during that time, until the pan temp gets to low.

I use an enameled cast iron dutch oven for gumbo and a regular cast iron skillet for making gravy for biscuits. I heat the oil on medium high for a few minutes then add the flour and silicon whisk as it sizzles and continue whisking for 5 minutes or so constantly while it goes to peanut butter color. Adjust the heat lower and I swap to a wooden spoon with a bit of a flat edge. Like SJ then I get about chopping and prepping- the mise en place-stiring a few seconds every minute or so. If one wishes google Alton Brown oven roux. It takes 30 or 40 minutes but is fairly foolproof. I tried it and prefer the stove top because I can get it done quick. Many times in cooking there is no one right way to do things..just different techniques. Cook and learn and enjoy

ya'll. Thanks for all your expert advice.

I don't know about it being "expert," but mine is real-life advice.

SUMMER BEER
6 cans of beer (I used Miller High Life)
12oz can of lemonade (or limeade) concentrate
12oz can of vodka (or rum or tequila)

Optional addition:
12oz can of Water, Sprite, Ginger Ale, Tonic or Soda

Thanks so much! This looks like a good drink for Spring Break!

Tonite MrsSvelte had a business Christmas party, so I decided to eat leftovers - the gumbo I made Tuesday. Hey, somebody's got to do it!

I did not make it from scratch, but used a new product by http://www.cajuncjs.com/ which turned out to be just as good as home-made. I like to test out these packaged Cajun products but find most of them to be disappointing, but this C.J.s was really very, very good. I think I'll try out their jambalaya.

I also add okra and corn to my gumbos. Tuesday I used an andouille packed by Veron's, probably the most popular sausage in SE Louisiana. Veron's andouille looks like one of those fake "fire logs" that are sold around this time of year -- its about 2 1/2" in diameter! The Hulk Hogan of andouille. I don't think I've seen Veron's in SoWal, however.