Boudin is a staple in Cajun cuisine. Meat, vegetables, and rice come together to make a delicious sausage that can be eaten anywhere and anytime.
Although Boudin is usually found in a casing, it can also be served up into fried boudin balls, as a burger patty, stuffed into a bell pepper or in pistolettes. So if you don’t have a sausage stuffer, don’t worry. You can still enjoy this delicious charcuterie a multitude of different ways.
I do want to talk about the liver in this recipe real quick. Traditional boudin uses pork liver (always fresh never frozen). If you are not accustomed to the flavor of pork liver in a sausage it can seem a little strong so I took the liberty of easing you into the delicious world of boudin by substituting the pork liver with chicken liver. Chicken liver is milder and will still deliver that beautiful deep south flavor that boudin is known for. Regardless of the liver that you use, be sure it’s fresh. Liver that’s been frozen has a flavor that’s magnified and can easily overpower a dish.
Enjoy the video and the recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask away. If you make this at home I’d love to hear about how it came out!!
Here are a few things you might find useful when making Boudin
- High Quality Natural Casings (AA Grade)
- MK4 Thermapen (Accurate Thermometer)
- Knives for processing meat
- Precision Scale For measuring Spices
- Large Capacity Scale for weighing meat
- 10qt Slow Cooker
- #12 Economical Meat Grinder
- #22 Meat Grinders
- Sausage Stuffers
- Smokers
- Cold Smoke Generator
- Custom Cutting Board (Use discount code 2GUYS15 at checkout for a sweet discount)
If you want to see the different things that we use in operation our be sure to check out our new Amazon Store.
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Cajun Smoked Boudin & Boudin Balls
Ingredients
- 2270 g Pork Shoulder Bone in or boneless is fine
- 454 g chicken liver use fresh liver not frozen and soak it for 2 hours in cool water then diced
- 651 g white onion chopped
- 392 g green bell pepper chopped
- 375 g celery chopped
- 80 g garlic minced
- 300 g chopped green onion tops divided
- 13 g dried parsley
- 30 g kosher salt
- 7 g black pepper
- 24 g Cajun Seasoning or to taste
- 5 g cayenne pepper optional if you want it spicy
- 15 cups cooked white rice you might not need it all but it’s better to have a little extra
- enough chicken stock to cover the meat and vegetables by 1 inch
Instructions
- Season the pork shoulder with Creole seasoning and place in a zip lock or vacuum sealed bag overnight in the fridge.
- The next day take the shoulder out and sear all sides on a hot cast iron skillet with a little oil. Once seared place the shoulder in a slow cooker or a medium size pot.
- In the same skillet sauté the onions, bell peppers, and celery. Add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to help draw out some moisture and cook till soft. Add the garlic and 1/2 the chopped green onions. Cook for a few minutes more.
- Add the diced liver to the vegetables and cook a few minutes more. Once finished remove from heat and add to the crock pot or pot that the pork shoulder is in.
- Add enough chicken stock to cover the ingredients by 1 inch, then add your seasonings. Let it cook on low covered for 3-5 hours till your pork is falling off the bone.
- Once finished separate the liquid from the meat and veggies. Debone your pork and run the pork meat and the vegetables through a 6mm grinder plate.
- In a large bowl add your ground meat mixture, the rest of your green onions, all the parsley, and rice (I like a 50/50 mix of rice and meat)
- Add 1/2 cup at a time of reserved pork broth till the mixture begins to come together and starts to get sticky. I think I added between 3 and 3.5 cups of liquid but every batch is different. Taste for any seasoning adjustment. You might need a little Cajun seasoning or cayenne pepper at this step..
For Boudin Balls
- For Boudin Balls grab a small handful of the boudin mix and roll into a tight ball. dredge it through some seasoned flour and dunk it into a whisked egg mixture. Finally roll it in some Panko Bread crumbs and set to the side. Fry the balls in 350f oil till golden brown on the outside.
For Smoked Boudin
- Stuff this mix into a sausage casing and hang them in your smoker. at 225F let it smoke for 1 hour then brush the outside of the casing with a little olive oil. After 3 hours of smoking your smoked boudin is finished.
For Steamed Boudin
- Stuff this mix into a sausage casing and hang them in your smoker. Place in a steamer basket and steam for 10 minutes. Serve hot with crackers
To freeze boudin
- Vacuum seal the boudin and freeze for 6-9 months
Hi Eric, any chance you can give us the seasonings (especially kosher salt) in grams like the rest of the recipe? Definitely want to try to make this but always hesitant when I can’t be precise. Sorry for being a bother and hope you have a great day!
No worries.. Consider it done!!
Is five tablespoons cayenne pepper for 2.2 kg correct? That seems like an awful lot.
LOL. It should read in grams. Thanks for catching that. That would have been one spicy boudin!!
Some like it hot… 😉
I haven’t been able to find fresh chicken liver but I can find frozen. Is there a way to diminish the flavour of frozen liver? Soak for longer or maybe soak in a different liquid?
Thank you sir! One question, do you put the three tablespoons of chicken broth in without water? Then add the water until it covers it one inch? Thank you again, I smoke a lot of bbq, and sausage is my next step and this was an the top of my list😃
I’ve rewritten the recipe to make it easier to understand. Just add chicken stock till it covers the meat/vegetables by 1 inch.
What cajun seasoning do you use?
Any will work. I make a version of the Emeril Lagasse’s “Essence”
Can you share your cajun seasoning recipe?
Sure. It’s Emeril’s essence: https://www.emerils.com/120057/emerils-essence-creole-seasoning
I would to know what type of smoker you are using and the time smoked. I’ll be using a wood pellet smoker.
I’m using a smoking it smoker #4d (wifi). I smoked for about 3 hours
I haven’t been able to find fresh chicken liver but I can find frozen. Is there a way to diminish the flavour of frozen liver? Soak for longer or maybe soak in a different liquid?
Chicken liver is pretty mild. It’s not like pork liver. I think frozen chicken liver would be ok for this recipe..
I have used some grocery store chicken livers, almost certain they were previously frozen, and it turned out alright. I am going to try making some more when I get the right equipment. I certainly want to get an electric sausage stuffer to make things easier.
Love it!!!! How did you like the flavor?
Hi Eric, I love watching your YouTube videos and how you explain the whole process of making sausage. I am looking for an inexpensive, but good quality electric sausage stuffer. Can you give some suggestions?
That’s a tough one. The main issue with sausage stuffers is the gears and the support rods. Lots of sellers in the US, sell relabeled Chinese stuffers that use poor quality gears and support rods. This is usually not a problem unless you plan on doing snack sticks. Snack Sticks put A LOT of stress on a stuffer. I got mine for The Sausage MAker and I think they added a newer, lower priced model to their line. https://tinyurl.com/yf552yrc
Hope that helps.
I so enjoy watching your videos, very educational. I too live in south Louisiana, in Lake Charles. I have used your boudin recipe and it is wonderful. Have you ever posted a beef sausage recipe? If so, can you repost it, and if not can you do one. I already use a recipe from another youtube chef, but I would definitely like to see your take on beef sausage.
Thank You
Excellent. I’ll be sure to make on. I typically use pork for most of my sausages. I grew up in Sulphur!
I have made this twice now and love it. the second batch I had saved all the strained extra liquid stock, so instead of using chicken stock I just used the leftover stock.
I have learned so much from all your sausage video. I love them and hope you keep making them.