Shrimp & Andouille Jambalaya

For the Andouille:

2.5# pork lean trim

1# pork back fat

1 oz. kosher salt

1 T. fresh ground black pepper

1 T. chopped garlic

2 t. dried thyme

2 t. cayenne pepper

2 bay leaves, ground

¾ C. red wine

10 feet of natural hog casings, well rinsed and soaked in tepid water for 30 minutes.

NOTE: For general sausage making tips, and more recipes, buy my book.

Process pork trim and fat into 2-3 inch cubes, then mix with the seasonings and open freeze on a baking sheet for 1 hour, along with the moving parts of your meat grinder.

Grind everything through the coarse plate, re-grind half of the mix, and then pan fry a patty of the ground sausage to taste it. Adjust seasonings before stuffing the sausage into hog casings. Pat stuffed sausages as dry as possible and place in the refrigerator while you prepare the smoker to 140-200F.

Smoke the sausages until the internal temperature reaches 140F. Remove from smoker, rinse immediately with cold water, and set aside to rest.
 

For the Jambalaya:

1 pound of shrimp, cleaned and de-veined (shells saved for stock)

1 whole celery bunch, chopped (butt saved for stock)

2 sweet onions, chopped (skins saved for stock)

2 C. cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

2 t. celery salt

1 t. cayenne pepper

fat from cooked Andouille

4-5 garlic cloves, sliced thin (papers saved for stock)

1 pint of shishito peppers, chopped (stems saved for stock)

1 beer (we used a black IPA that my man was already sipping on)

2 C. white basmati rice

chopped parsley (stems saved for stock)

thyme

sweet paprika

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper

Peel the shrimp (put the shells in a stock pot), combine the shrimp meat with the onions, some garlic, thyme, salt and pepper, and the beer, and refrigerate while you deal with everything else.

Chop all the veggies and place their scrap parts in the stock pot with the shrimp shells. Pour cold water over everything and set it over high heat while you prep everything else.

In a casserole pan, roast  (approx. 350F) the celery, sliced garlic, and cherry tomatoes with the celery seed, thyme, sweet paprika, and some salt and black pepper. Dump the delicious fat from your sausage test into the casserole, mix everything around to coat the veggies well.

Since we were smoking Andouille anyway, we threw the chopped shishito into some loose foil with some garlic and a tiny bit of the onion and smoked the peppers. When they are soft but not mushy, and nice and smoky, take them off the smoker and set them aside.

Strain the seafood stock into a large measuring cup, then add water to create 4 C. of liquid.

As the veggies are roasting and/or smoking, put the rice in a pot with the seafood stock, and bring just to a boil. Drop in bay leaves, put a lid on the pot, and reduce the heat to low to allow the rice to cook through.

Slice the andouille into 1inch rounds, and throw them in the casserole with the roasting veggies.

In a deep cast iron, melt some butter, and then quickly cook the shrimp. Add the vegetables from their roasting pan, the rice, and any remaining stock, and cook everything together for a few moments. Salt and pepper to taste, and remove bay leaves before serving.

We ate this with leftover eggplant croquettes and some hot sauce.