What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

Gumbo Guys - What Do You Like? (1 Viewer)

Joe Bryant

Guide
Staff member
I like the gumbo I make. But I don't love it. I think the thing I don't like enough is the broth isn't dark enough. I've already asked Tipsy about this but wanted to ask you guys too. 

Saw this recipe today https://www.saveur.com/maison-premiere-gumbo-recipe?utm_source=internal

It recommends cooking the roux for a full two hours. That's a lot of time to spend stirring. 

You guys have input there on what you like?

This is my current recipe I started with from Cooks Illustrated:

Turkey or Chicken & Sausage Gumbo  (was Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo from Cooks Illustrated)   11/25/2012

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=5286

SERVES 6 TO 8

Making a dark roux can be dangerous. The mixture reaches temperatures in excess of 400 degrees. Therefore, use a deep pot for cooking the roux and long-handled utensils for stirring it, being careful not to splash it on yourself. One secret to smooth gumbo is adding shrimp stock that is neither too hot nor too cold. For a stock that is at the right temperature when the roux is done, start preparing it before the vegetables and other ingredients, strain it, and then give it a head start on cooling by immediately adding ice water and clam juice. So that your constant stirring of the roux will not be interrupted, start the roux only after you've made the stock. Alternatively, you can make the stock well ahead of time and bring it back to room temperature before using it. Gumbo is traditionally served over rice.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 quarts of turkey or chicken stock  

- 1/2cup vegetable oil

1/2cup all-purpose flour (preferably bleached)

2medium onions , chopped fine

1medium red bell pepper , chopped fine

6 ribs celery , chopped fine

10 oz frozen cut okra

6 medium cloves garlic , minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

*** original recipe called for 1teaspoon table salt but hold off until end. Ham adds salt

1TBS Sweet Spicy Love Rub

1 tsp Tony Cachere’s original creole seasoning (cut back from 1 ½ tsp)

2bay leaves

3/4p to 1 pound smoked sausage , such as andouille or kielbasa, sliced 1/4 inch thick (mild) I used Thomas “Raging Cajun” Medium (not hot).  (If no shrimp, use 1.5 packs)

6 oz country ham pieces diced

1 ½ to 2 pounds chopped turkey (mix of white and dark meat) or meat from 1 whole Chicken pulled

1 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined

1/2cup minced fresh parsley leaves (this seems like a lot but it’s not)

4medium scallions , white and green parts, sliced thin

1 teaspoon filé powder (this was in original recipe but I’ve left it out)  (original recipe had 1.5 tsp)

Ground black pepper

⅓ can of Cheerwine

½ lemon

Note: Original recipe had ½ tsp of cayenne pepper but with this Thomas sausage and Tony Cachere’s seasoning, it didn’t need cayenne

INSTRUCTIONS

Warm up 2 quarts of turkey or chicken stock.

2. Heat oil in Dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed sauce-pan over medium-high heat until it registers 200 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in flour gradually with wooden spatula or spoon, working out any small lumps. Continue stirring constantly, reaching into corners of pan, until mixture has a toasty aroma and is deep reddish brown, about the color of an old copper penny or between the colors of milk chocolate and dark chocolate, about 20 minutes. (The roux will thin as it cooks; if it begins to smoke, remove from heat and stir constantly to cool slightly.)  

Use big aluminum pot with lipped edge. On Lanntair Farms house on lower left, keep temp on 8-9 for Kenmore Stove. Use flat edged wood spoon and leather glove. Good idea to cover forearm too.

3. Add onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, thyme, salt, and spices; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables soften, 8 to 10 minutes. Add stock. Increase heat to high; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, skim off foam on surface, add bay leaves, and simmer uncovered, skimming foam as it rises to the surface, about 30 minutes.

In separate cast iron skillet, brown sausage 1 pound at a time. Add to gumbo. Then brown diced country ham. Finish ham in the pan with about ⅓ cup of Cheerwine. Let bubble for a couple of minutes and get a little thicker. Pour into pot. Repeat with ham.

4. Stir in sausage and chicken; continue simmering to blend flavors, about 30 minutes longer. Stir in shrimp; simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Off heat, stir in parsley, scallions, juice of lemon and filé powder. Let rest until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste with salt, ground black pepper, and cayenne; serve.   Often best made a day or two prior. Will take 1 hour to reheat.

For chicken - rotisserie chicken is fine. Or can roast chicken. Put in foil pan and cook at 375 for about 1.5 hours.




24

 
Okra is just straight nasty and is not allowed in my kitchen!  I don’t even remember now where I got the recipe I use, probably epicurious.com.  It’s just basic gumbo, nothing special.  It must be andouille sausage, though, no other kinds.

 
This is what I use from Serious Eats, that's where I get most of my recipes and modify from there.
Thanks. That's pretty close to my recipe. What was the big changes was how much dramatically longer the Saveur recipe posted above cooks the roux. For a full 2 hours over lower heat. That's wild. But their roux also makes for a much darker broth. Thinking I'll try the Alton Brown oven method and see. 

 
This is serious business in the worrierking household. My wife (worrierqueen) is a Cajun on both sides of the family.  She's actually a distant cousin of the aforementioned Tony Chachere.  Use Cajun Smoked sausage, not andouille (that's good for different things). Don't mix seafood gumbo and chicken and sausage gumbo.  They are separate dishes.  Any tomato within four blocks of gumbo means it's creole, not Cajun.  Make your own roux, nothing from a jar allowed.  

Continue.

 
This is serious business in the worrierking household. My wife (worrierqueen) is a Cajun on both sides of the family.  She's actually a distant cousin of the aforementioned Tony Chachere.  Use Cajun Smoked sausage, not andouille (that's good for different things). Don't mix seafood gumbo and chicken and sausage gumbo.  They are separate dishes.  Any tomato within four blocks of gumbo means it's creole, not Cajun.  Make your own roux, nothing from a jar allowed.  

Continue.
Thanks. Can you describe in detail how you make your roux? Ratio of flour to fat? What kind of oil? How long to cook over what temp and how cooked? Thanks.

 
I prefer to use bacon grease and any rendered fat from the sausage to make the roux. Usually cook it hot and fast because slow is too damn slow. If you scorch it, just start over. You can cheat a little on colour with sugar black or kitchen bouquet, but be careful not to alter the taste with too much.You can use jarred dry or wet roux. It's not as good, but its just fat and floor, how bad can it be screwed up? Oven roux is also fine.

I don't use okra.

I use a lot of fresh thyme and some oregano. Onion powder, garlic powder, lots of black pepper. Some I can't belive it's bullion, both chicken and vegetable.

I use shirt grain or sushi rice. It should be very sticky and finished cooking an hour before the gumbo.

Saltines are mandatory. I prefer Zesta brand, but premium or other plain are okay. NO captains or Waverly wafers or Ritz. Just plain crackers

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks. Can you describe in detail how you make your roux? Ratio of flour to fat? What kind of oil? How long to cook over what temp and how cooked? Thanks.
Have your trinity diced and ready. This is critical.

I use 1:1 vegetable oil to flour. Cook over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed pot, whisking constantly. Cook until it's done... you want a dark brick color. It maybe takes 30 minutes but you really just have to judge. Lighter roux results in thicker gumbo with less depth of flavor. Dark brick is your goal. Whisk constantly. Any black bits and you've burnt it and need to start from scratch.

As soon as it hits the right color, kill the heat and stir in trinity to stop the cooking.

I cook my okra separately until it cooks down (probably at least an hour). Sliminess goes away and it just adds its flavor and thickening properties.

 
This is serious business in the worrierking household. My wife (worrierqueen) is a Cajun on both sides of the family.  She's actually a distant cousin of the aforementioned Tony Chachere.  Use Cajun Smoked sausage, not andouille (that's good for different things). Don't mix seafood gumbo and chicken and sausage gumbo.  They are separate dishes.  Any tomato within four blocks of gumbo means it's creole, not Cajun.  Make your own roux, nothing from a jar allowed.  

Continue.
:thumbup:

found that making my own stock from either a smoked turkey or chicken carcass makes a difference.  Also tried bacon grease for my last roux.  Not sure I'd do that again but always like to experiment.  

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I prefer to use bacon grease and any rendered fat from the sausage to make the roux. Usually cook it hot and fast because slow is too damn slow. If you scorch it, just start over. You can cheat a little on colour with sugar black or kitchen bouquet, but be careful not to alter the taste with too much.You can use jarred dry or wet roux. It's not as good, but its just fat and floor, how bad can it be screwed up? Oven roux is also fine.

I don't use okra.

I use a lot of fresh thyme and some oregano. Onion powder, garlic powder, lots of black pepper. Some I can't belive it's bullion, both chicken and vegetable.

I use shirt grain or sushi rice. It should be very sticky and finished cooking an hour before the gumbo.

Saltines are mandatory. I prefer Zesta brand, but premium or other plain are okay. NO captains or Waverly wafers or Ritz. Just plain crackers
Thanks. That's basically how I do it now. Was interested in the original recipe I posted that recommended a two hour cook time for the roux over lower heat. Seems like a TON of time to be standing over the stovetop. 

 
I use one of Emeril’s chicken and sausage gumbo recipes. Use peanut oil at 1 to 1 ratio with flour. Have never heard of cooking roux for 2 hours. Miner is done in less than 20 minutes stirring like crazy to keep from burning it. Always like it better the next day when the flavor deepens.

 
My Roux takes maybe 30 minutes.  I like a dark and thick gumbo.  No Okra.

I have read some folks have microwaved their roux with success.  I may try it just to see how it turns out.

 
Thanks. Can you describe in detail how you make your roux? Ratio of flour to fat? What kind of oil? How long to cook over what temp and how cooked? Thanks.
From worrierqueen:

Use vegetable oil, not Olive or peanut.  Ratio should be around 1 cup flour to 3/4 cup oil, but you can use a little more oil than that. Cast iron is preferred, since it heats slower.

High heat to start, slowly backing off to medium when the color gets light brown.  Keep it medium to medium low until it really gets dark brown. This can take an hour.

 
From worrierqueen:

Use vegetable oil, not Olive or peanut.  Ratio should be around 1 cup flour to 3/4 cup oil, but you can use a little more oil than that. Cast iron is preferred, since it heats slower.

High heat to start, slowly backing off to medium when the color gets light brown.  Keep it medium to medium low until it really gets dark brown. This can take an hour.
Thanks. I think taking roux to a darker color is the one thing I need to change. At the lower heat of medium or medium low, does it still require you to constantly scrape or stir? I think that's what I'm getting at - not having to stand for a full hour stirring constantly. 

Does she have any thought on the Alton Brown method of cooking the roux in the oven? I'm guessing that will be frowned upon. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks. I think taking roux to a darker color is the one thing I need to change. At the lower heat of medium or medium low, does it still require you to constantly scrape or stir? I think that's what I'm getting at - not having to stand for a full hour stirring constantly. 

Does she have any thought on the Alton Brown method of cooking the roux in the oven? I'm guessing that will be frowned upon. 
She's never heard of the Alton Brown method.  

She says she can get away with 30-40 minutes but prefers 1 hour and yes, stir the whole time (except when you take a sip of wine).

Basically she does what her mother does.  Don't mess with Ville Platte tradition!

 
We won a gumbo cookoff with a microwave roux.  Works great.  
I keep hearing great things about it.  Going to have to give it a try.

Joe this is a no-no in my neck of the woods but if you want a darker color a little kitchen bouquet will help but in my opinion still doesn’t add the right flavor.

For those of you non purists you can pickup up a jar of pre - made roux.  I have a jar I keep if I don’t have a ton of time for prep and feel like a quicker bowl.  https://www.savoiesfoods.com/savoies-products/

 
A few more resources:

John Folse has some great books.  http://www.jfolse.com/fr_rouxs.htm

River road recipes: General Cajun recipes. https://www.amazon.com/River-Road-Recipes-Textbook-Louisiana/dp/0961302682/ref=nodl_

Talk about good: General Cajun recipes.  https://www.amazon.com/Cookbook-Louisiana-Lafayette-Junior-League/dp/0935032029/ref=nodl_

Tons of good recipes here. https://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/food-and-drink/latest-edition-of-fandd-board-recipe-collection-available-here-links/75104821/

Also when researching it there is Cajun vs Creole.  Creole typically has tomatoes.  Cajun does not.  I prefer Cajun style.

 
Thanks. I think taking roux to a darker color is the one thing I need to change. At the lower heat of medium or medium low, does it still require you to constantly scrape or stir? I think that's what I'm getting at - not having to stand for a full hour stirring constantly. 

Does she have any thought on the Alton Brown method of cooking the roux in the oven? I'm guessing that will be frowned upon. 
Back in the restaurant days, we used to toast the flour in a sheet pan in the oven to save time. No harm in it and it works well.You can do it very low 9Maybe 225) and it takes a long time, but hardly any chance of it getting away from you and scorching.  You still need to stir it now and again to taost the flour evenly. The gumbo still needs the fat for flavor, though.

For jarred roux, I feel the texture can be a bit slimy of you do not boil the roux in the stock on high for at least an hour (then add the seared sausage, and sauteed bp, celery and onions just to thoroughly heat. If you cook the chicken very long, it gets stringy and I hate that.

 
I have tried the baked method before and agree.  I tried whole wheat flour one time and it came out ok also.

Agree on the jarred and chicken.  

 
For those that don't use okra, maybe you should call it soup instead.

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gumbo

Gumbo

dervived from the west african word "gombo" for okra; a stew comprised of the holy trinity in cajun/creole cooking (onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes) cajun spices, okra, bay leaves, and a variety of meats (sausage, chicken, and seafood) and served with rice.
If slimy gumbo is right, I wanna be wrong.

Okra is best as a side dish, pan-fried in oil with garlic and seeded tomatoes, not boiled .

 
Always like it better the next day when the flavor deepens.
This is one of the secrets to making killer gumbo in quantity for an event -- give it an overnight in the fridge.

...

Sacrilege: Fiddling around with the roux is overrated. Getting it dark brick/dirty penny color might taste a little better, but it's not a night-and-day difference from either (a) peanut-butter colored roux or (b) oven roux.

Sacrilege II: The type of sausage barely matters, so long as it doesn't have a firm, tough casing. Throw in whatever type you like.

 
Does she have any thought on the Alton Brown method of cooking the roux in the oven? I'm guessing that will be frowned upon. 
You could make one pot with oven roux (or even microwave roux, as mentioned above) and one pot with from-scratch roux lovingly stirred for two hours. People will scarf down both with equal abandon, and the difference will be negligible.

 
You could make one pot with oven roux (or even microwave roux, as mentioned above) and one pot with from-scratch roux lovingly stirred for two hours. People will scarf down both with equal abandon, and the difference will be negligible.
Our add two spoons of kitchen bouquet to one pot and everyone will say that one tastes better. Not because it tastes different, but  because it's so much darker

 
This is one of the secrets to making killer gumbo in quantity for an event -- give it an overnight in the fridge.

...

Sacrilege: Fiddling around with the roux is overrated. Getting it dark brick/dirty penny color might taste a little better, but it's not a night-and-day difference from either (a) peanut-butter colored roux or (b) oven roux.

Sacrilege II: The type of sausage barely matters, so long as it doesn't have a firm, tough casing. Throw in whatever type you like.
Disagree on sausage choice. There are lots of bad sausages out there, the further you get from Louisiana.

 
For me, I've found the the biggest thing you can do with regard to the type of sausage is fry it before adding to the gumbo. Makes a world of difference compared to not doing this. Without browning, it feels like boiled sausage. I guess because that's what it is. 
Absolutely. Big difference

 
For me, I've found the the biggest thing you can do with regard to the type of sausage is fry it before adding to the gumbo. Makes a world of difference compared to not doing this. Without browning, it feels like boiled sausage. I guess because that's what it is. 
Last recipe I used called for the sausage to go into the roux before the trinity.  I was skeptical but went ahead.  Not sure I'd do that again either. 

 
Mister CIA said:
For those that don't use okra, maybe you should call it soup instead.

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gumbo

Gumbo

dervived from the west african word "gombo" for okra; a stew comprised of the holy trinity in cajun/creole cooking (onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes) cajun spices, okra, bay leaves, and a variety of meats (sausage, chicken, and seafood) and served with rice.
Except the trinity is celery, not tomatoes. 

I'll pass on Urban Dictionary's definition here.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I've asked several people who would know and they all have said 2 hours seems just stupid. 
I agree a roux is a roux. Don`t see how much more flavor will be developed in 2 hours over one hour or even 30 minutes. I have seen chefs on TV whip up a roux in 10-15 minutes.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Love gumbo. Eaten it all over NOLA and the deep south. Mr. B's in the French Quarter has some of the best, it is a very dark super rich roux.

There was also a cajun restaurant in Destin that had an awesome duck gumbo, loaded with duck breast and even a hard boiled duck egg in every bowl (790 on the Gulf). Delish!

 
Love gumbo. Eaten it all over NOLA and the deep south. Mr. B's in the French Quarter has some of the best, it is a very dark super rich roux.

There was also a cajun restaurant in Destin that had an awesome duck gumbo, loaded with duck breast and even a hard boiled duck egg in every bowl (790 on the Gulf). Delish!
Some of my people would add eggs to the gumbo to hard boil while it cooked. Its okay, but not something I do very often at all. 

Same with potato salad. Its pretty commonly served as a side, but for me its only rice and saltine crackers.

 
Some of my people would add eggs to the gumbo to hard boil while it cooked. Its okay, but not something I do very often at all. 

Same with potato salad. Its pretty commonly served as a side, but for me its only rice and saltine crackers.
Potato salad is a great substitute for the rice.  Many around here only eat it that way.  

 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top