BOUDIN LINK RECIPES

Steps:

• Combine pork, liver, vegetables and seasonings in a bowl. Cover, refrigerate and marinate for 1 hour or overnight. Place mixture in a large pot and cover the meat with water (by 1 to 2 inches). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the meat is tender, about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
• Remove pot from the heat and strain, reserving the liquid. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then put the solids through a meat grinder set on coarse grind. (Or chop with a knife.).
• Place the meat in a large bowl. With a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, mix in rice, parsley, scallions and the reserved cooking liquid. Stir vigorously for 5 minutes. (Mixture will look very wet, and it's spicy. After poaching, the rice absorbs the moisture and much of the spice.).
• At this point, you can feed the sausage into the casings. Poach the links gently in hot (not bubbling) water for about 10 minutes, then serve. Alternatively, use the mixture as stuffing for chicken, or roll it into boudin balls, dredge in bread crumbs, and fry in hot oil until golden brown.
• *Curing salt contains sugar, nitrates and agents that help preserve the meat. Regular salt cannot be substituted.

Steps:

• Place the pork shoulder, celery, onion, garlic, bell pepper, and salt into a large pot. Cover with 2 inches of water, bring to a boil and then turn down the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour. After an hour, add the chicken liver to the pot and continue to cook for 45 more minutes or until the pork is tender.
• Strain the meat and vegetables, reserving the liquid. Finely dice the meat and vegetables with a knife, in a food processor or in a meat grinder set for a coarse grind. Once diced, place meat and vegetables in a bowl.
• Add to the bowl the cooked rice, jalapeños, thyme, oregano, paprika, green onions parsley, black pepper, and cayenne. Stir in 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid and combine until the filling is moist and slightly sticky. If it appears too dry, add more of the reserved liquid. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.
• To stuff into casings for sausage, first rinse the outside of the casing and then place it in a bowl of water for 30 minutes to soften. Drain the soaking water and then rinse the inside of the casing by placing one end on the kitchen faucet, turn the water on low and allow it to flow through the casing. The casing will blow up like a balloon—this is fine.
• Lightly oil the stuffing horn on your sausage stuffer with vegetable oil. Tie a knot at one end of the casing. Take the other end and gently slide the entire casing onto the horn, leaving the knot plus an additional 4 inches hanging off the end of the horn.
• Place the filling into the feeder and push it through until it starts to fill the casing. Go slowly at first and note that you’ll need to massage the casing as the meat goes through it so it fills the casing evenly.
• Once you’ve filled the casing, to form links, pinch it every 5 inches and then twist it until it’s secure. You can then cut the casing to form individual sausages.
• To cook, poke holes into the casing then then poach in boiling water for 10 minutes. You can also grill or smoke the boudin.
• Alternatively, you can either serve the filling as a dressing, or you can roll it into walnut-sized balls, dip into finely crushed crackers and fry in 350 degree oil for 2 minutes or until brown to make boudin balls.