re: Crawfish Boil Q's

I just found out that two of the wives don't eat anything that lives in water. The other thinks we're nuts for eating crawfish. It might only be five of us eating them.

Admittedly you have a beginner trying here.... But my wife and I are not big people - and can wipe 15 lbs pretty quickly. A couple key steps in your boiling process to assist in enjoyment.

-agree with no salt on purge. Notthat big of a deal. Wash them in the ice chest until the water running out is clear

-June is really late in the season, so you will need to boil them a little longer / shells will be hard. I would boil several minutes after crawfish are in and it returns to a boil.

-use liquid and dry seasonings, add a cup of salt (dont listen to those that say dont - good ratio for a 35 lb sack is 8 cups dry, cup or 2 salt, large bottle liquid - in minnesota, i would skip adding cayenne). 15 lbs u can prolly cut in half

-when you are ready to cut fire off, add a stick of butter and/tbsp vinegar.... This will aid in the meat sliding out of the shell.

-when u cut the fire, add your frozen corn and dump a bag of ice in the pot - this will help cool down the water and slow the crawfish from cooking. Simply cutting off the propane will still result n hot water. Overcooked crawfish are no good.

-some will argue, but I let mine soak 30-45 min depending on how spicy I want them. If u cool the water down enough, they can soak a long while. I test a few at 20 & 30 minutes)

-if u get them the day before, prop open the ice chest, put sack in chest, open plug, lay bag of ice or 2 on sack, cover with a towel. They will live a day or 2 this way - if not in the sun. Do not cut the bag open until u are ready to cook

I'm sure you've had plenty of people tell you how to cook them so I won't bother with that.

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I'm planning on ordering them from Lousiana Crawfish Company

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good company, probably basin crawfish right now

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Can we get them delivered on Friday and keep them alive for a day? If so, how?

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No
We do it down here but I wouldn't risk it on crawfish that have been shipped...you don't know when they were caught.

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Is it possible to do the boil over a wood fire pit?

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No it's not

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By the way, I've never heard anyone say "doncha know

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Dude I love Minnesota and used to spend about a month there every year when I was in the auto industry. The Luther & Walser auto groups where good customers of mine. Loved going up there, surprisingly it's a great foodie area and the state fair is awesome. I did hear "dontcha know" as shite ton. Believe me being from south LA we had many funny conversations when I would visit.

I had some crawfish this past weekend. They weren't great but not bad either. I don't really know when crawfish season stops and ends anymore. Went to my first boil on NYE and went to one this weekend. Guess the season is half the year now. When you cook them the key is soaking. Once they float they are done. You want to quickly get the temp of the water down so you can start the soak. I like to throw frozen corn in and spray they pot down with a hose.. The longer they soak the spicier they will be. Try them every five minutes or so to get the taste you want. Also I know you guys got some good wild game sausages up there. Throw some of that in the pot along with some mushrooms and garlic for the ladies who don't eat crawfish.

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Posted by bossflossjr Put sausage, corn, potatoes, garlic, onions, & mushrooms in ur boil.

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I forgot to mention that I was planning on this. There is a little butcher shop a few miles away which has the best smoked sausage ever. I'll add everything you mentioned.

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When you cook them the key is soaking. Once they float they are done.

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The video I watched said that when they sink, they are done?

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They are probably fresher than the crawfish that most get in any retail setting. They come straight from wholesaler and brought to airport for same day or next morning ship.

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In a perfect world yes but that rarely happens

dead crawfish aren't really a big problem this time of year anyway