LowlandBoyz, Help With Gumbo

I heat my roux on 350 in the oven while I chop the meats and veggies. Finish the roux on the stove on medium to medium high heat, and it’ll take no time at all. Just make sure to stir it up in the oven every 20 minutes.

Make sure your stock is boiling when you add the roux. Add the roux a spoonful at a time to the boiling stock. Let it dissolve before adding the next scoop. It will ensure your roux doesn’t separate.

Time... take your time. Let it cook. Is probably the best advice I could give someone new.

If it's your first time and you want to try and make a roux... have a back up plan of jarred roux. About a 1:1 ratio of flour to oil. Takes about 3-4 beers on low heat on my gas range. I do mine in one of my black pots. Stirring regularly. Once you start to smell it (you will know what I mean) pay attention and stir constantly and keep an eye on it. I like mine dark. Keep in mind, it will darken up more if you let it sit after done. Find a besh or folse recipe if you need some guidance. Too much stuff to type. But here is some info.... I'm from Acadia Parish and this is how I learned from my great grandmother for the most part.

Good andouille and bone in chicken (a hen if you can find one). Use fresh veges (trinity) and brown your chicken hard. Use good stock or make your own. Once you brown the chicken take it out. Cook the gravy for a couple hours with the andouille in it. Tasting as you go for seasoning. Season everything... veges, chicken and your gravy. After a couple hours add you chicken and cook till it's done.

Cook your roux separate. After browning the chicken fast and hard take it out and add the veges. Once they cook a bit add the roux, combining it. After a bit of stirring add the stock and go from there. Again, find a besh or folse recipe and use it as a guide.

I'm not very good with recipes, but a gumbo is something I do well. So, I apologize for being all over the place. I did place on stage (overall) in a decent size gumbo cookoff this year. Just trying to give a little advice. Again, take your time... drink some beers and let that fricker cook.

In the thread below are several posts on gumbo including one of mine on using Paul Prudhomme's recipe as a base or completely depending on what meats you'd like to use. His "fried chicken" gumbo has a great flavor.

If you want to try an oven roux rather than a stovetop roux, you can still do that with the fried chicken oil. Just incorporate the flour and oil well with a whisk and put it in the oven on 350 or 375. It's nearly impossible to burn it and easy to get it as dark as you would like if you're not used to using the stovetop method. Taste is exactly the same. You simply stir it periodically while you're prepping other things. It's takes a little while for it to start browning, so there's no urgency in stirring. It cooks pretty evenly since it's not directly over the heat.

LINK /

I'm assuming that's 3 or 4 Cornish hens not 75% of one. I would smoke those and debone, make a stock with the bones. If you really want to trick it up roast those bones in the oven for an hour then make the stock. Might want to ditch the shrimp if your wanting to please any hardcore coonasses that may have stumbled upon Rocky Top. Follow most any recipe above for the rest.

Nice. Thanks guys