Boiling a second sack

You should not have to add any water


I would add 1/2 - 2/3 of the seasonings you put in the original boil to the second boil

quote:

---

100 quart pot.

---

Depending how big the sacks and your basket are, you can almost fit 2 sacks (100qt will reliably handle 1.5 sacks). You can check to see if you can do 2. Fill your basket with all the crawfish and see if they fit. If they do, put them in the pot and then fill the pot with water to completely cover them and make sure you still have a little buffer room at the top of the pot for boil over. If you do, you can do the 2 sacks at 1 time.

Other than that, the general rule of thumb is 1/2 the amount of seasoning that you used for the 1st boil.. Some people put a little less than 1/2 in the second boil because they don't do potatoes, corn, etc. in that boil so that doesn't soak up the seasoning. Some people like to use more than 1/2 because they want the second batch to be really spicy, its just personal preference at that point.

I use 1/2 the amount of seasoning and they come out great.

Make sure you clean your crawfish really well when cooking multiple sacks. The water should be clear before you put them in the pot.

I just asked Grok this question:

If I'm boiling 30 lbs of crawfish in water, along with 4 large yellow onions, 3 pounds of smoked sausage, 20 red potatoes, and 15 half ears of corn, how much additional liquid is added to the water from all of those ingredients?

It gave me this:

quote:

---

To estimate the additional liquid contributed by the ingredients (30 lbs crawfish, 4 large yellow onions, 3 lbs smoked sausage, 20 red potatoes, and 15 half ears of corn) to the boiling water, we need to consider the water content of each ingredient. The liquid added comes primarily from the water released by these ingredients as they cook. Here’s the step-by-step calculation based on approximate water content percentages and weights.
Assumptions and Approximations
Water content percentages (based on standard food composition data):
Crawfish: ~80% water (whole crawfish, including shells, but only edible parts and some trapped water contribute significantly).

Yellow onions: ~89% water.

Smoked sausage: ~50% water (varies by type, but smoked sausages typically have lower water content due to curing).

Red potatoes: ~80% water.

Corn (half ears): ~76% water (fresh corn on the cob).

Weight conversions:
Crawfish: 30 lbs (whole, but only a portion is edible; assume ~50% of weight contributes water due to shells and inedible parts).

Onions: 4 large onions, ~0.5 lb each, so 4 × 0.5 = 2 lbs.

Smoked sausage: 3 lbs.

Red potatoes: 20 potatoes, ~0.5 lb each (medium-sized), so 20 × 0.5 = 10 lbs.

Corn: 15 half ears, ~0.25 lb each (1 full ear ~0.5 lb), so 15 × 0.25 = 3.75 lbs.

Liquid yield: Not all water content is released into the boiling water (some is retained or evaporates). Assume ~50% of the water content is released as liquid during boiling, based on typical cooking behavior.

Density: The released liquid is mostly water, so 1 lb of water ˜ 0.12 gallons (1 lb water = 0.1198 gallons).

Step-by-Step Calculation
Crawfish:
Weight: 30 lbs.

Effective weight for water content: 30 × 0.5 = 15 lbs (accounting for shells).

Water content: 15 × 0.80 = 12 lbs.

Liquid released: 12 × 0.5 = 6 lbs.

Volume: 6 × 0.12 = 0.72 gallons.

Yellow Onions:
Weight: 2 lbs.

Water content: 2 × 0.89 = 1.78 lbs.

Liquid released: 1.78 × 0.5 = 0.89 lbs.

Volume: 0.89 × 0.12 = 0.107 gallons.

Smoked Sausage:
Weight: 3 lbs.

Water content: 3 × 0.50 = 1.5 lbs.

Liquid released: 1.5 × 0.5 = 0.75 lbs.

Volume: 0.75 × 0.12 = 0.09 gallons.

Red Potatoes:
Weight: 10 lbs.

Water content: 10 × 0.80 = 8 lbs.

Liquid released: 8 × 0.5 = 4 lbs.

Volume: 4 × 0.12 = 0.48 gallons.

Corn (Half Ears):
Weight: 3.75 lbs.

Water content: 3.75 × 0.76 = 2.85 lbs.

Liquid released: 2.85 × 0.5 = 1.425 lbs.

Volume: 1.425 × 0.12 = 0.171 gallons.

Total Liquid Added:
Total volume: 0.72 + 0.107 + 0.09 + 0.48 + 0.171 = 1.588 gallons.

Rounded: ~1.59 gallons.

Considerations
Evaporation: During boiling, some released liquid may evaporate, but crawfish boils typically retain much of the liquid in the pot due to the short cooking time and large volume.

Trapped water: Crawfish may have water trapped in shells, but this is accounted for in the 50% effective weight assumption.

Variability: Water content and release depend on ingredient freshness, size, and cooking method. The 50% release assumption is conservative to avoid overestimation.

Final Answer
The ingredients add approximately 1.59 gallons of additional liquid to the boiling water.

---

Also, adding 10lbs of ice bumps that final amount up to almost 3 gallons, or 12 quarts of liquid. So if you are boiling in an 80 qt pot, half full of water at the start, you are adding almost 1/3 additional liquid that is basically water. This is why you need to add more seasoning, and most people also like their 2nd batches more spicy.