re: Looking for a good brown Jambalaya recipe

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brown jambalaya is not much more than dirty rice.

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EPIC FAIL

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That a Goddamn abomination.

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I hear ya! Totally agree, btw. I use Zatarain's par boiled rice.

I've cooked enough jambalaya to the point that I hardly eat it anymore..lol. For as few as 15 people all the way to 750. So a few tips before I get into the recipe.

1. Figure how many you're cooking for.
2. If it's under 100 people, use a 3:1 ratio. Meaning...for every one pound of rice, use 3 pounds of meat. 100 - 350, go to 2:1. Over 350, go to 1.5:1, unless customer isn't worried about the cost
3. Def use a black iron pot.
4. Buy good smoked sausage from a meat market/smoke house.
5. When possible, use a stock vs plain water.
6. Use par boiled rice (idiot proof)
7. 5lbs of rice = 1 gallon of water

For 50 people you'll need:
1-12qt blk iron pot
4 lb Boston Butt (cubed and fairly lean)
4 lbs smoked sausage (sliced)
4 lbs chicken (cut into bite size)
2 lbs trinity (onions, bell pepper, celery...I buy Guidry's. It's all chopped and combined in one container)
1 pack smoked bacon
4 lbs Zatarain's par boiled rice
1 can rotel
Cajun Seasoning (I use Louisiana)
Onion powder
Garlic salt
1 tbsp crushed garlic
Worchestershire sauce
1 can cream of mushroom
Kitchen bouquet
Crystal Hot sauce
3/4 gallon of chicken stock
12 pk of your fav beer
5 lb bag of ice

Place 12pk in ice chest and cover with ice.

I buy my chicken on the bone, filet and deskin it, put the bones and skin in a pot with onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic, Louisiana seasoning. Add gallon of water. Boil for 30 minutes. Strain. Let stock cool. Set on side.

In da pot, drop in your bacon. Fry it until it's crispy. Take it out. Some people leave the grease in...I don't. It's up to you. Drop in your pork. Season the top with Louisiana (or Tony's), onion powder, garlic salt, worchest sauce, hot sauce. Cook it down. Occasionally, you may have to add a little stock. A sticky bottom is a good thing! Keep cooking until it's tender.

Add sausage. Cook for about 20 minutes. Add chicken. Season chicken just like pork. Cook for 15.

Add trinity and rotel. Cook 10 minutes. Add crushed garlic, crumbled bacon, about 3 tbsp kitchen bouquet and can of cream of mushroom. Cook 10 minutes. Right about now you'll be wishing you had a slice of bread.

Add stock. Let it come to a boil. Taste. Should be a little more seasoned than you like. Adjust to your taste by adding Louisiana, onion powder and garlic salt.

Add par boiled rice. Stir around to make sure it's evenly spread. Let it come to a good boil for about 2 minutes. Shut off fire and cover. Don't open for 30 minutes. After 30 min, uncover and fold bottom to top and tell 'em it's ready to eat. By this time, the 12 pack should be gone if you paced yourself correctly.

I think catmans recipe is pretty solid.


Long grain rice is where its at.

Next time you make it cook the pork until it wants to shred.. Its a nice change to it. Sometimes I like it just tender but lately I have been preferring the pork bits shredded as it reminds me more of those raffle jambalays and gives the rice more of a pork flavor as well.

let me tell you what, though... your's is SPOT ON when it comes to the two most important things: color and rice done-ness. i just added in my "times" and just a few small things.

MONEY

Not really boiling the pork.. Im really braising it.. Maybe I didnt point that out in the recipe.. Im basically browning then adding the water and allowing it to cook until tender for an hour.

yeah, you didn't list it as "brown then braise", that's the only thing i changed. i saw what you were trying to do and it makes sense. really, the times after rice is added are the biggest thing i think.

IMO shrimp do not belong in a jamabalaya.

If I were going to do this, I'd change the seasoning all together , get some saffron and do some sort of Paella type dish.


what ever you do do not over cook the shrimp