Gumbo

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 05:05:06 GMT

Step 1

Chop up the veggies. A lot of people use a whole bell pepper, but bell pepper will take a dish hostage and not even negotiate, so I usually stick with half a pepper, but there is nothing wrong with chopping a whole one and adding to taste as you cook and freezing the rest. Use as much onion and celery as your preference. Just give 'em a decent dice up.

Step 2

Now, with chicken, I prefer dark meat for gumbo because it's all about the flavor, but it doesn't matter honestly. Just make sure there's plenty for everyone, extra for leftovers and any guests who might drop in. Hell, a whole cut up chicken works as well.

Step 3

Cut your sausage in bite-sized pieces. Peel your shrimp if you're using some.

Step 4

Also, you can turn just about any meat into a gumbo. I've had turkey gumbo, squirrel gumbo, seafood gumbo, you name it. This is just the most common.

Step 5

The Roux:

Step 6

The Roux is capitalized because without it you just have a weird soup.

Step 7

I suggest a big ass soup pot, even if it seems too big it probably ain't big enough. There is no such thing a little gumbo. The Roux is the most time consuming and fidgety bit, but it really is worth making it yourself because everyone has a different preference for the color which affects the taste.

Step 8

Before you start your Roux, put some or all of your stock on to heat in another pot. You don't necessarily have to get it to boiling, but if it does boil, turn it down so you can keep it hot, but not boil it away. It has to be hot because when you add the liquid to the super hot Roux, if it is cold it will instantly boil over.

Step 9

Get a stool or a chair near the stove. Put something on the radio or the telly. Trust me. Now, in your main pot toss in a stick of butter and get it melted down. Use medium high heat. Once it's melted, throw in about a cup or so of flour and start stirring. It will be a crumbly mess at first but get it good and mixed together, if it seems too dry you can add more butter or just for the sake of ease you can add some vegetable or canola oil. As you stir it will all start to come together and will look like pancake batter and get all bubbly. You want to keep it at that simmering bubbly stage. You may have to adjust the heat to more medium to medium high. Either way, you don't want it too hot. Throw in a couple of more handfuls of flour and stir it in and maybe add a bit of oil to even it out. Get it back to the bubbly stage. When you have a decent thickness at the bottom of your pot don't worry about adding more and just keep stirring, making sure to stir it completely because if any starts to burn you have to start over.

Step 10

Keep stirring.

Step 11

Seriously.

Step 12

It can take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes.

Step 13

SUDDENLY, as if by a miracle, it will start changing from beige to a peanut butter brown and eventually to a chocolate brown. The darker the Roux the richer the flavor. Once it starts changing it happens pretty quick.

Step 14

When you get it just about to that nice, chocolate-y brown, make sure your heat is about medium, then throw in your veggies and keep stirring for a couple of more minutes. This is when you can also throw in your garlic and put a good helping of Tony Chachere's.

Step 15

After a couple of minutes to kind of tenderize the veggies, carefully pour in your stock while stirring. It will clump up but those melt eventually. If you only heated up half your stock, then it's safe to throw the rest in now.

Step 16

Add more Tony's and the rest of your seasonings. Toss in your chicken and sausage (and turkey neck if you have one). Add more stock or water if you need to. It is basically a stew consistency. Give it all a good stir, cover, and bring it up to a nice burble. Once there, stir it some more, add any more seasoning you want, lower the heat a bit, cover. You know you'll have it at the right heat because it won't try to boil over. Let me tell ya, that shit boils over easy and quick and cleaning it is a pain and if it dries on your stove it takes a chisel and a lot of cussing to get it off. Just let it burble to itself stirring occasionally for at least an hour. Technically it's done when the chicken is, but like any kind of stew or soup, it gets better the longer you cook it.

Step 17

A word on the optionals: Shrimp for some reason makes the whole thing just POP. It is not necessary, but it is nice. Add it towards the end. The turkey neck also adds a richness to it. Again. Optional. Okra...well, a lot of people say it's not gumbo without okra, but if you don't wash it right and dry it then add it, it makes the gumbo slimy and you end up scooping slime off the top for an hour. It's awesome with okra, but mind that and add it last if'n you wanna.

Step 18

It can get a bit oily as it cooks, just skim some off if you need to.

Step 19

When you taste it and it makes ya wanna dance, cook up your rice.

Step 20

Serve your gumbo over the rice as dry or as soupy as you want. Eat until ya wanna pop.

Step 21

Keeps beautiful in the fridge or freezer and always tastes better the next day and you can add more meat if you want to.

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