The Outdoor Kitchen Show | home
Mickey's jambalaya
Now, everybody's got their own way of doing jambalaya. This is Mickey LeMoine's formula. He uses an antique, cast iron #25 pot. It holds between 18-20 gallons of liquid.
Formula: (For 20 pounds rice)
Meat = rice x 2
Onions = rice x 3/4
Sausage = rice x 1/2
Liquid = 1 gallon per 5 lbs rice
Bell pepper, celery, garlic, Season-Um-Up to taste
Tomato sauce, pork drippings, chicken base optional
Recipe from the show:
30 pounds pork "temple" meat (Ask the butcher at Ralph's for "jambalaya" pork)
15 pounds chopped onions
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 - 1 cup minced garlic
cajun seasoning to taste (Mickey used 1 - 2 cups Season-Um-Up)
10 pounds smoked boneless chicken thighs
10 pounds sliced smoked sausage
3 - 4 gallons water
#10 can tomato sauce
32 oz pork drippings (from oven roasting 2 boston butt roasts)
8 oz jar of chicken base
20 pounds uncooked rice
Heat a large cast iron jambalaya pot. If it is clean and has a good finish, you need no oil or fat to start with.
When the pot is hot, add the pork. Brown over medium high heat for about 15 minutes. Add onions and stir. Add bell peppers, celery, garlic and seasoning. Stir well and let veggies cook down for several minutes (until they are nice and soft). Add chicken and sausage. Stir.
Taking into account that you have lots of liquid from the pork meat and veggies, add enough water to make a total of about 4 gallons. You will probably only need to add 3 gallons of water to make your requirement for total liquid.
Stir well and get to a rolling boil. Add optional flavorings: tomato sauce, pork drippings, chicken base. Stir and bring back to a boil. Let boil for a few minutes. Add rice, stirring well. Cover the pot and lower the heat to a simmer.
The rice needs to cook for at least 15 minutes before the first "flip." At the 15 minute point, "flip" the rice by stirring the rice from the bottom to the top. After flipping, use the back of a long-handled spoon to smooth out the top of the rice evenly. Cover the pot and cook for another 10 - 15 minutes, until the grains are no longer firm.
Cut the fire and serve!!