Boudin Question

[txoutdoorsman]

Looking for tips and guidance on making boudin.

I am going to be utilized skinless duck (so no fat from that protein) and most likely chicken livers.

What percentage of fat should I use? I will be using pork backfat.

It looks like the Excaliber Boudin seasoning is well liked, but do I season the meat with it prior to cooking, or in the final step when mixing all of the rice and meats/veggies together?

Is there a breakdown of the seasoning somewhere on the website? I would like to see how much salt is contained in the seasoning pack.

[processhead]

Curious if you are using wild or domestic duck in your boudin?

[txoutdoorsman]

processhead good question since they are so different haha.

It will be wild duck breast meat.

[TexLaw]

Unfortunately, Excalibur seems pretty tight-lipped about how much salt is in their products. We’ve had a few discussions around here along those lines. They are good, solid products, but you’ll have to shoot a bit in the dark if you want to use it.

You’ll probably need to do a little trial and error to find the sweetest spot for fat percentage, but I would start with 25% of the weight of the duck breast. Pork butts average around 25%, and that’s what you typically put in boudin.

I’d season both before and after cooking. Seasoning before you simmer or poach everything gets that flavor deep and mellows things a bit, and then you can tweak as needed after it’s all cooked and ground. One thing I think about boudin is that the seasoning is more cooked in and not so edgy as raw. Plus, you’ll also have that seasoned cooking liquid for mixing back into the ground ingredients when it comes to mixing and stuffing (assuming you’re stuffing)

[keend0]

I think TexLaw has it right. There will be a lot of flavor in the liquid you add back in. Also make sure the liquid you add back is the fat, not just the water. I like adding more fresh parsley and green onion after the grind. Taste and adjust seasoning again after mixing in rice. Meat rice ratio is a personal preference (50:50 to 75:25). 50:50 will require a lot more seasoning as the rice has no seasoning. I would personally add pork to the mixture for a better mouthfeel.

[txoutdoorsman]

TexLaw keend0 my plan was to definitely use the cooking liquid to go back into the product. Thanks for the input. I think I’ll start at 25% and edit on another run in the future if need be.

My only worry is getting a bland sausage with going in blind on the salt content. But I think I will go lighter on the rice for the first batch as well as a trial to try and combat that.

[TexLaw]

txoutdoorsman The good thing about boudin is that everything is cooked. You can taste what you’ve mixed before moving on.

[Jonathon]

txoutdoorsman I can get you an LOP for the seasoning. It will not be exact as that is proprietary information but it will be a reasonable range. Let me know!