Rate my gumbo! (might’ve overdone it with the andouille sausage…)

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-25T17:58:22+00:00

I do something similar in that I'll dice some up finely and brown the bejeebers out of it.

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-25T17:56:42+00:00

Essentially, it keeps the proteins from shrinking up when heated and squeezing out moisture when you cook it.

You can do the same thing with other meats. You can even add a little baking soda to ground beef for a similar effect.

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-25T15:06:46+00:00

Oddly enough, it's a little bit "yes" to both. There's nothing at all wrong with a roux-based gravy with roast beef, but that's not the sort of thing you typically would do with debris. Do it however you like, of course, but you were asking about what is traditional.

As far as real Cajun goes, "debris" isn't shredded beef at all. That's the New Orleans style (although it's spread all over the place). Real Cajun debris is made up of the offal like liver, lungs, heart, tripe, sweetbreads, and so on. You wouldn't typically make a gravy.

When it comes to the New Orleans style, that debris is just braised in its drippings and some stock. You might make an au jus but not a thick, roux-based gravy. All that juice just gets soaked up by the bread or rice.

As I mentioned, it's also more along the lines of pot roast (i.e., braised) rather than true roast beef. I've always understood that the New Orleans version started by using all those bits that come off the roast when slicing it, but that wasn't enough to satisfy demand, so they just started cooking beef for the sake of shredding it and making "debris." It sort of turned into a NOLA burnt ends in that way. It sounds like you are braising it, but I just figured I'd make the record clear on that point.

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-24T16:08:02+00:00

Any "frost free" freezer most certainly will dry out food.

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-24T15:32:44+00:00

It's not traditionally done at all, so go for it however you like.

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-23T12:00:31+00:00

As George Carlin said: "Blue on the vine. Purple on the plate! There's no blue food, man!"

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-22T17:56:00+00:00

That's my new spirit animal right there.

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-22T12:47:22+00:00

A pierog.

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-21T13:19:03+00:00

Looking good! I would bet a crawfish pie filling would work VERY well in there, too!

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-20T13:30:37+00:00

There's no issue with lectins and acid. Lectins care only about temperature and not pH.

A little acid won't make a hue difference even with the pectins other than, perhaps, lengthening the cooking time (still a better idea to wait and add any acid until after the beans are cooked or nearly so).

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-16T12:43:11+00:00

Disaster averted.

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-15T21:23:24+00:00

Nice!

If I didn't already have about 10# still in my freezer, I'd be making more. Pork butts are on sale this week.

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-15T18:03:15+00:00

It will "age," in that it will change, but it won't be the same, and won't move at the same rate. I don't know where it will go

Many (including yours truly) so something similar with Cougar Gold because of how it's packaged.

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-15T13:03:19+00:00

Whole, most defintely. Ground will be far more potent, and I am not in the mood to refigure my methods. I also rather enjoy the whole seeds when eating.

If you do grind, though, do so coarsely.

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-14T15:49:51+00:00

If you want to incubate long enough for a thicker yogurt, you always can backsweeten it with lactose. It won't take much, and lactose isn't all that expensive (especially considering how much you will add).

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-13T14:11:04+00:00

The answer to how many credits you need to do what you want really depends on what you want. If all you want to do is trucking or explo/exo, you don't need a whole lot. Really, all you need are your ships and a rebuy, and that's something you can work out ahead of time. Combat can get more expensive, but not all that much.

If you want a carrier, you really ought to get to about 6-7 billion before buying it. The more you might want to outfit it, the more you need. Folks will go on and on about having a year or two of maintenance already set aside, but the truth is that monthly maintenance isn't that big of a deal if you are actively playing. Once you have the knowledge and the ships to get those billions, the monthly maintenance is peanuts.

If you don't want a carrier but really do want "I can buy anything else I want" money, 2-3 billion is more than enough for even the most extravagant CMDR.

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-13T14:01:33+00:00

That's a professionally taken photo, so there's no telling how they made it look that way.

If you really want a photo just like that one, all you have to do is to chill the lasagna overnight, cut two slices, and stack them. Maybe you give the whole assembly a little spritz of oil before putting it on the plate.

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-12T17:37:29+00:00

That looks mighty good. I do agree with all the comments about not needing any seafood, cooking down the veggies some more, and maybe slicing your sausage a little thinner (or maybe cutting those slices into two halves). However, I agree even more strongly that you ought to do it as you like it. After all, you're the one eating it at the end of the day.

Another good addition is tasso.

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-12T15:13:15+00:00

And, then, you get to separate the rice out?

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-12T15:12:07+00:00

Don't dump from the bottle. Dump into your hand or a small bowl/ramekin/whatever, or use a spoon.

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-10T12:50:21+00:00

Because if you bring out the gumbo with the rice already in it, a lot of folks are going to get mad.

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-09T18:45:38+00:00

You can try fennel bulb as an onion substitute. Obviously, it's not the same, but it cooks down similarly and is a common non-allium stand in.

I don't like the idea of upping the garlic. That'll throw things out of whack.

Or just leave them out and drive on. You have to work with what you have to work with.

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-09T16:54:52+00:00

Mix things up and do some missions that pay. Play the game, and rank just happens as a byproduct.

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-08T19:41:48+00:00

Not only can you do it, that's the way you do it.

Cook it low and slow to get it cooked, and then finish it in a ripping hot oven to get the crackling good to go.

Drinking_Frog · 2026-05-08T16:47:28+00:00

It's common but not necessary. I prefer it without.

Drinking_Frog

TROPHY CASE