Barbs Gumbo Recipes

Steps:

• Make a roux by whisking the flour and 3/4 cup bacon drippings together in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat to form a smooth mixture. Cook the roux, whisking constantly, until it turns a rich mahogany brown color. This can take 20 to 30 minutes; watch heat carefully and whisk constantly or roux will burn. Remove from heat; continue whisking until mixture stops cooking.
• Place the celery, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse until the vegetables are very finely chopped. Stir the vegetables into the roux, and mix in the sausage. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat, and cook until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
• Bring the water and beef bouillon cubes to a boil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Stir until the bouillon cubes dissolve, and whisk the roux mixture into the boiling water. Reduce heat to a simmer, and mix in the sugar, salt, hot pepper sauce, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Simmer the soup over low heat for 1 hour; mix in 2 teaspoons of file gumbo powder at the 45-minute mark.
• Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings in a skillet, and cook the okra with vinegar over medium heat for 15 minutes; remove okra with slotted spoon, and stir into the simmering gumbo. Mix in crabmeat, shrimp, and Worcestershire sauce, and simmer until flavors have blended, 45 more minutes. Just before serving, stir in 2 more teaspoons of file gumbo powder.

Steps:

• For the roux: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Mix flour and oil well in a wide, flat-bottomed oven-safe pot such as a cast-iron skillet. Bake, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes, until it reaches a dark brown color and has a strong nutty smell, up to 2 hours. Pour off and reserve excess oil that is left on top of the finished roux.
• For the broth: Meanwhile, using a large stockpot, heat the stock to a low boil and place in smoked rib bones and chicken bones. Simmer on low for about 2 hours to enrich broth with smoke flavor and collagen from the bones.
• In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, add 1/2 cup of the leftover oil from the roux and heat until it is shimmering.
• Add the celery, green peppers and onions, and sweat them until tender, fragrant and translucent. Add the garlic and continue to cook briefly until fragrant. Add the roux and stir to combine with the vegetables until it forms a well-amalgamated paste. Add about three-quarters of the broth. Bring to a low boil, then add the Cajun seasoning, rib meat, chicken meat and pork sausage. Simmer on low heat for 45 minutes.