CAJUN DX2

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One of the Local QRPers was up the hill today, this one looking tattered and torn. He was carrying a D-104 in one hand and the remains of a keyer in the other. There were scratches on his face and one of the sleeves of his shirt was torn clean off. We had to know what was going on, for clearly this QRPer had been in battle! "What happened?", we asked, "you look like you've been in a riot! Were you on 14.010 trying to work the ZL8?" "No!", the QRPer replied, with the cord of his D-104 dangling, "way worse than that! I've been in some pretty bad pileups over the years. Why, I even survived the Bouvet pileup of 1990 with less battle scars. And the VP8SSI battle on 28.495 was bad too. But I never saw anything like this!"

We sat the QRPer down and asked, "What were you trying to work that was so rough? Did someone show up from P5?" The QRPer looked at us for a moment, then replied, "No, nothing like that. I've been on HF for quite awhile and I'm pretty well hardened to the antics that go on during Dxpeditions. I can even work DX on a net without too much damage. But this is the worst I've ever seen!" At this point we didn't know what to do. It was clear the QRPer had been in through the mill, but he wasn't about to tell us what happened without some prying and prompting. We were wondering if we had a case of post-traumatic stress disorder . . . was the QRPer suffering from shell shock or battle fatigue? "Tell us what happened", we said, "it looks like you've ran into a case of someone violating The Amateur's Code."

The QRPer looked around a bit and then stood up and said in a shaky voice, "Your darn right, Buster. All six points of it too! Every item defined by W9EEA in 1928." We were astounded! "Where did this happen?", we asked, feeling our anger starting to build, "DXing isn't all robins and roses, and DXers sometimes get overly excited chasing a new one, but to toss away everything in the pursuit of DX! What band? When? Who was the DX?"

"No, no, no!", the QRPer replied, "not in a pileup at all! Not on the HF bands. Not on 2-metres. On the internet! I got an internet account and started looking for DX related sites and discussion groups." This was not what we'd expected and we were clearly out of our league. We'd heard a bit about the internet and computers, but we didn't know a lot about either. "What happened?", we asked. "Everything!", the QRPer replied, with sweat breaking out on his forehead, "why it's war on there! Everyone seems to have a surplus flame thrower, grenades and some even plant Claymore mines! I stepped into a discussion on DX and look at me. This is all that's left of my shack! My modem blew up, the computer caught fire and shorted out the power supply on my rig! All I have left is my mike and keyer! And the guys tossing the grenades are the same ones that I used to work on 40-metres who sent "TNX FB QSO ES GUD DX ES BEST TO U ES UR FAMILY 73 73 SK" I just don't understand it! It's like everyone who gets on the internet goes through a personality change!" And with that, he was off down the hill, looking for a used rig so he could get back on 20-metres where it was safe.

Son of a Gun! 20-meters where it was safe? We didn't know much about the internet, but this told us enough! We had come across one of the Eternal Enigmas that even the Old Timer would have trouble explaining. Then it came to us. The Legion of Handwringers had gone 'high tech.' The malcontents had computerized. While the medium may have changed, the message was the same. We hoped it stayed that way too, because we'd been noticing the flux increasing ever so slightly. The Legion of Handwringers were on the internet, the Great Days of DXing were returning and the DX was on HF! DX IS!

Mix the following ingredients in a blender 2 days before cooking. Pour into a jar and refrigerate.

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons Creole mustard 3 (2 oz.) bottles garlic juice 3 (2 oz.) bottles onion juice 1 (3 oz.) bottle hot pepper sauce 1/4 cup Tony’s Creole Seasoning 8 ounces water

Inject turkey with a syringe using the blended mixture. Rub turkey with additional mustard and season generously with Tony’s Creole Seasoning. When ready to cook, heat 5 gallons of peanut oil to 350 degrees; submerge turkey and let fry for 4 minutes per pound of turkey.

1 (6 lb.) hen, cut up 1 tablespoon shortening 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 3 onions, finely chopped 4 cups warm water Tony’s Creole Seasoning 1/4 cup chopped green onions and parsley

In a Dutch oven, brown chicken in shortening; remove from pot. Place flour in pot and stir until brown. Add onions and cook until tender. Add chicken and water. Season with Tony’s Creole Seasoning. Simmer until tender (about 1 hour). During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add green onions and parsley. Stir occasionally as stew thickens to prevent burning. Serve over steamed rice. Yields 6 servings.

This is the most popular of all crawfish dishes cooked in Bayou country. It is easy to prepare and although similar to crawfish bisque, this dish may be completed in half the time.

2 lbs. cleaned crawfish tails 1/4 cup tomato sauce 1 cup vegetable oil 3 qts. crawfish stock or water 1 cup flour 1 cup chopped green onions 2 cups chopped onions 1 cup chopped parsley 1 cup chopped celery Salt and cayenne pepper to taste 1 cup chopped bell pepper Dash of Louisiana Gold Pepper Sauce 2 tbsp. diced garlic

A rich crawfish stock will certainly make this dish a winner. Any shellfish stock or fish stock may be substituted, but the dish will be good even if plain water is used. In a two gallon stock pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add flour and using a wire whip, stir constantly until dark brown roux is achieved. When brown, add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic and saute until vegetables are wilted, approximately three to five minutes. Add crawfish tails and cook until meat is pink and slightly curled. Stir in tomato sauce and slowly add crawfish stock stirring constantly until all is incorporated. Bring to a low boil, reduce to simmer and cook thirty minutes, stirring occasionally. Add green onions and parsley and season to taste using salt and pepper. When done, serve over white rice with a few dashes of Louisiana Gold Pepper Sauce.

1 90 - 125 LBS HEAD ON PIG (Split lengthwise) 2 CUPS GARLIC TOES (Peeled, whole) 2 BUNCHES SHALLOTS (Washed, root bottoms removed) Dry Seasonings 2 TBSP SALT 1 TBSP BLACK PEPPER 1 TBSP GROUND CAYENNE PEPPER 1 TBSP WHITE PEPPER 3 TBSP GRANULATED GARLIC 2 TBSP SPANISH PAPRIKA Pit 20 10’ LENGTHS OF 1/2” or 3/4” EMT CONDUIT 1 SPOOL BAILING WIRE 5’x 6’ EXPANDED METAL GRATING LOT HARDWOOD (Pecan, Oak, Cherry or Hickory) 1 QUART COOKING OIL

Method Cut an “X” in the pig meat with a sharp fillet knife. Stuff one or two toes garlic into each hole, then stuff a shallot into the hole. Cut the shallot at the skin line. Continue stuffing the pig in all the meaty areas until all of the garlic and shallots are used. Don’t forget to include the underside of the pig. Mix the seasonings in a stainless steel bowl and dust the pig generously. Pat the seasonings into the pig flesh. Pit Construction Dig a 5 foot by 6 foot pit about 12 to 18 inches deep. Cut 3-1/2 foot long pieces from the conduit,. Hammer the cut pieces into the ground, leaving about 14” to 18” sticking out of the ground. Use the bailing wire to lash the longer piece to the stakes to form a grill. Before you put the grating over the pit, wad up newspaper and other kindling and place in the bottom of the pit. Stack 20 to 25 pieces of hardwood in the pit and douse with the cooking oil. Next, place the grating on top of the pit and secure with bailing wire. Run a hose to the pit, this is a great safety measure and might come in handy if the pigs start to fire.

Cooking Method About 14 hours before service, light the pit and allow the wood to burn down to embers. (This will take about 1 -1/2 to 2 hours.) Remove some of the glowing coals and start a breeder fire on side of the cooking pit. Add fresh hardwood to the breeder fire so that when additional coals are required they can be pulled from this fire.

The grill temperature should be very warm but not hot. A good check is to hold your hand over the grill for about 10 seconds without discomfort. If you can hold it there for any extended period than the grill is too cold. If you cannot hold it there greater than 5 seconds, the pit is too hot and the grease from the pigs will catch fire and burn the meat.

Place the pig halves skin down on the grill, ensure that no open flame is directly below the meat. Add hot embers to maintain the grill temperature. Turn the pigs about once each hour. As the pigs cook, they will drip grease into the embers and a column of smoke will rise over the pigs and give them a smoky flavor. Concentrate the embers under the shoulders and hams; these areas are thicker and require more heat for the pig to cook evenly. If a flame develops under the meat pat it out with the back end of a shovel. Sometimes a fire will start and more fire fighting measures are required, first try shoveling some dirt on top of the grease fire, or use a rake to spread out the coals. As a last resort use the hose to douse the fire. You may have to replenish embers from the breeder fire.

Smoke- roast the pig halves for 11 - 13 hours. When done the bones will literally fall from the meat.

Alternate Method Most fresh pigs are very fatty and thus require little basting. However, some pigs come directly from the woods and are wild. For these I suggest that a butter-garlic-wine basting sauce be available during cooking. This will keep the meat moist and tender.

Method (Red Beans) Put the beans in a 250 gallon pot, fill pot with water to cover beans plus 6 inches and allow to soak covered over night.

Next day add remaining ingredients (except sausage and parsley) , add water leaving about 8 to 12 inches from the top of the pot. Over high heat bring pot to a rolling boil, stirring often to insure that beans are not stuck to the bottom. Reduce heat and simmer for about 2- 1/2 hours. Add water as needed to pot to keep beans wet. Then add parsley and sausage and simmer for about 1/2 hour or until beans are soft and creamy.

(Chicken Stock Rice) 175 LBS PAR EXCELLANCE PARBOILED RICE (9 - 25 LBS CUBES from SAM’S CLUB) 9 LBS TONE’S CHICKEN BASE Boil Chicken Stock rice as needed in cast iron 20 gallon pots.

Method Heat 10 quart Dutch oven over medium/high heat for 2-3 minutes before adding oil, this will eliminate oil from popping and splattering. Add hen and brown for 7-10 minutes, add sausage and continue to brown (about 20 minutes) or until all sides of the chicken are a dark red/brown color. This is very important, for a thick amount of "graton" should form on the bottom of the Dutch oven. This is all of the color an flavor of a true jambalaya.

Add the onions, bell pepper, and celery to de-glaze the bottom of the oven, reduce heat and simmer until onions are soft (About 20 minutes). Add remaining ingredients and simmer an additional 10 minutes.

Add stock, and simmer for 20 minutes the chicken will pull from the bone and become very tender. Increase heat to high and add rice, bring pot to boil, stirring to insure that rice does not stick to the bottom of the Dutch oven. Reduce heat to low, cover with tight fitting lid (do not remove for 20 minutes). Open Dutch oven, gently fold jambalaya, recover and allow to steam for an additional 10 minutes. Serve.

Method Place all ingredients in a 10 quart stock pot (except Louisiana Andouille and Smoke Sausage) and refrigerate over night. Remove from refrigeration and place over medium heat. When the pot comes to a boil, reduce heat to a slow simmer.

After about 2 hours, brown the andouille and smoke sausage slices in a cast iron skillet. Remove 2 cups of the beans and broth and add to the sausage skillet. Mash the beans with a chef spoon and scrape the bottom of the skillet to lift the browned seasonings into the stock. Return the beans and andouille to the stock pot and continue to cook red beans until a creamy gravy develops and the beans become very soft. (About 1 hour).

Smoked meats have a natural saltiness, therefore taste red beans and adjust seasonings after cooking.

Method Use a 20 gallon cast iron pot and large multi jet propane burner. Set the burner to a medium setting and brown the sausage. Use a large paddle and turn the sausage constantly to insure that the sausage does not burn. (About 30 minutes). Add the thigh meat and cook until all of the chicken meat turns white (but not completely cooked throughout, about 15 minutes). Add the onions, bell pepper and celery and cook until the onions are clear and the celery is limp, do not burn the seasonings, (about 25 minutes). Lower heat and add the remaining ingredients, simmer for 30 - 40 minutes, serve over chicken stock rice.

In a 12 quart Dutch Oven on medium high heat, fry oil and flour into a dark roux, color should a be a dark chocolate color. Reduce heat and add onions, celery and bell peppers, saute vegetables until onions are soft (about 10 minutes).

In a separate pan and over medium high heat add olive oil and lightly brown alligator, remove alligator and keep warm. Then add sausage to hot pan and saute for 10 minutes separate grease and sausage, discard grease. Add sausage and alligator to Dutch Oven with all other ingredients except shallots and parsley, simmer for 1 hour. Add shallots and parsley simmer for 10 minutes, serve immediately.

If choice tail meat is not available, then bone in meat can be used. Remove all alligator fat from the meat. The fat has a musky flavor and will ruin the dish.

Method Over low heat, combine all of the marinade ingredients in a 2 quart sauté pan. Simmer just enough to melt the butter and dissolve the seasonings. Cool. Remove all of the giblets from the turkey, use a Chef’s syringe and inject the turkey throughout with the marinade. (Not all of the marinade need be used). Refrigerate and allow the turkey to marinade for 4 -6 hours or even overnight.

**** NOTE: Only do this outside on concrete with plenty of ventilation. (Several houses have burnt to the ground in New Orleans when this recipe was tried inside and on a kitchen stove.)

In a 60 quart (tall not squat) stock pot and a jet propane burner, bring the oil to 325F, use 100% cotton twine and lower the turkey slowly into the oil. Insure that the oil does not bubble over the sides of the pot. If it does remove the turkey immediately and turn off the burner before a grease fire erupts.

Fry the turkey for 5 - 6 minutes per pound. (That’s about 50 to 55 minutes for a 10 pound bird!!)

Three turkeys may be cook together if fried in an 80 quart pot with 8 gallons of oil. Increase the cooking time by 30 seconds per pound/turkey, this is of course, depending on the burner capacity of your heat source. (A standard jet burner is usually sufficient, a 2 jet burner is recommended).

An accurate thermometer is a must. The oil must remain at 325F exactly, for proper cooking. Make sure that the propane tank is full when this recipe is attempted. It will require that the burner be on almost full flame for over one hour.

Equiment needed: One large cooking pot with wire basket big enough to hold 25 # of Crawfish. A lid for the pot and a small outdoor propane cooker as you will cook this outside.

Then go shopping for 25# sack of live Crawfish, 3 bags of crab boil, 1 small bottle of liquid crab boil, 3 round boxes of salt, 1 box square box of rock salt, 8 small onions, 8 small potatoes and 8 ears of corn, one fresh garlic, small can of cayenne pepper and 4 lemons and a box of Tony Chachere's creole seasoning. Now that your finish shopping drink another beer.

Now its time to go to work cooking the Crawfish. One thing you must always remember about Crawfish, first separate the live Crawfish from the Crawfish that want make it to the pot. Next you must purge the Crawfish. Get a large tub of water or two large ice chest. You will use this to purge the crawfish. Place the box of rock salt in the water. Stir the water with the salt before you place the Crawfish into the water. Let the Crawfish purge for 7 minutes. Remove the Crawfish and place in an ice chest until ready to cook. Time to drink another beer.

Fill the pot with fresh water half full and place on cooker and start the fire. Place, a box and a half of salt into the water, 1 bags of crab boil, half bottle of liquid crab boil, 2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and two lemons cut in half, squeeze each half into the pot and drop the lemon. Separate the garlic into pods and cut the small ends of each garlic pod then drop into pot. Place lid on pot. Time to drink another beer.

Let the water come to a boil for two minutes, that way the spices will mix well. Drop the 8 onions after cutting the ends, yes drop the whole onion into the pot, 4 minutes later drop the 8 small potatoes, 4 minutes later drop the 8 corns. Let it cook for five minutes. A good way to check is to take a fork or sharp knife and stab the potatoes and the onion. If it goes in easy than it is cooked. Lower the fire on the burner and remove the basket. Place the vegetable in a small clean ice chest, don't close the lid, just place foil on top. Place the basket back in the pot. Time to drink another beer.

Turn the heat up on the burner, place the other two bags of crab boil in the pot, the rest of the liquid crab boil, one large heaping teaspoon of cayenne pepper, take the rest of the lemons cut in half, squeeze each half into the pot and drop the lemon. Place the last two boxes of salt into the water. When the water comes to a boil place the Crawfish into the basket and place lid on top. Time for another beer. When the water comes back to a boil, you need to watch this part, let it boil for 4 minutes, turn the fire off, let it simmer for 3 minutes and remove.

Now get an old table place old newspaper on top, dump the basket of Crawfish on top the newspaper and sprinkle with Tony Chachere's creole seasoning, dump the onions, potatoes, corn and garlic on top the Crawfish. Now it's time to really drink beer and eat. You will love the vegetables and you can cook them this way without having to cook Crawfish. Hope you pass a good time eating the Crawfish.

I suggest that you make a sauce on the side using, mayo, tomato ketchup, a little Worcestershire sauce and little garlic power. Mix this to your liking. Use the sauce to dip your peeled Crawfish if you desire.

Fill boiling 225 gallon pot about half way, add seasonings and cover, bring water to a rolling boil. Add potatoes and garlic, continue to boil for 15 minutes. Check potatoes for doneness, potato centers should be under cooked with about the first 1/4 soft. Add crawfish, cover and return to a boil. Check crawfish when the water returns to a low boil. Crawfish should be easy to peel (but heads will have little flavor). Add corn cobbettes and hot dogs (still in the frozen state), uncover to cool. Use a hose to water down and cool the outside of the pot. The crawfish will start to absorb the seasonings and sink. Allow crawfish to soak for 45 minutes.

This is our recipe for our large boiling pot of 225 gallons. Scale down the recipe for a normal boilling pot of 80 quarts (20 gallons) and one sack of crawfish (about 40 lbs).

If you are boiling a second batch, add an additional 1/4 of all seasonings to the second batch to replace those that were absorbed in the first run. Yield - 100 -125 Buffet Servings

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