Recipe: Boudin Stuffed Turkey

Boudin Stuffed Turkey
Recipe Source: EMERIL LIVE with Emeril Lagasse From the TV FOOD NETWORK
Show # EM-1A78 broadcast 11-21-1997

2 sticks (1 cup) butter; cut 3/4 slices
1 salt; to taste
1 cayenne pepper; to taste
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
3 tbsp minced garlic
8 Cajun chef brand sport peppers; (to 10)
3 tbsp pickle juice from the peppers jar
1 small turkey; (about 10 to 12 lbs)
1/2 recipe boudin sausage (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the butter with salt and cayenne pepper. Freeze the butter for 30 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the onions, peppers, garlic, sport peppers and pickle juice together. Season the mixture with salt and cayenne pepper. Place a large towel on a cutting board. Place the turkey directly on top of the cloth. This will prevent the turkey from sliding. Remove the neck, gizzards and livers from the cavity of the turkey. Rinse the turkey under cool water and pat dry with paper towels. Place the turkey, breast side up, on the work surface with the cavity facing you. Using a sharp knife, make three slits on either side of the breast bone, without breaking through the skin. Insert 2 to 3 slices of the frozen butter into each slit. Season each slit with salt and cayenne pepper. Insert about a teaspoon of the vegetable mixture into each slit, pushing with your fingers. Carefully stuff the boudin sausage in-between the flesh and skin. Gently pull the drumstick forward and outward to expose the inner thigh. Pull the skin away from the meat. Make a slit following the bone line from the top of each leg. Using your index finger, make a path and stuff with the butter and vegetables. Season the skin which has been loosened round the inner thigh with salt and cayenne pepper. Turn the turkey breast-side up, with the neck opening facing you. Lift the skin flap and make a slit down each wing from the shoulder, again following the bone lines. Stuff each wing with butter and vegetables. Season the outside of the turkey with salt and cayenne pepper. Stuff the cavity with any leftover boudin sausage, butter and vegetables. Secure the wings by folding the lower half back over the top of the wing. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Place the turkey in a large deep roasting pan. Roast the turkey for 15 to 20 minutes. Lower the heat to 350 degrees. Cover the turkey with a lid and bake for about 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear. Remove from the pan and let cool for 10 minutes. Lift the turkey out of the pan and carve. Serve with the pan juices.

This recipe yields 8 to 10 servings.

Boudin Sausage
Recipe Source: EMERIL LIVE with Emeril Lagasse
Show # EM-1A21 broadcast 02-13-1997

2 1/2 pounds Pork butt -- cut into 1 cubes
1 pound Pork liver -- rinsed in cool water
2 quarts Water
1 cup Chopped onions
1/2 teaspoon Minced garlic
1/2 cup Chopped green bell peppers
1/2 cup Chopped celery
4 1/4 teaspoons Salt
2 1/2 teaspoons Cayenne
1 1/2 teaspoons Freshly-ground black pepper
1 cup Finely-chopped parsley
1 cup Chopped green onions tops -- (green part only)
6 cups Cooked medium-grain rice
Sausage casings, 1 1/2 diameter, about 4 feet in length

In a large sauce pan, combine the pork butt, pork liver, water, onions, garlic, bell peppers, celery, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 1 1/12 hours, or until the pork and liver are tender. Remove from the heat and drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the broth.

Using a meat grinder with a 1/4-inch die, grind the pork mixture. 1/2 cup of the parsley, and 1/2 cup of the green onions, together. Turn the mixture into a mixing bowl. Stir in the rice, remaining salt, cayenne, black pepper, parsley, and green onions. Add the broth, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix thoroughly. Either using a feeding tube or a funnel, stuff the sausage into the casings and make 3-inch links.

Bring 1 gallon of salted water up to a boil. Poach the sausage for about 5 minutes, or until the sausage is firm to the touch and plump. Remove from the water and allow to cool.

This recipe yields about 4 1/2 lbs. of sausage