My father grew up in northern Louisiana, so I grew up eating every kind of gumbo, always cooked from scratch. Now, it needs to be said that folks will fight about what gumbo is and isn’t. Arguments are to this day still made about how gumbo came about, and what it TRULY is. Y’all can come at me as much as you want, but here’s what I believe, and at age 50, y’all ain’t changing my mind 😉

Gumbo was basically the weekend/end of the week meal created and served by the poor people in Louisiana, be it Cajun, Creole, or slaves. They took what they had at end of the week, made a roux, and added everything.

This recipe is BLATANTLY ripped off from Isaac Toups, yet adapted to my tastes, and doubled for a bunch of leftovers. As with most Cajun dishes, the flavors become so much more pronounced the next day…or even the day after that.

Bottom line, and what I tell everyone that has ever eaten my gumbo, or watched me make it: IT IS STUPID SIMPLE!!! You just need to commit to the time it requires to make it!

Before we get to the recipe, I’d like to tell you a few things that I do with regards to my gumbo, as opposed to Isaac’s. First, I buy the two biggest green bell peppers available, and use them to gauge how much onion and celery I need for the holy trinity (onion, celery, and bell pepper). I dice up my bell peppers and whatever amount of bell peppers I have, that’s how much onion and celery I dice.

My dad would use vegetable oil to make the roux. I’ve since found out that grapeseed oil is much better for a roux, due to its higher smoke point. Grapeseed oil is more expensive than vegetable oil, but it makes cooking the roux much safer, as your risk of burning the roux is much less.

With that said, if you burn the roux, THAT’S OK! We’ve all done it. If someone says they’ve never burnt a roux, they’ve either never cooked one, or they’re lying.

The okra. I know how divisive this ingredient can be, but trust me, the way I prepare okra, it will not be “slimy”. Also, it is a thickening agent, which helps the dish in the end.

Make sure to heat up the chicken stock before adding it to the roux. You NEVER add cold/room temperature stock to a roux, as it will become lumpy.

One of the most important things to remember about this dish is that once you start cooking the roux, DO NOT STOP STIRRING. Have your holy trinity ready, beer (for drinking) open, the game on TV, and make sure you pee before starting.

With regards to the sausage, I like to temper the spice of andouille with beef smoked sausage (the kind that looks like kielbasa). The texture of the smoked sausage is amazing and the fat contained within helps hold so much of the flavor of the gumbo.

Ok, let’s crack a beer, and get to cooking!

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
• 8oz frozen chopped okra
• kosher salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup grapeseed oil (or any cooking oil with a high smoke point)
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large green bell peppers, diced
• 4 ribs celery, diced
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• 2 jalapeño peppers, minced (remove the seeds for less heat)
• 12oz amber-style beer
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 8 bay leaves
• 12oz andouille sausage, cut into 1/2-inch halfmoons
• 12oz smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch halfmoons
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• cooked white rice, for serving (about 2 cups)
• sliced green onions, for serving

Instructions

• Heat up the chicken stock to a minimal boil, then turn off.
• Dice up the onions, bell peppers, and celery. Combine them into a bowl.
• Dice the jalapeno and put them into a small bowl with the minced garlic.
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
• In a 12″ thick-bottomed skillet, add 1tbsp oil over medium-high heat until smoking.
• Add the thighs to the skillet for 7-8 minutes each side. You’re looking for a good sear, that’s all. They will NOT be fully cooked. Once done, transfer the thighs to a plate. We’re going to collect all of those juices later.
• Add the okra to the skillet, braising the okra in the chicken fond collected from the bottom of the pan, about 6-8 minutes. Scoop the okra into a bowl for later.
• Heat a thick bottomed 6-quart pot/Dutch oven over medium heat.
• Add 1 cup oil, and heat over medium-high heat, until it is smoking, about 3 minutes.
• Add 1 cup flour to the oil, and using a wooden spatula, stir the flour until it is a dark brown color, about 20-25 minutes.

• Add the celery, bell pepper, and onion to the roux. Cook the trinity until the onions are soft, about 2-4 minutes.

• Add the garlic and jalapeño peppers, stirring for about 30 seconds to a minute.
• Once the veggies are cooked down, and there isn’t much liquid in the pot, slowly add the beer to the veggies and scrape all the good stuff from the bottom of the pot.
• With a ladle, start adding the chicken broth into the pot one ladle full at a time, and stir the broth until fully incorporated. Continue doing this until all of the broth is added to the pot.
• Nestle the chicken thighs (and its juices) into the gumbo, fully submerging them.
• Add the okra, sausage, thyme, bay leaves, and cayenne. Stir everything together and bring to a boil.
• Lower the heat to low (put it on a smaller burner if possible), and simmer for 3 hours, stirring every 15 minutes or so to prevent any scorching. (You can simmer all day, just keep an eye on the level of the gumbo. If it gets too low, add more chicken stock).
• Serve with cooked white rice, and topped with green onions (or GRUNYUNS).
• Enjoy!