MOLINE, Illinois – When you think of a Midwest barbecue you think of a grill, sauce, and slabs of meat, That’s not the way it’s done down South.
Scott Community College chef and Culinary Arts school director Brad Scott says a New Orleans-style barbecue is more akin to a fish boil in our neck of the woods.
He says it’s time to dust off the outdoor deep fryer you use for the Thanksgiving turkey and use it for a New Orleans barbecue here along the Upper Mississippi River.
Chef Scott says you should start with the broth:
1. Add lemons to three gallons of water inside the fryer
2. Add a “bag of spice” (you can find it in the seafood section of your grocery store)
3. Add garlic plus salt and pepper
4. Bring the broth to a roaring boil for about 15 minutes
5. Add small red, or "B" potatoes, cut in half
6. After 20-minutes, add corn cobbettes
7. After 15-minutes, add endue sausage and mushrooms
8. After 10-minutes, add crawfish (4 to 10 per person) and shrimp (1/4 pound per person)
9. Pull and strain out all of the ingredients after three to five minutes
10. Dump on the table for everyone to dive into to eat
You can serve it with chef's butter (a 50/50 mixture of butter and margarine). You can add other vegetables and corn bread for side dishes if you want.
It's a little Southern hospitality that will rival your neighbor's traditional Midwest barbecue.
