Boudin

Where most sausages are ground meat and spice, boudin (boo-DAN) is seasoned rice and meat stuffed into a casing — think meaty Cajun dirty rice in a tidy package. This is the everyday food of southern Louisiana, sold hot from steam trays at gas stations and butcher shops, eaten standing up with saltine crackers and a cold drink.

Four links per one full pound pack

The rice is doing exactly what rusk does in a traditional British banger — absorbing the fat and spices during the cooking process, holding all that juice inside the casing, and producing a moist, yielding texture that an all-meat sausage simply cannot replicate. Most Americans have never encountered this in a sausage and it will surprise you how something that could be labeled as a filler is absolutely quintessential.

Due to challenges preserving cooked rice, ours comes raw, which gives you more options than the pre-cooked variety. Poach the links gently in simmering water for 10 to 12 minutes and serve hot. Grill them over medium heat for a crisped exterior and a soft, steaming interior. Or press the filling out of the casing, roll it into balls, bread them, and fry until golden — boudin balls are one of the great Cajun party foods and one of the best arguments for keeping a pack of this in your freezer at all times.

If you are cooking Cajun, red beans and rice starts with our smoked ham hocks, and a dirty rice worth making starts with our bulk pork sausage and ground beef.

Pork Boudin: Pasture Raised Pork from Wishbone Heritage Farms, Water, Rice, Salt, Onion, Chili Pepper, Parsley, Garlic. Pork Casing. Dairy Free, Sugar Free, No Nuts.