Click on image to go to Author Website

Saturday 20 June 2015

How To Cook Low Country Boils

By Marjorie Richards


There are few time-honored traditions in the U. S today, and none like the low country boils from the South. It is considered to be the southeastern coast equivalent to a New England clambake. Like many other traditional recipes, it is common to get people bickering about the right way to have the things done. The truth is that there is no single formula that is accepted by everyone, as such, it is acceptable to change the ingredients depending on the tradition you have chosen to follow.

It offers a more exciting way of bringing people together during the important days like the Memorial Day weekends, during the birthdays, graduation parties and all other gatherings where you get to meet your loved ones and share memorable moments. Today, there are several recipes, some of which are great. This helps accommodate tastes and preferences of all people.

The most common setups when it comes to preparing the boils involves the use of burner pot or strainer that is more synonymous with turkey deep frying. The other case is to use the stove setup. The size of the pot largely depends on the crowd size. It can be made to serve a crowd of more than a hundred people or as few as ten people or less.

A good cooking setup can vary although a stove with a large pot or a burner pot that you will normally use to deep fry turkey can just work as well. The size of the pot and ingredients will vary with the size of the crowd.

As such, the 16 pound boil takes whole 5 pounds whole potatoes (preferably Yukon Gold varieties) cut into halves, 3 pounds corn on the cob with husks and silk removed and broken in halves, 3 pounds smoked or kielbasa sausage cut into 1-2 inch pieces and 3 pounds fresh shrimps with shells on.

Heats the water until it boils and then add the potatoes. After cooking for 15 minutes, add the sausage. This is then cooked for additional 5 minutes, after which you add the corn still on the cob. Next, cook for three minutes and then add the shrimp. Within two minutes, the shrimp turns pink and starts to float. This signals that the meal is ready.

The biggest variation that exists comes in when others opt to boil each of the ingredients separately. This, however, means that you miss on the two main advantages commonly associated with the boil. These are the relative ease of preparation and the unique flavor that comes with the sharing of flavor. Others also prefer to add the crab legs into the mix.

There exist several recipes out there and all can work, as such, be flexible and try anything that appeals to your sense of taste. The country boils is all but fun, and this starts from preparation. A picnic table allows the people to slow down when peeling the shrimp, which in turn allow them to enjoy the meal and offer a great bonding experience.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment