Louisiana's Culinary Gems: Specialty Meats Revealed

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) - If you were born and raised in Louisiana or have lived here a long time, you no doubt have been to a store that sells "specialty meats". Specialty meats are pretty much any meat that has been seasoned, stuffed, or prepared in a way that changes it from its original form.

Here are a few of the specialty meat staples you are bound to encounter in a Louisiana kitchen:

BOUDIN

Credit: Staff

Going to Louisiana, especially Acadiana, and not trying boudin is almost a cardinal sin. Boudin is a sausage traditionally made with cooked pork, rice, onions, peppers, and seasonings stuffed into a sausage casing. The meat is first simmered, then drained and ground up. Traditional boudin also features pork liver and/or pork heart, along with scraps of pork meat from just about any part of the hog.

If you really want to test your bravery, you can find a place that sells red or "blood" boudin. You are correct in thinking that the boudin is made with pig blood. It's difficult to find blood boudin commercially since making it is highly regulated by health officials.

CRACKLINS

Credit: Staff

Cracklins are a Cajun snack made from pork fat, skin, and meat. They are also known as gratons, chicharrones, or pork rinds. Cracklins are made by cutting pork skin into cubes and then adding the pieces to hot hog lard in a cast-iron pot (while the cast-iron pot isn't necessarily required...you should use one anyway). Next, the cracklins are cooked until golden brown then the chunks are taken out and fried again until the skin blisters. The last step is to season with a salty, spicy blend of Cajun or Creole seasoning.

STUFFED PORK CHOPS

Credit: Peter Bravo de los Rios on Unsplash

This is where things start to get interesting, stuffed meats! Stuffed pork chops are common around Acadiana, and what they are stuffed with depends on what you're in the mood for. More often than not they are stuffed with more pork, usually in the form of sausage. However, you can find them stuffed with boudin, seafood like crawfish etouffee, spinach, cheese, basically anything you can think of can be stuffed in a pork chop!

RICE DRESSING OR DIRTY RICE

Credit: Joe Cunningham

Every Cajun family probably has their own version of rice dressing, or as we call it, dirty rice. According to wikipedia.org, "Dirty rice is a traditional south Louisiana dish made with white rice (NO, IT CANNOT BE MADE WITH CAULIFLOWER AND BE CALLED DIRTY RICE!!). It gets dirtied up when you mix it with ground-up pieces of regular and organ meats from pigs, chickens, and sometimes beef, green bell pepper, celery, and onion, garlic, and a seasoning blend. Chopped green onions are usually added on top before serving.