Ready to Cook

Home Preparation:

Step 1: This step is optional: 1-2 days before you are planning to cook this recipe, Brine and prep 4 thick-cut pork loin, bone-in rib chops or 4-6 thick, boneless pork loin chops.

Step 2: Remove the pork chops / loin chops from the brine and pat dry. Pour the remaining brine out. Add a few paper towels to the bag. Return the meat to the bag. This is how we’re going to pack it to camp. 

Step 3: Gather your 3-4 medium russet potatoes, 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup, can of beer, butter, breadcrumbs, and the salt and pepper.

Step 4: Prepare two Green Bell Peppers. We chop them and store them in a zipper bag with a couple of paper towels. You could also just pack them whole and prepare them in camp (this is how the video presents this recipe).

At Camp:

We need a very hot cast iron Dutch oven to sear our pork. Before we go any farther, let me stop and give you a bit of a chef tip. We need to take in consideration that the meat itself will cool that pot down considerably as soon as the meat hits that pot’s surface. If the pot cools too fast, the meat will not sear. We really can only tell if the meat is properly seared by look; how does the meat look? If we flip the pork and it’s still that cream-white color and not that golden or deep red, toasted color, we’ll let it sit there on the heat longer. The longer it sits there the more time for the meat’s “juices” to “flow” from the meat and pool up. If the juices do not evaporate quickly enough, the meat will start to simmer in its own juices and essentially boil. We will need to sear the meat in a pot at about 450°F / 235°C (later, we’ll bake at about 350°F / 175°C).

I’m going to present this recipe in a 12-inch cast iron Dutch oven and prepare it with four boneless pork loin chops. The pork can be seared in any number of ways. 

1. You can heat your cast Iron Dutch oven to a wicked hot temperature of 450°F−500°F / 235°C-260°C and add all the meat at one time. My suggestion is to consider the size of the cuts of meat. If they are too large and touching each other, the cool meat will “win” over the hot pot and the sear is likely not going to happen.
2. Another option is to sear the meat in batches. You can sear 2-3 pieces at a time and keep a warming pot nearby (a 2nd Dutch oven near the fire) to keep the first batch of meat in and warm while you sear the second batch.
3. You can sear the meat over an open fire. This is perfectly A-OK. You can go straight from searing the meat over the fire to in-the-pot baking with the potatoes and other ingredients. 

One more tip: When you are ready to sear the pork, just make sure it’s pat-dry.

The following steps will reference searing right in the cast iron Dutch oven. 

Step 5: Set 30-35 (or more) charcoal briquettes to fire in a pile or in the charcoal chimney. Set your cast iron Dutch oven near that burning pile of briquettes and start to warm it up.

Step 6: Heat the Dutch oven for frying. Place the 12-inch cast iron Dutch oven over those 30-35 (or more) briquettes and really heat it up well. Don’t add your butter yet. Once the pot starts to show wisps of smoke, add the 2 tablespoons of butter, and let it heat up and “toast.” You’ll see the butter melt with some of the butter solids starting to separate and brown. Don’t burn the butter. If you do, wipe it out (a paper towel works well) and start over.

Note: You can use whatever oil you’d like.

Step 7: When the butter and the pot are wicked hot (don’t burn that butter), add your pork and a sprig or three of rosemary. Leave the rosemary to the side and not under the pork. The pork should be in direct contact with that hot pot. Sear the first side very well. Then, turn the pieces of meat and sear the other side. Keep the cast iron Dutch oven’s lid nearby and inside up (upside down) to receive the meat after both sides are seared to that golden color. You can use a warming pot as mentioned above.

While you are searing the meat, take the time to prepare the rest of the ingredients. Keep an eye on that meat though.

1. Wash and cube the potatoes. Skin on or skin off: that’s up to you.
2. Chop your bell peppers (unless already chopped)
3. Open and have ready the cans of cream of mushroom soup.
4. Have the breadcrumbs ready for pouring and your cooking beer opened.

OPTIONAL: We are first searing (frying) and later we will bake this recipe. If you feel you need a fresh set of briquettes, then set 25-30 briquettes to fire (a 12-inch camp Dutch oven needs about 24 briquettes to bake at the goal of 350°F / 175°C).

Things are going to speed up from here and then we’ll have the baking time to enjoy visiting, drinking beer, and just enjoying the day or the evening. You can leave the pot over the hot coals for the next steps or, remove the pot from the heat. It’s up to you. Use your good judgment and don’t burn anything. 

Me? I remove the pot from the fire and that way I can go quick but not too quick. No stress; no worries.

Step 8: After you have seared your pork, place the hot meat nearby on the upside-down lid or in another Dutch oven to keep warm. Remove the stem of rosemary but just leave the bits of rosemary that broke free from the stem. And no, I don’t break off or add anymore. Whatever rosemary is in the pot is all I use.

Step 9: Pour in about 1 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs over whatever bits and pieces are left from searing the pork and butter is left in that pot. You can measure this out or eyeball-it. Pour in about ½ cup of beer at a time (there are three half cups in a 12-ounce bottle or can of beer). Mix the beer in with the breadcrumbs and create a batter-like mixture about the consistency of thick pancake batter. If you need to add more beer, then do so (Expect to use about 12-16 ounces…to be safe).

Step 10: Return the seared pork to the pot. You can turn the pork in the batter or just lay the pork right on top of the breadcrumb batter and call it good.

Step 11: Top the pork with the potatoes. WATCH THE HEAD ROOM. Leave enough room to add the bell peppers and later some more breadcrumbs. 

Step 12: Pour over the cans of cream of mushroom soup and roughly spread about the top of the potatoes. KEEP THE CANS…

Step 13: Add about ½ cup of beer to one of the empty cans of cream of mushroom soup. Mix it about and try to get the rest of the soup out. Now, pour the can over and into the other can. Mix it about. We are trying to wash out some of the remaining cream of mushroom soup.

Pour all that into the pot.

Step 13: Add the chopped green bell peppers to the top of the entire recipe/mixture.

Step 14: Cover the pot and set the Dutch oven to bake. Place 8 hot briquettes around the circumference of the bottom and place 16 hot briquettes on the top. Set your windshield and let the dish bake for about 45 minutes. Turn the pot and lid about every 10-15 minutes.

Pork is considered done at 145°F / 65°C. And your pork may well be done to 145°F / 65°C before the potatoes are done. After about 30-45 minutes, check the potatoes first by “sneaking in” under the lid and getting a bit of potato. If it’s not done, keep cooking. If the potatoes are done, then check the pork for temperature. This is where that meat thermometer comes in handy!!

CONSIDERATION: This recipe may take an hour or more to fully cook. I ask that you check on the meal after 30-45 minutes to see the progress with the idea that you can continue cooking underdone food, but you can’t unburn food. Be prepared for about an hour or more (give or take) for this recipe to fully cook. Think “baked potato.”

Step 15: Once the dish is done, remove the lid and pour a thin layer of breadcrumbs over the mixture. Remove all of the heat from the bottom of the Dutch oven and place any remaining briquettes over the top of the Dutch oven (including any that you did not use. Just get the top hot!

Once the breadcrumbs on the top are toasted, remove the pot from the heat and ENJOY!! 

I just stick a fork in there and pull out a chop. Then, I spoon over some potatoes. Sour Cream goes a long way with this one (and an optional ingredient when cooking this meal). 

Ready to Cook

Let’s Get Detailed:

Step 1: Brine and Roast a Whole Chicken. 

Mamma used to boil her chicken and then use the liquid as the stock for the gumbo. We ain’t going to do that (sorry mamma). We’re going to roast that chicken and then use the deboned and roughly cut meat in our gumbo. 

First, we are going to brine the chicken for a few days before we create our Gumbo. Then we are going to roast that chicken. Here’s the neat part: you can roast the chicken a day or so before you make your gumbo. It’s all good. 

And, if you have a hunkerin’ for some gumbo and haven’t any brined, roasted chicken…then you can bypass the brining and just roast a chicken. Another quick fix are those rotisserie chickens down at the market. They will work in a pinch.

I have an article on brining chicken (and meats in general). Very detailed and yet to-the-point:

Hot Brine Method: https://beerandiron.com/basic-beer-brine-recipe

Cold Brine Method: https://beerandiron.com/how-to-beer-brine-whole-chicken

How to Roast a Whole Chicken: https://beerandiron.com/simple-roasted-chicken

Step 2: Debone that chicken and have it at the ready.

After you have roasted your chicken, let it cool to a point where you ain’t gonna be hollering “Sam Hill!” when you grab ahold of those hot parts of that chicken. Then, cut the chicken meat up into larger, mouth-sized portions.

Step 3: Cut everything up and measure everything out. Have it at the ready.

Cut up the onion and mince the garlic. Keep these two in one bowl. In another bowl, store your prepared celery, bell pepper, and the tomatoes.

Also, slice up the Andouille Sausage in to round medallions. If you don’t have andouille sausage, you can experiment with other sausages. Andouille is preferred but your gumbo will be delicious with other sausages.

Measure your oil and flour for your Roux. Measure the filé and thyme and have it ready.

Step 4: Sear the Andouille Sausage Medallions. 

In a 5-quart cast iron Dutch oven over medium to medium high heat, sear (brown) your andouille sausage. Andouille is pretty fat self-sufficient; we often don’t add any oil to the pan. But, if your andouille is looking sorta on the slim side, add a bit of oil or bacon grease to the bottom of that Dutch oven. No worries.

Once all the medallions are browned/seared on both sides, remove them from the pot and set aside. 

You can substitute other sausages if you can’t find any andouille sausage. Again, no worries.

Step 5: Make a Roux.

I said there was only one rule earlier…I told a fib…there’s two. You really can’t have a gumbo without a roux. Well you can; many early, pre-World War II gumbos were created without roux. Here’s a VERY COOL link to a 1922 cookbook called The Picayune Creole Cookbook. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL6643212M/The_Picayune_Creole_cook_book. (Let me know if the link isn’t working).

Using a separate, small skillet, over medium high heat, create your roux to a red / dark roux. 

Here’s how to make a roux: https://beerandiron.com/roux 

The dark or red roux created here really won’t add to the thickness of the gumbo…this roux is for FLAVOR! We create the roux in a separate pan and add it later and we add a lot less roux to our gumbo recipe than other recipes. 

Step 6: Sauté the onions and garlic.

One of the reasons we add the roux to the pot later is because of this step.

We’ve seared/browned our andouille sausage medallions and the pan will have all that andouille sausage fat and bits and pieces of that andouille sausage in the bottom of that pan. The onions and garlic (we add them together) will aid in deglazing and pull that flavor right off the bottom of that pot.

We wait to add the roux. The roux would have to be created before putting the other ingredients…at least after the sausage searing step…and onions do not sear well in roux…not at all. That’s my experience.

Step 7: Toss in the bell peppers, celery, tomatoes, and sausage.

Once the onions are a bit translucent, toss in the chopped bell pepper, diced celery, and cut up tomatoes. Sauté all this for just a bit. Not long, just a bit.

Turn the heat down to low or medium low as we add the rest of the ingredients.

NOTE: if you want to add okra to the pot, now’s the time.

Step 8: Add the Roux.

If your roux has been sitting for a bit, it may have started to separate. Mix it back to a nice and creamy consistency and add the roux to the pot. 

Mix everything up real good and level things off in that pot. We want them level because we are going to add the liquid to the pot just to the level of the ingredients and don’t want anything piled up too high.

Step 9: Add the beer and broth…one or the other or both.

Add about 12-16 ounces of beer to the pot just up to the level of the ingredients in the pot. If the liquid is not up to where you want it to be, add some broth, more beer, or even water to get it up to the level.

Use a mild lager or low IBU (International Bitterness Unit) beer. Basically, less-bitter the better. Avoid flavored beers and sours.

There is this Jalapeño beer…an IPA…in Baker City Oregon at Barley Browns that I am going to growler up the next time I pass through that beautiful town…I have been wanting to try that beer with its mild spiciness with this recipe. 

You can add just beer alone if you like, but we often will have created a beer bone broth to add to our soups, stews, chilis…and GUMBO! Here’s how to make a beer bone broth: https://beerandiron.com/beer-and-chicken-bone-broth

Broth from a box or can will work too. 

Step 10: Get it all up to a Simmer.

Turn the heat back up to medium and give everything a good stirring up. Put the lid on the pot and bring the gumbo up to a simmer.

Step 11: Add the filé and the thyme.

Once things are simmering, add the filé, thyme, and any other spices you want to add. Then stir everything up very well.

Some folks add the filé after the cook and at the table for a filé flavor. The thickening agent in this gumbo recipe IS the filé. Ain’t no body got no time for no soup-thin gumbo; we need a thick, stew-like consistency with some body to it.

Okra is a thickener and often used along with filé in the gumbo.

A note on the sliminess:

Filé and okra are considered thickeners. But filé and okra do not thicken the same way as flour or cornstarch. Not at all.

The one thing to make note of when adding okra or filé or both to this recipe: watch for the “thickness that runs kind of ‘stringy-like’ (stringy…spin or spun) when scooped with a spoon and allowed to drip back into the bowl.” Folks, when I say, “stringy-like” what I am actually referring to is the “sliminess.” Yes, your gumbo can be too thin and soup-like…and there is gumbo that is too stringy or slimy. If this is a concern, then cut the 3 tablespoons of filé down to two. Make note of your filé (and okra if you are adding) amount and adjust on future gumbo cooks.

If the texture is not to your liking but you love the flavor of filé, then cut the filé powder during the cook and garnish your gumbo with some dry filé at the table.

Adding some spicy for a bit of zing is A-OK. I like spicy but not too spicy. We usually don’t add hot stuff in the pot; we add it at the table. Here are two ingredients that will give your gumbo a pleasant kick:

(Affiliate)

Tabasco Brand Pepper Sauce: https://amzn.to/3JL4FTH 

Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning from Louisiana: https://amzn.to/3ZRnxpN 

Step 12: Check for Saltiness and Add Salt if Needed.

There are so many things that can influence the saltiness of this gumbo…the brined chicken meat, the beer, the broth, and just the natural salt hints that exist in many ingredients. 

Use a spoon to gather some of the broth and just broth. Sample the liquid. Is it salty to the point you like salty to taste? Yeah? Then you’re done with all the ingredients. 

If not, then add salt to the pot and stir it in very well. Return the pot to a simmer and wait a few minutes before checking again (no less than 5 and a bit more is A-OK). 

If we check it right away, the initial salt we added hasn’t blended yet. Give it time to become part of the gumbo then sample again.

Want to know more about salting: https://beerandiron.com/salt-to-taste 

By the way, now’s a good time to put some rice on in a separate pot. Don’t cook the rice in with the gumbo. Cook the rice in a separate pot to add to the gumbo later.

Step 13: After a bit of Simmering, Check the Saltiness Again.

Check the salt again. If it’s where you need it to be then great! If not, add a reserved amount (no more than 1 teaspoon or less at a time). Then, wait a bit and check again.

Then, Bon appétit! 

Once the pot has thickened up (this will not take long), then check the bell peppers and celery. Are they done to the doneness you like? Then you are ready to eat. 

Enjoy this gumbo over or under a bit of rice…rice is the way to go…trust me. We like to use a large spoon and scoop out a bit of rice and pop it on the top of our gumbo.

Garnish as you like.

If you are adding shrimp to the gumbo, it’s always a good idea to add it at the end of the cook and let the gumbo “cook” the shrimp. Some folks add whole shrimp for some flavor, and that’s perfect but add whole shrimp in earlier in the cook; whole shrimp takes longer to cook than peeled shrimp tails. Peeled shrimp tails are added right as you turn the heat off. Mix the shrimp in the hot gumbo and let the hot gumbo cook the shrimp. Do this towards the end and once the shrimp is done, your gumbo is done.

Note: Shrimp is optional. If you do add shrimp to your gumbo, only had a small handful; adding too much shrimp to your hot gumbo will cool it down too much and the shrimp will not fully cook.

If you are adding any seafood or other ingredients, then cook until all the ingredients are cooked to a safe temperature.