Gumbo thanks; great party!

J Appledog

Many thanks to all who offered recipes and suggestions for my big pot of birthday gumbo. It was eggceptional! (My 2 gallon dutch oven sure came in handy).[p]I pretty much followed Smokin' Joe's suggestions on his March 5th reply to my post (O.T. Seafood gumbo). The store-bought bouillion and the Tony Chacheries were a great call. This IS Michigan so I omitted the okra and added file at the end. Ditto on the oysters so I served them fried as an appetizer. I added snow crab & some tinned claw meat, also scallops, andouille, Spanish chorizo & lots of shrimp, served over rice. I also added some Elements of Spice Spirit of Fire pepper blend. Each & every person said that it was the best they'd ever tasted.[p]For the fried oysters I pulverized Ritz crackers in my food processor with some Tony Chacheries. I rolled each oyster in the mixture and froze them overnight. At the beginning of the party I popped them into hot oil, fried them until browned and served them with cocktail sauce. The middles stay soft so it's a great way to serve them![p]I also served bacon wrapped pickled watermelon rind cooked on the BGE. Other birthday friends brought more hor d'oeuvres (including killer chicken cooked in our fireplace on weenie forks), cole slaw, corn bread, desserts, and beer and wine and more beer.... JCA

fiver29

J Appledog,[p]Sounds like a great party Ms. Dog! I'd love to be invited to one those anytime.[p]John

Smokin Joe

J Appledog,
Well, well, well - glad to hear the gumbo was a success. By the sounds of your post the whole party was rockin with good food, adult beverages and lots of praise. Way to go! Joe
BTW - that has become one of my favorite recipies to cook... AND EAT! LOL[p]PS: What is Bacon Wrapped Pickeled Watermelon Rind - cooked on the BGE??? Care to share the recipie/specifics how to cook? That sounds very interesting and as my 8 year old daughter Erica says - yummyful!

Unknown

Smokin Joe,Had some of the bacon wrapped pickeled watermelon rinds in Atlanta.Great treat but the only place I've found the pickeles was Harry's or Ingles.

J Appledog

poppasam, YB served them in Atlanta. He used Jake & Amos brand Pickled Sweet Watermelon Rind. Our local stores sell some under the Reese brand and they are often found in the olive section.[p]Drain the pickled watermelon rinds and wrap with a half piece of bacon around each piece, securing with a toothpick. Place them on a rack over a drip pan. YB shook Tony Chacheries on top which I found a nice addition. Cook at 350-400 until the bacon is crisp. People go nuts over them. Yum! JCA

[ul][li]Jake & Amos[/ul]

J Appledog

Smokin Joe, Pickled watermelon rind recipe posted below this one. That gumbo was so good I made it again last night. It took all of about 5 minutes to round up 8 people who wanted to come over & eat it! JCA

Smokin Joe

poppasam,
Thanks! I'm close enough to try either one. Joe

Smokin Joe

J Appledog,
That sound easy enough LOL. Quick question - from what I read it's just store bought pickled w-melon rind with a bacon wrap and Tony C's - then on the egg as you mentioned? Is there something else in the link? Reason I ask is that I can't get the link to give me a web page - not sure why??? Joe

J Appledog

Smokin Joe, That's the recipe. I'd always made it without the Tony Chacheries until I made it with YB at geexerfest last summer. I like it with.[p]Try this link. I'd forgotten that I bought a case (wholesale).... JCA

[ul][li]Pickled watermelon rinds[/ul]

J Appledog

Oops, I meant GEEZERfest.

Smokin Joe

J Appledog,
Got it! I remember this stuff was sold at festivals in the York, PA/Lancaster, PA area. I lived in York County for a few years back in the early 90's. Thanks a bunch! Joe