Hot Boudin & Cracklins!

It has been a while since I have found anything on the road worth writing about, but this week I struck gold in Cajun Country.

My trip started out in Metairie, LA, where I am managing a project. I had not seen Gustavo, our sub-contractor on this jobsite, for some time. We met up Tuesday afternoon to review some scope questions, etc. After touring the site, he invited me to meet him the next morning so I could finally share some Yerba Mate with him. Since we met in 2007, I have always been interested in his Uraguayan heritage. One thing that we have always talked about is their passion for Mate, a tea enjoyed by almost everyone in the region. It is a little bit more than a tea, though. It is somewhat of a social affair, as it consists of one person preparing a hollowed-out gourd with loose, dried tea leaves, setting the bombilla (filtered straw) and doling out servings to everyone around. Hot water is kept in a thermos, and poured in the tea-filled gourd. The mate is handed to one person, and when they have finished thier portion using the bombilla to suck in the warm, spicey tea, it is handed back to the preparer, and he/she then repeats the cycle until everyone has had their fill. Trust me, there is an art to preparing a good mate. I would have to include a video to explain properly.

The amazing thing about my mate session with Gustavo is that he has an amazing "gourd". It is a bull's foot that has been hollowed out and cured. The hair and hoof still intact, it is at first a distrubing sight, but upon closer inspection, it is not only a symbol of Gustavo's culture, but a work of art. Here are a couple of pictures of Gustavo with his "gourd":

By the time I was finished with my 5th serving of Mate, I was holding onto a heavy caffiene buzz. This would help me stay awake for the 10 hours I would be in the car for the rest of the afternoon. I had to drive from Metairie, LA to Marksville, LA and then onto Many, LA to visit two small job sites that Gustavo had completed the past weekend. This trip brought me right into the heart of Louisiana Cajun Country.

I was excited about the food possibilities I was about to realize. Driving the scenic route to Marksville, LA required a long drive on Louisiana Highway 1. It was amazing how many roadside establishments were advertising boiled or live crawfish. I was tempted to stop at several of these, but my mind was on the sausage at this time. I was after some of the hot boudin sausage that this area is famous for, besides, I have had crawfish in Louisiana before. Don't get me wrong, I love the crawfish, but I had never had the boudin. I needed to leave plenty of empty space in my stomach.

I struck gold when I was driving into Marksville. I noticed a funky, gold-colored building on my left. Juneau's Cajun Meats. It had a small smoke shack out back, and advertised "Hot Boudin & Cracklins". Ok, my stomach was yelling at me for some of the boudin, but my mouth started to water uncontrollably when I read "Cracklins", especially after seeing the smoke shack.

I wasn't sure what to expect with either product, but I knew I had come across an authentic eating experience. I proceeded to order one link of the hot boudin ( I ordered the regular, but had the option of smoked, also). Then I was on to the cracklins. These were hot, fresh cracklins, and they were dusted with cajun seasoning. I ordered half a bag. I wanted to order a whole bag, but I was warned that it was way too much for one person. I now agree with their advise. I noticed one more thing on the counter: cracklin cornbread. Wow...I needed to get a piece of this too! I was soon told that it was fresh and hot; the best way to eat it.

Juneau's is strictly for take-out. The only food they serve that is already prepared are the items I had ordered. There is no dining area, and no outside dining area, either. I didn't care. I had a rental car and air conditioning. I brought the food to the car, and sat in their parking lot enjoying my feast. First the boudin. Very nice snap and texture in the casing. It was the filling that was the most interesting. Amazingly seasoned pork and rice stuffed into a natural casing. Different texture for sausage, but after a bite or two, you get it. The complex flavors of the pork paired with the delicate texture of the rice makes for a soft sausage that starts off bland, but after a few chews, explodes with flavor.

I had to get a cracklin in my mouth. I fell into a trance after I bit into it and not only did the hot pork fat squirt in my mouth as I was chewing, but I was able to detect all the layers of skin, fat and meat throughout the nugget of goodness. I have eaten some pretty good chicharrones, but the texture and intense salty-fatty goodness ranks up there as one of the best flavors my tongue has had the privilege to meet. Check out this layering:

I can't leave out the cracklin cornbread. I was skeptical at first until I realized upon biting into it that, yes, there were pieces of cracklins cooked into the cornbread. Ridiculous. I have not eaten a lot of cornbread in my life, but I know that this sets the bar pretty high. Definitely the tastiest and moistest cornbread I have ever eaten.What a meal! I am thinking about looking into whether or not they ship the boudin and cornbread. I can't wait to go back and try the smoked boudin, and maybe pop my head into some of the other boudin shops throughout the region, but I think it will be hard for anyone to top the offerings at Juneau's. If you are in Cajun Country, you must visit them at 6068 Highway 1, Marksville, Louisiana.