Cajun cooking is an art and it takes talent to do it correctly. Writer Debi Lander had the chance to meet Spuddy, a man who really knows his stuff, including his Cajun gumbo recipes, one of which he was kind enough to share. Glean some wisdom from this pro, then give his authentic recipe for Chicken and Sausage Gumbo a try.

Spuddy shows a slab of hog fat which is melted down and used in cooking.

A Lesson and Recipe from Spuddy’s Cajun Cooking Experience

You might think someone nicknamed Spuddy would be an Idaho potato farmer, but not Spuddy Faucheux. He’s the owner of the Cajun Cooking Experience. The man was born and bred in St. John the Baptist Parish of Louisiana, which just happens to be the Andouille Capital of the World; however, he wasn’t always a Cajun chef. Spuddy learned his culinary talents by trial and error, watching and listening to others, and ever tasting.

Spuddy came to teaching in a somewhat backhanded manner. After college, he began his employment in computer technology, then in sales, which led to his introduction to the culinary world. He opened a Cajun food shop and, finally, in 1993, maneuvered the opening of a restaurant in Vacherie, Louisiana. The place succeeded for a while, then the area suffered from hurricanes and the downturn in the economy. Fortunately for those who want to learn authentic Cajun cooking, Faucheux reinvented himself in 2018 and opened Spuddy’s Cajun Cooking Experience. Students come to take a three-hour, hands-on class (trust me, you’ll stay longer). They prepare gumbo, jambalaya, and Andouille, but they learn much more. They absorb Spuddy’s passion and see the way Cajun cooking brings people together.

In the kitchen, Spuddy’s approach Is patient and slow, like a fisherman waiting for a bite. He uses simple, pure, and natural ingredients. His recipes incorporate spices, of course, and also bountiful amounts of meat. Everyone’s stomach feels full after a bowl of Spuddy’s gumbo.

I found Spuddy to be a talker. In his case, it’s a good thing because he knows what he is talking about. When it comes to jambalaya, gumbo, Andouille, and smoked sausage, trust Faucheux.

The Cajun Cooking Experience begins with a history lesson of the area. Spuddy explains how Louisiana became a unique blend of Arcadians from Canada, French and German settlers, and African slaves. Their cultures intermingled as did their dishes. This blend gave us Cajun and Creole cuisine.

Gumbo is the perfect example; it resembles many of the okra-based soups in West Africa. The name of the soup comes from the Bantu words for okra,” kingombo.” The concept of the roux originates from the French. The Choctaw invented the file powder- used for flavoring and as a thickener. We thank the Germans for sausage and Andouille.

Leaving history behind, my class got into making sausage. We started with large chunks of what Spuddy called cushion meat and put it through a grinder. Spuddy uses lean, specialty meat for Andouille and Boston Butt for his sausage, but no MSG or fillers. It’s all-natural. Next, we added salt, pepper and cayenne, and some nitrates and mixed by hand. The meat was loaded into a stuffing machine, and the casings rapidly filled, almost by magic. They were then taken away for smoking in the smokehouse all night.

Meat is freshly ground and then seasonings are added before it’s put into casings to become sausage.

While I found the sausage stuffing interesting, the fact is, I’m never going to make or smoke my own. I was looking forward to starting the gumbo.

My group began making the gumbo broth, adding onions and various meats into a giant pot of water. Spuddy does not start with the typical Cajun holy trinity – a sauteed blend of onions, celery, and peppers, as many Louisiana cooks do. We let the pot come to a boil, then reduced it to simmer.

Cooking up the ingredients for the Gumbo in a large pot.

Making the roux came next, the base, and perhaps the most crucial ingredient in gumbo. Spuddy surprised us by bringing out hog lard, something I’ve never cooked with before. But, if you are making an authentic Cajun gumbo, that’s what you use. A home cook would melt grocery store lard instead. Spuddy gave us this tip, saying, “Your oil is hot enough if a drop of water dances or flour crumbles.”

Once the hog fat melted, we added flour slowly, one spoonful at a time, and stirred continuously. There are no hard and fast measurements or times. Coaxing a roux is a learned skill and one that demands patience and practice. To see how the color and texture of roux forms or comes together, Spuddy told us to take teaspoonful samples of the mixture and place them on a plate. Every five minutes or so, we sampled again and compared. As the photo below shows, the roux grew to a caramel color and became thicker.

The different stages of Roux are shown, by the spoonful. Roux is critical to a lot of Cajun dishes for flavor and thickener.

The browned roux was then mixed into the broth, again slowly, one spoonful at a time. From this point on, you can vary the recipe, adding chicken thigh meat, smoked sausage, peppers or okra. Gumbo is eaten like a soup or served over rice for an even hardier meal.

If you’ve got courage, try the recipe below. Spuddy says, “Do not be afraid of tweaking to your taste. Gumbo comes from your soul, not a recipe.”

FYI: I cut Spuddy’s recipe in half, as most of us don’t have extra-large pots. If you follow the amounts, you will still have leftovers – but they taste even better the next day.

And, if you are ever in the River Parishes area of Southern Louisiana, be sure to inquire about the Cajun Cooking Experience.

Compliments of Spuddy’s Cajun Cooking Experience, here’s his Authentic Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Recipe:

Andouille, Smoked Sausage and Chicken Gumbo Recipe

Serves 12

Spuddy gathered the ingredients to make the Gumbo.

Ingredients:

10-quart capacity pot

Large spoon of beef base and chicken base (optional)

Water

2 pounds cut okra (optional)

1 ½ pounds onions

2 bell peppers

Garlic (optional)

Celery (optional)

½ pound of lard

½ cup flour or more

2 pounds chicken thigh meat

Spuddy’s Andouille (or other)

Spuddy’s Smoked Sausage (or other)

½ pound chicken necks

½ pound chicken wings

1 pound smoked turkey necks

½ pound chicken gizzards (optional)

Method:

To Make the Stock for the Sausage and Chicken Gumbo recipe

Fill pot ¾ full of water. Add half the onions, chicken gizzards, necks, wings, smoked turkey necks, and Andouille to the water. This is the stock. Let this boil while making your roux. The beef and chicken base, celery and garlic, may be added now if you decided to use them.

To Make the Roux

In a separate pot, heat the lard. When the fat is hot, add the flour a little at a time, continuously stirring until it’s all in. (Spuddy uses a wide commercial spatula.) Cook the roux until it is dark brown. After the roux is the color you like, turn off the heat and add remaining onions to the roux. This addition will stop the cooking process. Continue stirring until the roux cools- about 5 minutes.

Add the smoked sausage to the stock. Bring the stock back to a boil. Using a large spoon, one spoonful at a time, add the roux to the gumbo. Whip the spoon around to help dissolve the roux. Add all the roux, one spoon at a time.

Boil on medium heat for at least half an hour. Every 5 minutes, stir to be sure it’s not sticking. Taste after a half hour. If you like the taste, add chicken thigh meat and bell peppers. Bring back to a boil. Boil 5-10 minutes.

Smothering the okra (optional)

Heat  ¼ pound of lard. Add okra to the pot. Continuously stir the okra until all slime is cooked out. Any time okra sticks, add a little water. When the okra is soft to eat and the slime is gone, it’s ready. After adding roux to the gumbo, add okra. Cook okra in the gumbo for 20-30 minutes.

Serve gumbo over rice or eat like soup.

Two kinds of sausage are used in this authentic recipe for Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, shared in this article, by Spuddy of the Cajun Cooking Experience.

Debi Lander appreciates the support she received during her trip to the Louisiana River Parishes.

— Story and photos by Debi Lander

Here’s a really interesting video, featuring Spuddy in action. 

Hungry for more? Find out what it means to “Run and Go Beggin'” for Gumbo in this article. Then read about a very lively lunch Debi Lander enjoyed at the famous restaurant, Galatoire’s. Find out more about the joys of culinary travel on our About page.

PIN Authentic Sausage and Chicken Gumbo Recipe