Smoked Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

Well hello there... it`s been a busy summer. I thought with the cool fall weather fast upon us a warm bowl of Gumbo is in order for tonight's meal. I started yesterday with smoking some whole chickens in my electric smoker using pecan wood chips. I seasoned the chickens with Cavender`s Greek Seasoning, not your typical Cajun seasoning but a nice twist that add`s another layer of flavor. I also smoked some of my homemade Jalapeno Bell Pepper Brats to slice up and use in the gumbo. Basically the brats are Boston Butt roasts ground with a 1/4 inch plate, seasoned & cured with a traditional German Bratwurst seasoning. I then add some finely chopped Jalapeno`s & green Bell Peppers to the ground pork butts & stuff in natural hog casing.
For this batch of Gumbo i loosely followed a recipe from one of the more popular Food TV Chef`s(Bam). My version as follows.

SMOKED CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE GUMBO

Ingredients:
1-cup vegetable oil
1-cup flour
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 pounds smoked Bratwurst, sliced 1/2 inch think
1-teaspoon salt
1-teaspoon black pepper
3 bay leaves
6 cups water
1 whole boneless smoked chicken, de-boned cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2-teaspoons Tony Chachere's Spices & Herbs
1-tablespoon File` powder (if using okra cut back of file` powder)
1-cup cooked rice to serve with Gumbo
1-cup cooked & peeled small shrimp.
1-cup Okra (Optional)

Combine the oil and flour in a large stew pot over medium heat. Stirring slowly and constantly for 20 to 25 minutes, make a light brown to dark brown roux. Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers and continue to stir for 4 to 5 minutes, or until wilted. Add the water, meat, S & P, Tony Chachere's seasoning, okra, rice, and bay leaves. Continue to stir for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir until the roux mixture and water are well combined. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook mixture uncovered stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Remove the bay leaves and serve in deep bowls with a 1/4 cup or so of cooked rice on top.


With a hearty bowl of this Gumbo i`m sure it will warm the cockles of any cold heart. The smokiness of the sausage and chicken shines through just enough to add another layer of flavor. Most Gumbo`s are more hotter than what i would make. The original recipe called for an additional 1/4 teaspoon of Cayenne powder. Heat is neat, but i want to taste more than just heat so i tame it down a bit by added the spiciness to the Brats and the heat from the Tony Chachere's seasoning, which is enough for me and my family. By all means if you want it hotter go ahead and "spice it up".
Well, thanks for checking up on whats cooking at home!