Crawfish Boil

This recipe is intended to serve about 10 people.

Ingredients:

• 30-35 pounds live crawfish
• 5 gallons of water
• 2 bags of crawfish boil seasoning (approximately 4.5 lbs total, or according to taste)
• 2 lemons, halved
• 2 large onions, halved
• 10 garlic cloves
• 6 bay leaves
• 1 bunch of fresh thyme
• 4 pounds small red potatoes
• 8 ears of corn, halved
• 2 pounds smoked sausage, cut into chunks
• 1 cup salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Hot sauce to taste (optional)

Instructions:

1. Purge the crawfish: Rinse the live crawfish with fresh water until the runoff water is clear. Some recommend purging in salt water, but this step is controversial and may not be necessary.

2. Prepare the boiling mixture: In your high-performance cooker, bring 5 gallons of water to a boil. Once boiling, add in the crawfish boil seasoning, lemons, onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt, black pepper, and hot sauce (if using). Let the mixture boil for about 15 minutes to allow the spices to blend.

3. Add potatoes and sausage: Add the red potatoes and sausage to the pot and let them cook for about 10 minutes.

4. Add the corn: After the potatoes and sausage have cooked for 10 minutes, add the corn to the pot and cook for another 10 minutes.

5. Cook the crawfish: Add the crawfish to the pot, stir, and let them cook for about 5-10 minutes, until they turn bright red.

6. Let it soak: Once the crawfish are cooked, turn off the heat and let everything soak for about 20-30 minutes. The longer they soak, the spicier they will get.

7. Drain and serve: After soaking, drain the crawfish and accompanying ingredients. Dump everything onto a large table covered with newspaper or serving trays, and let your guests dig in!

Enjoy your classic crawfish boil! Remember to have plenty of napkins and bowls for discarded shells. For extra fun, provide bibs and let the good times roll!