Heat the cup of peanut oil or lard over medium heat for a minute, then stir in the flour. Mix so there are no lumps.
Cook the roux over medium-low heat until it is the color of chocolate. ***The darker it is, the better, but once the roux gets dark it can burn easily, so you must stir constantly and keep and eye on it***
While the roux is cooking, bring the 10 cups of water to a simmer.
When the roux is dark enough, mix in the chopped onions, celery and green pepper and turn the heat to medium. Let this cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften. Add the garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes.
Add the bay leaves and Creole Kick and slowly stir in the hot water. The roux will seize up at first but keep stirring and it will all come together in a silky broth.
Add the ham hock and all the greens. Taste for salt, but remember the ham hock will be salty, so let the broth be a little under-salted for now. If you want to add more Creole Kick, do so now. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 1hour and 15 minutes.
Check the ham hock. If the meat is falling off the bone, remove it, discard the bones, chop the meat, and return it to the pot. If the hock is not ready, keep simmering the gumbo; ham hocks don't always cook at the same rate.
Once the hock is ready, add the andouille sausage and cook for another 15minutes. Serve with rice and Enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
Heat the cup of peanut oil or lard over medium heat for a minute, then stir in the flour. Mix so there are no lumps.
Cook the roux over medium-low heat until it is the color of chocolate. ***The darker it is, the better, but once the roux gets dark it can burn easily, so you must stir constantly and keep and eye on it***
While the roux is cooking, bring the 10 cups of water to a simmer.
When the roux is dark enough, mix in the chopped onions, celery and green pepper and turn the heat to medium. Let this cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften. Add the garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes.
Add the bay leaves and Creole Kick and slowly stir in the hot water. The roux will seize up at first but keep stirring and it will all come together in a silky broth.
Add the ham hock and all the greens. Taste for salt, but remember the ham hock will be salty, so let the broth be a little under-salted for now. If you want to add more Creole Kick, do so now. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 1hour and 15 minutes.
Check the ham hock. If the meat is falling off the bone, remove it, discard the bones, chop the meat, and return it to the pot. If the hock is not ready, keep simmering the gumbo; ham hocks don't always cook at the same rate.
Once the hock is ready, add the andouille sausage and cook for another 15minutes. Serve with rice and Enjoy!