Wayne &
Annie's
Gumbo
Dark roux, smoked sausage, 3-hour simmer.
Serves 8–10 · 3.5 hr total · Stockpot, cast iron skillet
The original typed recipe card, stained and folded
Source

The original card.

Quantities, order, and cook times follow the typed card. Each step below shows the card text it comes from.

Smoked sausage is handwritten on the card with no amount. This page uses 1 lb. Anything not on the card is marked our amount or our move.

Wayne & Annie, from the top of the card
Wayne & Annie's
From the recipe card
handwritten addition
From the recipe card
yield
From the recipe card
storage
From the Card

Ingredients.

The Broth

6 to 8 qtwater, salted
5 to 6chicken breasts (skinless is OK)
to tastesalt

The Roux

1 cupoil
1 cupflour
1large iron skillet

Into the Roux

1 mediumonion, chopped
1 mediumbell pepper, chopped

Into the Pot

2½ cupscarrots, sliced
2½ cupscelery, sliced
1 lb bagfrozen sliced okra
1 lbsmoked sausage, slicedour amount

Seasoning

2 tspcelery salt
2 tspgarlic salt
1 tspcayenne pepper
to tasteblack pepper

To Serve

4 to 5 cupscooked white riceour amount
a sleevesaltines
a bowlgreen salad
a few dropsTabasco, for strong stomachs
Not Specified on the Card

Smoked sausage: 1 lb, sliced into ¼ in coins. Andouille for more heat.

Rice: ½ cup cooked per serving.

From the recipe card
original ingredient list
Schedule

Timeline.

01
Step 1 · Broth

Boil the chicken.

From the recipe card
Card · Step 1

The cooking liquid is the gumbo base. Do not discard it.

A · Water On
“Bring 6-8 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot.”
6–8 qt water, 2 tbsp salt. Lid on, high heat.
B · Chicken In
“Put in chicken breasts and cook until tender.”
Return to a simmer. Cook about 30 min, to 165°F internal. Start the roux (Step 2) now.
C · Cool, Shred, Return
“Remove from broth and after cooled, cut or shred into small pieces, return to the broth.”
Keep the broth at a simmer. Cool the chicken 10 min, shred, and return it to the pot.
♪ Press playSouthern Nights · Allen Toussaint
The Broth
Water to boil
Chicken
Cool
165°Fthen shred, return to pot
02
Step 2 · Roux

Make the roux.

From the recipe card
Card · Step 2

Equal parts oil and flour in cast iron, stirred constantly. Target color: dark chocolate. About 30 min at medium.

A · Oil and Flour
“brown 1-cup oil and 1-cup flour in a large iron skillet on medium to high heat until dark brown”
Heat oil over medium. Whisk in flour until smooth. Medium is slower than the card's medium-high and less likely to burn. Use a flat wooden spatula.
B · Peanut Butter
“The roux MUST be continually stirred so that it will not burn”
Stir constantly. At 10 min: peanut-butter color.
C · Copper Penny
“you may have to remove from heat a few seconds at a time”
At 20 min: copper color. If it darkens too fast, lift off the heat for a few seconds while stirring.
D · Very Old Penny
“the approximate color of chocolate or a VERY OLD PENNY!”
At 30 min: dark chocolate. Stop. Black specks or an acrid smell means it burned. Discard and restart.
Safety

Roux is hotter than boiling water and sticks to skin. Wear long sleeves. Keep children and pets out of the kitchen.

♪ Cook toRight Place Wrong Time · Dr. John
The Roux · Medium Heat
Peanut butter
Copper penny
Very old penny
~30 minstir constantly
Target Color
“the approximate color of chocolate or a VERY OLD PENNY!”
Blond2 min
Peanut Butter10 min
Copper Penny20 min
Milk Chocolate25 min
Very Old Penny30 min · stop
The roux line from the card
from the card
03
Step 3 · Vegetables

Onion and bell pepper, then combine.

From the recipe card
Card · Step 3

Adding the vegetables lowers the roux temperature and stops the browning.

A · Sauté in the Roux
“When the roux has browned, add onion and bell pepper to roux and sauté until tender”
Add onion and bell pepper to the skillet as soon as the roux reaches target color. Stir about 6 min, until soft.
B · Roux Into the Broth
“then add to the chicken broth.”
Add to the simmering broth one spoonful at a time, stirring after each. Scrape the skillet clean.
Note

Celery goes in at Step 4 with the carrots, not into the roux.

♪ Cook toBon Ton Roulet · Clifton Chenier
Vegetables
Onion and pepper
Into the brothone spoonful at a time
Resultbrown, thickening broth
04
Step 4 · Simmer

Add the rest. Simmer 2½–3 hours.

From the recipe card
Card · Step 4

Add the remaining ingredients and hold at a low simmer.

A · Brown the Sausage
our moveOptional. Brown the sliced sausage in the skillet over medium, about 6 min, before adding.
B · Everything In
“Add remaining ingredients through the cayenne pepper.”
Add carrots, celery, frozen okra, sausage, celery salt, garlic salt, and cayenne. Return to a gentle boil, then reduce to low. Lid ajar.
C · Taste at One Hour
“I wait until the gumbo has cooked approx. 1 hour before tasting to see if there needs to be any black pepper or additional salt added.”
At 1 hr, taste. Adjust salt and black pepper.
D · Keep Going
“I usually simmer gumbo for a total of 2½ - 3 hours.”
Simmer 1½–2 hr more. Stir and scrape the bottom every 20 min. Skim surface oil if desired. Done when the carrots are soft and the liquid coats a spoon.
♪ Cook toI Put a Spell on You · Screamin' Jay Hawkins

“Can I ask you a question?”
“You already did.”

The Simmer · Low
Sausage
First taste
Long simmer
2½–3 hrstir every 20 min
From the recipe card
handwritten addition, no amount
05
Step 5 · Serve

Serve over rice.

From the recipe card
Card · Step 5

Rice is not timed on the card. Start it when about 30 min of simmer remain.

A · Rice
“Serve over rice.”
Rinse. Cook covered on low, 18 min.
B · Rest the Rice
Off heat, lid on, 5 min. Fluff before serving.
C · Build the Bowls
“Makes a great meal with salad and saltines!! For strong stomachs, let individuals add a few drops of Tabasco Sauce.”
Rice in the bowl, gumbo over it. Salad, saltines, and Tabasco on the side.
♪ Sit down toIko Iko · The Dixie Cups
The Table
Rice
Rest
Yield8–10 servings
Soundtrack

Playlist.

01Southern NightsAllen Toussaint
02Right Place Wrong TimeDr. John
03Bon Ton RouletClifton Chenier
04I Put a Spell on YouScreamin' Jay Hawkins
05Iko IkoThe Dixie Cups
06Born on the BayouCreedence Clearwater Revival
Drinks

Pairings.

During the Simmer

Abita Amber

Amber lager, Abita Springs, Louisiana. Malty, low bitterness.

At the Table

Sazerac

Rye, sugar, Peychaud's bitters, absinthe rinse.

2 ozrye whiskey
1/4 ozsimple syrup, or one sugar cube
3 dashesPeychaud's bitters
rinseabsinthe or Herbsaint, in a chilled glass
garnishlemon peel, expressed
Wine

Morgon

Beaujolais cru (Gamay). Serve slightly chilled. Shelved under France, Burgundy.

Storage

Freezes exceptionally well.

Per the card. Keeps about 3 months frozen.

Cool
Refrigerate within 2 hours. Divide into smaller containers to cool faster.
Freeze
Freeze without rice, in quart bags laid flat.
Reheat
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat on low with a splash of water. Cook fresh rice.
From the recipe card
from the card
For the Tracker

Macros.

With Rice

One bowl of 10, half cup rice
Cal
~670
Protein
38g
Carbs
40g
Fat
36g

No Rice

One bowl of 10
Cal
~560
Protein
36g
Carbs
18g
Fat
36g
Notes

Most of the fat is the 1 cup of roux oil, divided over 10 servings. Skimming surface oil during the simmer reduces it. Excludes saltines and Tabasco. Estimates.

Wayne &
Annie's Gumbo
ENJOY, from the card
Serves 8–10 · Freezes well