Pork Boudin Balls

Boudin is a sausage that tastes a bit like dirty rice but with more meat.  Very popular in Louisiana, this sausage can be made and turned into a tempting appetizer without sausage casings.  This recipe makes 25 to 30 morsels and can be frozen before breading and frying for a great make ahead.

1  1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder cut into 2 inch cubes (don't lose the fat)
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped white onion
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 Tbl salt
1 tsp black pepper
1  1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1  1/2 cups cooked white rice, divided
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup sliced green onion
3 step breading station set up with flour, egg beaten with a little water and seasoned bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for pan frying


In a 4 quart pot, place the pork, onion, green pepper, salt, black pepper, garlic and cayenne.  Cover with water to reach about 2 inches over the mixture.
Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and simmer for about 1  1/2 hours until the meat is very tender.
Remove the mixture from the pot, reserving the broth, and place in the bowl of a food processor.  Add some of the broth, the parsley, green onion and 3/4 cup of the cooked rice and process until pretty smooth ( a pate consistency).  Add more broth if needed...I used about 3/4 cup.
Remove the mixture to a bowl, stir in the reserved 3/4 cup rice.  Taste and adjust the salt and pepper if necessary.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight if you wish.
When ready to cook, form the meat mixture into smooth little balls a little bigger than a walnut but smaller than a golf ball.  At this point you can freeze any that you don't want to cook...just partially thaw before breading.
With your breading station set up, dust the balls with flour, then into the egg mixture and finally the seasoned crumbs.
Pan fry for about 2 or 3 minutes on each side and drain on paper toweling before serving.
We served ours with a a dipping sauce of 1/2 cup mayo, 1 Tbl Dijon mustard, 1 Tbl creole seasoning and 1 Tbl hot sauce.