Crawfish Boil

Ingredients:

live crawfish, 1 sack, approx. 35 lbs

Seasonings:

• Zatarain's Shrimp/Crab Boil, liquid (4 oz.) or dry (8 sacks)
• salt, 2 26-ounce boxes
• cayenne pepper, 8 ounces
• lemons, 6 cut in half
• margarine, 1 stick (optional)
• small new red potatoes, whole (optional)
• onion, whole (optional)
• corn on the cob pieces (optional)
• smoked sausage, whole link (optional)
• other optional additions could include a whole head of garlic sliced in half, artichokes, mushrooms, celery, and pineapple

Equipment needed:

• 60-80 quart boiling pot, with a strainer insert
• propane burner with large jet orifice, and adjustable high pressure gas regulator

Directions:

1. With the pot on the burner, fill pot with enough water so that when the crawfish are added, the water level is a couple of inches below the top. Usually this is about half the pot.
2. Turn on the burner full blast. You need a burner and regulator that throws a fire over the pot's entire base, with the flame licking up the side. It needs to be hot enough to bring the pot to a rolling boil in about 15 minutes.
3. Add the list of seasonings above and any optional additions as the water is heating.
4. Boil crawfish: once the water comes to a rolling boil.
   • Add the strainer insert with live crawfish to the boiling water. The water will cool and stop boiling. Cover pot.
   • Turn the burner/regulator up full blast to bring the water back to a rolling boil as fast as possible.
   • Once the water starts a rolling boil again, boil 3 minutes. Regulate the burner so the rolling boil is maintained, but so the pot does not boil over.
   • Soak 13 minutes: Turn the burner off, keep the pot covered, and let the crawfish soak for 13 minutes.
5. Remove the strainer from the water, and let the crawfish drain.