So I got roped into boiling 30lbs of crawfish for my friends and myself.

So there are a couple of questions that have come up after some research on this topic.

So far here is what Ive got.

Set Crawfish in bag in washtub and rinse with water to get any extra mud and debris off the crawfish, repeat several times as needed.

Set them back in a cool dry place for mean time.

Get the water heating, once boiling, add in lemom and seasonings.

Prep filler, corn, potatoes, saussage, mushrooms.

Break up into 2 equal portions 15lbs, purge first batch in washtub with salt and water for 3-5 minutes, drain water and rinse until clean.

Get water back to a roiling boil, add in 1 batch with extras. Let stay at rolling boil 5-10 minutes, turn down burner and let soak for 20 additional minutes and dump on table and enjoy.


My questions are,
Am I missing any steps ?

Ive been getting mixed reveiws on how long to boil and soak, what works best ?

On the extras should I pre-cook those by themelves and add when we dump everything on the table or at the same time ?

Should I dump the batch and let them dig in, or can I hold it in say a cooler to keep warm while the second batch cooks so we all can eat ?

Any advice is Welcome as I want this to go off without any problems.

Thanks Guys and Gals

There are many ways to cook/season the crawfish.

I use the big texas can of orange or pineapple juice and fill it up half way. (No water)
Cut up some lime/lemon, orange, onions, garlic throw it in the pot. Add some bay leaves, butter, crawfish boil & seasoning. I also add creole seasoning too.

You should cook the patatoes first since it takes longer. The rest you can cook with the crawfish.

Cook the crawfish until it boils up then turn off the stove and let the crawfish soak for 5-10min, Some people let it soak up to 15-20min.

You should dump the 1st batch and dig in while the 2nd batch cooks. Thats what I do, but any way is fine.

Hope your enjoy your crawfish. Had some last night at my buddies it was great!

I put my crawfish in a boiling pot, and put the lid on it. When the crawfish go into the pot, the water is going to cool, and stop boiling. I watch it close, and when the water comes back to a boil, I cook for 2 min, and then turn off the burner.

Soaking, depends on how spicy you want it. The longer it soaks, the more spice it is going to pick up.

You can always let them soak for a few mins 5-10, and then start a new batch.

EVERY SINGLE PERSON you talk to will have a different way of cooking them. I've started cooking my veggies seperately to get the potatos good and done. I use the same boil and add potatos, corn on the cob, sometimes a few large whole mushrooms, artichokes, and cut up a couple links of sausage. I boil these until the potatos are done. I then purge the crawfish...usually all at once then drain the water off and leave them in the bucket. Bring the water back to a rolling boil and add as many crawfish as will fit and still be covered by the water. Only takes about 7 minutes and they should be cooked to perfection. I stir or toss them up a little while cooking to ensure that they are all cooked consistently. At 7 minutes bring them out and the tails oughta slide right out. I dump them in a cooler and usually sprinkle a little extra seasoning on top of them just to get the lips tingling...I usually have a little squeeze butter on hand to drag the taters and corn through...

Man these all sound good!!! How many pounds of crawfish do you need to feed a person? I was thinking of putting together a party, but have no idea how much to buy.

A 30lb sack of crawfish with patatoes, corn, sausage, and whatever else you want to throw and there can feed about 10 people imo.

I read that one for a few tips, but was still unsure of actually how long to cook them because I'm reading so many responses ranging from 2-15 minutes of roiling boil and another 3-30 minutes of soaking that and was unsure how to add the fixings so there not overcooked.

3-7 lbs. Per person depending on how much extra stuff and how big of seafood eaters they are.

I was looking for that thread when you started you thread and couldnt find it. Even checked a couple other forums I thought I may have seen it. When I got back it was just a few threads down. Looked like some really good ideas in there.

I drop the crawfish into boiling water, once the water comes to boil again I let it roll for 3-5 minutes and then cut the fire. Something I do thats a little different is that when I cut the fire I drop a bag of ice in and spray the outside of the pot with water to cool it down. Then I let it site for at least 30minutes so the crawfish absorb some spice

My buddies and I, we cook the crawfish until it comes to a boil and let it soak for 5-10mins. Longer it soaks more flavor will get into the crawfish for the people who likes sucking on the heads. With the fixings if you are talking about the sausages, corn, mushrooms etc. We throw those in with the crawfish since they do not take long to cook. The patatoes on the other hand you would have to cook it a bit longer. We actually cook the patatoes first then mix it in with the batch. After we dump the batch on the table we would also sprinkle some seasoning on top of the crawfish as well. Hope this helps

Yeah I have been to several Crawfish boils just never done one, and I'm wanting to stray just alittle of the normal path so I'm going to try some of the stuff and see how it works

I like the idea of the whole mushrooms, green beans, and adding in some saussage, I will report back with how it works out.

Ten 200 pound city boys...or three 100 pound cajun women.

This time of year someone is having one once or twice a weekend and I will have to say the ones with the mushrooms are my favorite ! Friday night I think I ate half my body weight in mud bug tails ! Really like the real spicy new potatoes !! Dang Im getting hungry now !!LOL

Try the Artichokes...you won't be disappointed!

Last weekend they had those but were all gone by the time I showed up. I heard they were real good !

Might need to try that this weekend. That sound GOOD!!

Here is what we do and they turn out great. Scroll down to my post.

http://www.texashuntingforum.com/forum/u...ew_#Post2248359

good stuff...

+1

GR has it down..Food period will take on very little flavor at boiling point..once it begins to cool that is when flavor is absorbed...A 10lb sack of ice in a 100qt pot after it boils brings the temp down around 40 degrees,great for soaking....And as far as purging...Wives tale...Adding salt to any water does nothing to the crawfish...Truly purged crawfish need to be held in suspended tanks for 72 hrs to excrete all matter...I know of only one farm that is in arkansas that does this process..and do you pay for it..If you are worried about dirting the water wash them off with a hose thoroughly and it will make a difference in the water...

Drool factor kicking in!

It seems like everybody over cooks crawfish. Especially you north Texas boys! 3 minutes in a rolling boil and they are fully cooked. Sitting in a hot cooler to "soak the juice" simply turns them to chaulk. Drop one in a rolling boil and take it out after 3 minutes. I promise it will be fully cooked.

Been to hundreds of Boils in S Louisiana and Beaumont where they are soaked in "cooling" water...Boiling is for cooking,simmering is to help add flavor...