Don’s Specialty Meats: Who dat? Boudin!

If it’s made of meat and it’s Cajun, rest assured that you can find it at Don’s. Being a purveyor of all things meat, coupled with a curiosity about Cajun fare and a thirst for roadside culinary adventure and you can bet that we were stopping at Don’s at all costs. As we passed through Carencro, Louisiana we exited off the highway for a quick detour to the meat shop. Conveniently located across the street from a used car lot and a boiled crawfish shanty, Bryce, Kate and I elbowed our way into Don’s on Friday afternoon with our meat pie breakfast barely settled.

Part convenience store and part butcher shop, Don’s had about half a dozen items on the menu that I had never even heard of much less tried. Still burdened by the hearty breakfast, I only had room for a small snack at Don’s, so I opted for a Cajun delicacy that I had heard a lot of hoopla about: Boudin. Boudin (pronounced Boo-dan for those unfamiliar with the nuances of the Louisiana drawl) is a spiced sausage stuffed with a combination of pork (including organ meats liver and heart) and rice, and is a staple of Cajun foods. I took one wrapped to go from Don’s and enjoyed it in the truck. It had a pleasing snap from a natural casing, along with a robust meaty taste that finished with quite a kick from a combination of some spices and peppers.

It was my first introduction to Boudin and I’d certainly come back for more, given my general affinity for all encased meats. There’s a long list of Don’s delicacies on my list for future visits, and you should give it a try too.

http://www.donsspecialtymeats.com/