Our Family's Low Country Boil

A few years ago, my friend Judy made what she called "Dump Dinner"... I was in HEAVEN! I had NEVER (can you believe it?) had this wonderful concoction. Of course, when I made it, I twisted it and tweaked it,and made it my own. I truly like this better than any of the ones I had in S. Carolina. Make it yours. If you want something left out, do it. If you like to add other things, do... we make it with the same seasonings every time and we mix up the food... nothing better. Thanks, Judy, for introducing me to what is now my favorite meal!
The thing with this recipe is that YOU determine the amount of the ingredients. I will give you my approximate measurements, but know that the appetite determines the expense of this meal.
1 Boil In Bag, by Old Bay
Old Bay Seasoning, about 1/4 cup
3 Lemons, cut in half
Whole New Red Potatoes (two to three per person)
Corn ( we use Milk and Honey= 1 ear per person)
Andouille or Cajun Flavored Smoked Sausage, cut into 3" to 4" pieces (we prefer a Cajun flavored smoked sausage we can only find at Food City.. the name escapes me at the moment, but it is packaged like Polish Sausage, in one whole length)
Shrimp, unpeeled (about a half pound per person, the larger the better)
Crawfish (I usually buy a pound, but if you like them a lot, adjust the amount)This is the New Orleans Version. If you don't like them, leave them out. I don't like them but my husband does. It doesn't affect the taste of the other foods if you use them.
Crab Legs ( I allot 1 cluster per person, since they are usually expensive)

I use my Turkey Fryer and cook this outdoors, but I have used a huge stockpot (NOT a Dutch Oven-TOO small) on the stove. Half fill with water, add the boiling bag and squeeze the lemons, then add the pieces. Bring to a boil, then add the Old Bay. The more food I am cooking, the more Old Bay I use.
Step 1 Cook the potatoes about ten minutes.
Step 2. Add the sausage and corn, bring back to a boil and boil for about five minutes, less if the corn was bought in the freezer section of the grocery store. I put my corn up in the summer time, blanched, so that it stays "crunchier"... I don't like the mushy frozen half ears from the store, but lots of people use them and swear by them. Go with YOUR taste buds, but don't overcook the corn.
Step 3. Add the crab, bring back to a boil, then add the shrimp and the crawfish, cooking only until the shrimp is done and the crawfish are warm

Now, the reason Judy called this Dump Dinner is this... If you eat it in S. Carolina, it comes on big round server trays, and is served at tables with holes in the center and trash cans under those holes.
Judy must have found out about them from someone who ate this in Louisiana. In New Orleans and that area, once this is cooked and ready to serve, there are clean trash bags or newspapers spread down the center of a big table and once the liquid is drained, the food is literally DUMPED onto the bags or newspaper and people sit on either side, serving themselves with their hands.
I like to do this on my deck, by my pool, and each person gets a ramekin of butter, one of Old Bay, and for those die hards who think you HAVE to use salt on everything, I put salt and pepper out.
I use the butter to dip my potatoes in, then I barely dip them in the Old Bay and oh, my... how tasty!
Clean up is so easy... you just roll up the newspapers and put shells, etc in the paper, throw it all away and wipe up the table...
This dinner usually takes only 10 to 15 minutes to cook on a turkey fryer. I like to buy shrimp and crab, etc on sale and put it in the freezer. Then, when a Saturday just feels perfect and I have a hankerin' for a party, I call up some friends or family and take out the stuff I've had in the freezer, crank up the Propane and in less than a half hour, it's a beachy night around the pool!
Key Lime Pie or Watermelon make the perfect ending to this meal!

Abby's Steak Marinade

My youngest daughter likes to cook, like her mom. I usually give her pointers, but this past Mother's Day, she presented me with the very best meal I have EVER, EVER had... BAR NONE! I had some of the best New Potatoes, Grilled Corn on the Cob (In the Shucks, something I hadn't done!), and Grilled Orange Slices (HEAVENLY!), but oh, my the very best thing of all was this beautiful Sirloin Steak, cooked to Medium Rare, just the way I love it, not to rare, not to well, just absolutely perfect, and I mean... oh, so tasty! I am not a person who likes a marinade, but Abby totally changed my mind, I kid you not. This is her recipe. She got some pointers off the internet and took it and did just what her Momma always told her to do.. she gave it her own twist, but she won't tell me what she did. So, I give you her recipe. One or more of the ingredients is her own addition. I now refuse to eat anything that isn't marinated...proof that you never are too old to learn and to change!

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Mix and pour over steaks. Abby and I use gallon sized bags to marinade our steaks. No reason to dirty up a dish. I may get all misty eyed, but this gal makes a Momma proud. I mean, I am NOT a dish washer and I just adore that she thought of putting it into a baggie!

Marinade for at least 30 minutes. I have left the steaks in this marinade for as long as 4 hours and they were good, too!

For your steaks, cook them over hot coals or on a gas grill with wood chips. I think it is sinful to cook with just propane, since you might as well cook it in a skillet for all the flavor that adds, lol.

If you don't know how to check for doneness, here's a good guide...

Rare---open your hand, but just naturally.. not stretched taut... now, feel the flesh on that thick pad between your thumb and wrist? That is what it feels like to touch a rare steak...

Medium--- close your fist and tuck your thumb under your index finger... touch the pad... voila! Medium.

(for med. rare, just go in between these two. I usually do 7 minutes on one side, rotating halfway through to create hash marks. Then, flip them and do 5 minutes, rotating halfway through. I do this on steaks from 1-1/2" to 1-/4")

Well done... untuck that thumb! Now, feel the webbing between the thumb and forefinger?

 WELL DONE...

My Newest (and Favorite!) Pot Roast with Gravy and Onions

1-3lb Chuck Roast
2 Medium Sweet Onions, cut in half, root to top and thickly sliced
3T Minced Garlic, or 4 cloves, sliced or pressed
1/2 Cup Self Rising Flour
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
1 1/2 Cups Beef Broth
Veg. or Olive Oil to coat bottom and up to 1/2" of either a Dutch Oven or a Cast Iron Skillet

1. Mix Flour, salt and pepper and garlic in large, flat bowl, and coat roast in this mixture on both sides and up the sides.
2. Heat oil in Skillet or Dutch Oven, and add Roast, cooking until browned on each side.
3. Transfer roast to a Slow Cooker and set on High.
4. Prepare onion and on medium low heat,  stirring with a wooden spoon, to get the "bits" of brown off the bottom of the pan, and saute onions until translucent. Add garlic and saute for about a minute. Pour this mixture over Roast, oil and all, unless there is a great amount of oil left. If you have too much oil left, put about a half cup of it in with the meat and onion/garlic mixture.
5. Pour Beef Broth over this and cover.I know this sounds like it isn't enough liquid, but it will be, since the meat will give off it's juices and they will meld together to form this incredible thick broth, which you will use to make a gravy to put over the meat and maybe some mashed potatoes.

 Cook on High for about 4 hours and turn down to low, or cook on low the whole time, if you aren't going to be around.
6. When you are ready to make gravy, scoop out about 1 1/2 cups of the liquid,transfer to a pot and allow some of the caramelized onions to remain in it. This is NOT a smooth brown gravy. Instead, it resembles the gravy at Cracker Barrel that comes if you order their brown gravy or pot roast...

7. Take about a third of the liquid and whisk in 3 Tablespoons Self Rising flour, until it becomes a paste, and slowly mix that into the liquid in the pan. Constantly stir this until it becomes thick and either light brown or dark beige... this will NOT be the color of the gravy you make using those instant packages.

If it is too thick, add more meat juices or some water. If too thin, whisk more flour in, making sure to incorporate it well. Nothing tastes worse than mashed potatoes topped with flour!


The roast, if cooked thoroughly, will be falling apart, so use a large spatula to remove it from the slow cooker. Let it stand for about ten minutes. I usually take it out and let it stand while I make the gravy. It should pull apart to serve.
Goes beautifully with Mashed Potatoes!