How to Use The Jambalaya Calculator

Basic Input & Output The Jambalaya Calculator will produce an

outstanding pot of jambalaya with the ingredient ratios that are
preset by default. There is no need to change the amounts.
You'll get rave reviews on your jambalaya with no changes. But
you can customize the values of any pink cell. That's how you
adjust the JC to your needs. The yellow cells are the results of the
calculations based upon the entered values. No other cells can be
changed.

Changing the Ingredient Ratios Changing the values of the

ingredient ratios is how you control the recipe used in the JC.
These are separate values on each tab. This means that changes
on one tab do not affect the values on any other tab. You can
save your own ratios by re-saving the spreadsheet. Next time you
open the JC, your personal values will still be there.

Liquid-to-Rice Ratio Down the right side of 3 of the pages you

will see a column titled "Ratio Liquid to Rice". You'll notice that the
ratio values decrease as the size of the batch increases. The
relative amount of liquid needed for a big batch is less than for a
small batch. If this adjustment is not made, you can wind up with
mushy, gluey rice in large batches. Not good. You can change
these ratios, but it's not reccommended to deviate too far from the
preset values unless you are experienced with cooking large pots
of jambalaya.

Fill Level Control You can control the maximum fill level you
desire. This is an important consideration because you are
choosing how close the cooked jambalaya will come to overflowing
your pot. Overflowing jambalaya is a disaster. It allows heat and
steam to escape and can easily ruin your finished product. Unless
you are an experienced jambalaya cook, I wouldn't recommend
going any higher than 85-90%. It's convenient to have some extra
space in the pot to make turning the rice easier.

Tabs Notice the 13 various tabs at the bottom of your screen.

Choose the one that is appropriate for your task at hand. Below
are some details on how to use them:

The "By Servings" Tab Once you have the ingredient ratios you
want entered and fill level set into the sheet, there is only one other
variable to change. That's the number of servings of each size you
need. You can choose between 4 serving sizes ranging from a 1
cup "taste" up to a "full plate" size of 3 cups. You can enter a
combination of 2 or more sizes if you want.

The "By Pot Size" Tab For this tab, once you've got your recipe
entered into the sheet and the fill level selected, the only other
value you need to enter is the size of the pot you will be using. The
JC will figure the cups of jambalaya needed, and calculate the
needed ingredients from there.
The "By Rice and Meat" Tab This tab is very useful when you
want to use your own perfected recipe or test an interesting one
you found from some other source. Enter the amount of rice and
meat listed in the recipe and the calculator will allow you to scale
the number of servings up and down with ease. You will also know
how much jambalaya you can cook in a particular pot using that
recipe. You should also adjust the other ingredients to keep your
ratios intact.

The "Small Batch" Tabs You'll notice there are 2 tabs just for
small batches of jambalaya. These duplicate the "By Servings"
Tab and the "By Pot Size" Tab, but these are for smaller batches
- batches that can be cooked in a pot of 3 gallons or less. Use
these if you don't need as many servings. The pot sizes are
measured in quarts rather than gallons to give you a more precise
idea of which pots can be used. The small batch tabs always use
a liquid-to-rice ratio of 2-to-1.

Printing the Recipes You can easily print any of the calculation
pages. They are formated so they fit nicely on a single letter-sized
sheet of paper. Very convenient for taking your ingredient list to
the grocery with you.

The "Procedure" Tab Under the Procedure Tab you'll find a

detailed, illustrated, 12-step process to make your jambalaya a
success. One of the most important pieces of advice is "Do not
lift the lid for any reason!" Even famous Chef Bobby Flay was
humiliated on his "Throwdown" TV show's jambalaya episode
because he refused to heed this advice.

The "Pastalaya" Tab Pastalaya is jambalaya made with pasta in

place of rice. It is easy to cook and it can be a great change of
pace from regular jambalaya. It is very forgiving for a novice and
may be more popular than jambalaya in some circles. The
illustration shows spaghetti, but you can use any pasta you like.
Adding tomato products is probably more acceptable in pastalaya
than in a regular Cajun Jambalaya.

The "Jambalaya Tips" Tab Check out this tab for tips, tricks and
more in-depth information about jambalaya techniques. There are
tips on choosing your meat, rice, cooking liquid, equipment and
more. There is a section with expanded info on cooking a red
Creole Jambalaya with or without seafood. (If you don't consider
red jambalaya to be "real jambalaya" be sure to consider "List of
Louisiana Cookbooks with Jambalaya Recipes Containing
Tomatoes" under the Langiappe Tab.)

The "Equivalents" Tab You may not always have every

ingredient you need to cook your jambalaya. The food equivalents
listed under this tab will allow you to substitute with ease. It's also
helpful in converting whole vegetables amounts to chopped
amounts and planning how much you need to buy.
 The "Credits & Feedback" Tab If you have any doubts about
the accuracy or usefulness of this Jambalaya Calculator, check out
this section. The responses from jambalaya cooks have been
overwhelming. I can honestly say that I have never received
negative feedback on this project. My email address is
stadrat@gmail.com if you want to contact me for any reason.
Also check out the link for when the Jambalaya Calculator was
featured in the Times Picayune.

The "Resources" Tab Wondering where you can get a great pot,
burner and other accessories for jambalaya? Need to find bulk
ingredients, but just don't know where to go for the good stuff?
Here is a table of sources for jambalaya equipment and the foods
commonly used in jambalaya. If you have any personal favorites
to add that are not listed, please email me so I can add them.

The "Lagniappe" Tab Here you'll find some additional food-

related items I thought you'd appreciate. Pochejp's "Cracklins
Gonzales Style" is a terrific recipe for Cracklins, as well as a great
way to season your cast iron pot. I've also included a couple of
recipes that I developed that I've been fortunate enough to have
featured in the Times Picayune Food Section, Jack Miller's BBQ
Sauce Clone and Cousin's Creole Tomato Dressing, both of
which are great for tailgates. My Grandfather's recipe for Welsh
BBQ Sauce is also included for your use. It's especially great for
chicken.
 Jambalaya Calculator - By Servings
created by Stadium Rat - stadrat@gmail.com

Enter values in pink cells

Servings
Taste = 1 cup = 8 oz bowl Maximum fill level desired 85%
Small = 1.5 cups = 12 oz bowl Cups of Jambalaya Needed 100
Medium = 2 cups = entrée size 50 Minimum Pot Size Required 8
Large = 3 cups = full plate Estimated fill level of pot 78%
% that is meat 40%

Tbs
cups cups Ratio
chicken bell celery
tsp salt per chopped chopped
base per
cup raw rice parsley per onions per
peppers stalks per Gallons liquid to
cup per gallon gallon rice
gallon lb rice
water

0.33 0.30 0.15 0.85 0.75 1.00 1 2

Ratios 2 2
Bunches 3 2
tsp tsp black tsp white
green tsp garlic lbs of
cayenne pepper per pepper
onions powder per meat per 4 2
per cup cup raw per cup
per cup raw rice lb of rice
raw rice rice raw rice
gallon 5 2
0.60 0.90 0.20 0.10 0.10 2.50 6 2
7 2
8 2
Ingredients List 9 2
10 1.9
20.0 lbs of meat (chicken thighs, sausage, pork, ham, etc) 11 1.9
8.00 lbs OR 20.0 cups long grain rice 12 1.9
10.00 quarts of water or stock 13 1.9
3.3 Tbs soup base (if using water instead of stock) 14 1.9
6.0 tsp of salt 15 1.8
1.8 lbs OR 6.8 cups chopped onions 16 1.8
4.7 bell peppers 17 1.8
6.3 celery stalks 18 1.8
3.8 bunches of green onions 19 1.8
0.6 bunches OR 0.9 cups chopped parsley 20 1.8
18 tsp OR 0.37 cups of garlic powder 21 1.8
4.0 tsp of cayenne pepper 22 1.8
2.0 tsp of black pepper 23 1.8
2.0 tsp of white pepper 24 1.8
25 1.8
Gallons
 Jambalaya Calculator - By Pot Size
created by Stadium Rat - stadrat@gmail.com

Enter values in pink cells

Servings Size
Size of My Pot 5 gallons 68 Taste = 1 cup = 8 oz bowl OR
Desired fill level 85% 45 Small = 1.5 cups = 12 oz bowl OR
Jambalaya yield 68 cups 34 Medium = 2 cups = entrée size OR
% that is meat 40% 23 Large = 3 cups = full plate

Tbs
cups cups Ratio
chicken bell celery
tsp salt per cup chopped chopped
base per
raw rice parsley per onions per
peppers stalks per Gallons liquid to
cup per gallon gallon rice
gallon lb rice
water

0.33 0.30 0.15 0.85 0.75 1.00 1 2

Ratios 2 2
Bunches 3 2
tsp tsp black tsp white
green tsp garlic lbs of
cayenne pepper per pepper
onions powder per meat per 4 2
per cup cup raw per cup
per cup raw rice lb of rice
raw rice rice raw rice
gallon 5 2
0.60 0.90 0.20 0.10 0.10 2.50 6 2
7 2
8 2
Ingredients List 9 2
10 1.9
13.60 lbs of meat (chicken thighs, sausage, pork, ham, etc) 11 1.9
5.44 lbs OR 13.60 cups long grain rice 12 1.9
6.80 quarts of water or stock 13 1.9
2.2 Tbs soup base (if using water instead of stock) 14 1.9
4.1 tsp of salt 15 1.8
1.2 lbs OR 4.6 cups chopped onions 16 1.8
3.2 bell peppers 17 1.8
4.3 celery stalks 18 1.8
2.6 bunches of green onions 19 1.8
0.4 bunches OR 0.6 cups chopped parsley 20 1.8
12 tsp OR 0.25 cups of garlic powder 21 1.8
2.7 tsp of cayenne pepper 22 1.8
1.4 tsp of black pepper 23 1.8
1.4 tsp of white pepper 24 1.8
25 1.8
 Jambalaya Calculator - By Rice & Meat
created by Stadium Rat - stadrat@gmail.com

Enter values in pink cells

14.00 lbs of meat (chicken thighs, sausage, pork, ham, etc)
5.00 lbs long grain rice
Servings
Maximum fill level desired 85% Taste = 1 cup = 8 oz bowl 66
Jambalaya Yield 66 cups Small = 1.5 cups = 12 oz bowl 44
% of meat 43% Medium = 2 cups = entrée size 33
Minimum Pot Size Required 5 gallons Large = 3 cups = full plate 22
Estimated fill level of pot 82%

Tbs
cups cups bell Ratio
chicken
tsp salt per chopped chopped pepper celery stalks
base per
cup raw rice parsley per onions per s per per gallon
Gallons liquid to
cup rice
gallon lb rice gallon
water
0.33 0.30 0.15 0.85 0.75 1.00 1 2
Ratios 2 2
tsp 3 2
Bunches
tsp tsp black white
green tsp garlic
cayenne pepper per pepper
onions powder per
per cup raw cup raw per cup
4 2
per cup raw rice
rice rice raw
gallon 5 2
rice
0.60 0.90 0.20 0.10 0.10 6 2
7 2
8 2
Ingredients List 9 2
10 1.9
14.00 lbs of meat (chicken thighs, sausage, pork, ham, etc) 11 1.9
5.00 lbs OR 12.50 cups long grain rice 12 1.9
6.25 quarts of water or stock 13 1.9
2.1 Tbs soup base (if using water instead of stock) 14 1.9
3.8 tsp of salt 15 1.8
1.1 lbs OR 4.3 cups chopped onions 16 1.8
3.1 bell peppers 17 1.8
4.1 celery stalks 18 1.8
2.5 bunches of green onions 19 1.8
0.4 bunches OR 0.6 cups of chopped parsley 20 1.8
11 tsp OR 0.23 cups of garlic powder 21 1.8
2.5 tsp of cayenne pepper 22 1.8
1.3 tsp of black pepper 23 1.8
1.3 tsp of white pepper 24 1.8
25 1.8
 By Servings (Small Batch)
created by Stadium Rat - stadrat@gmail.com

Enter values in pink cells

Servings
Taste = 1 cup = 8 oz bowl Maximum fill level desired 85%
Small = 1.5 cups = 12 oz bowl Cups of Jambalaya Needed 40
Medium = 2 cups = entrée size 20 Minimum Pot Size Required 12 Quarts
Large = 3 cups = full plate Estimated fill level of pot 83%
% that is meat 40%

Tbs
cups cups
chicken bell celery
tsp salt per chopped chopped
base per peppers stalks per
cup raw rice parsley onions per
cup per gallon gallon
per gallon lb rice
water

0.33 0.30 0.15 0.85 0.75 1.00

Ratios
Bunches
tsp tsp black tsp white
green tsp garlic lbs of
cayenne pepper per pepper
onions powder per meat per
per cup cup raw per cup
per cup raw rice lb of rice
raw rice rice raw rice
gallon
0.60 0.90 0.20 0.10 0.10 2.50

Ingredients List

8.00 lbs of meat (chicken thighs, sausage, pork, ham, etc)

3.20 lbs OR 8.0 cups long grain rice
16.0 cups of water or stock
15.8 teaspoons soup base (if using water instead of stock)
2.4 tsp of salt
0.7 lbs OR 2.72 cups chopped onions
1.9 bell peppers
2.5 celery stalks
12 green onions, chopped
0.2 bunches OR 0.38 cups chopped parsley
7.2 tsp of garlic powder
1.60 tsp of cayenne pepper
0.80 tsp of black pepper
0.80 tsp of white pepper
 By Pot Size (Small Batch)
created by Stadium Rat - stadrat@gmail.com

Enter values in pink cells

Servings Size
Size of My Pot 6 quarts 23 Taste = 1 cup = 8 oz bowl OR
Desired fill level 95% 15 Small = 1.5 cups = 12 oz bowl OR
Jambalaya yield 23 cups 11 Medium = 2 cups = entrée size OR
% that is meat 40% 8 Large = 3 cups = full plate

Tbs
cups cups
chicken bell celery
tsp salt per cup chopped chopped
base per peppers stalks per
raw rice parsley onions per
cup per gallon gallon
per gallon lb rice
water

0.33 0.30 0.15 0.85 0.75 1.00

Ratios
Bunches
tsp tsp black tsp white
green tsp garlic lbs of
cayenne pepper per pepper
onions powder per meat per
per cup cup raw per cup
per cup raw rice lb of rice
raw rice rice raw rice
gallon
0.60 0.90 0.20 0.10 0.10 2.50

Ingredients List

4.56 lbs of meat (chicken thighs, sausage, pork, ham, etc)

1.82 lbs OR 4.56 cups long grain rice
9.12 cups of water or stock
9.03 teaspoons soup base (if using water instead of stock)
1.4 tsp of salt
0.4 lbs OR 1.55 cups chopped onions
1.07 bell peppers
1.4 celery stalks
7 green onions, chopped
0.1 bunches OR 0.2 cups chopped parsley
4 tsp of garlic powder
0.9 tsp of cayenne pepper
0.5 tsp of black pepper
0.5 tsp of white pepper
 Procedure for Cooking Jambalaya
Chop all vegetables. Slice the sausage. Cut the pork meat cut into cubes (Try to keep a
1 small piece of fat on each piece as it tenderizes the meat and adds great taste.) Season
meat pieces well with salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning mix.

Brown the pork down really well in oil. Let it fry till it sticks, then stir. Do that over and over.
2 Sometimes a little water is needed to cool off the grease. The sticky part (gratin) on the
bottom of the pot will dictate your color of the rice.

You can remove the browned meat from the pot, but many cooks choose to leave the it in
3 while browning the other meats. Add the chicken and brown it well.

Next, brown the sausage. Don't cook the sausage till fried dark brown because that tends
4 to cooks all the taste out. Just mildly brown it.

Drain the grease but dont lose the gratin. Then add the onions, green pepper, celery and
5 garlic and cook till clear looking. This is when you scrape the bottom of the pot getting all
the brown gratin from the pork. This is where the color starts to come in.

After the vegetables are cooked add the meat back to the pot and mix well. Cook all the
6 water out at this time.

Add water or stock and after it comes to a boil, start tasting the liquid and add salt and
7 other seasonings as needed. It needs to be a bit salty because the rice will absorb much of
the saltiness.

Skim the remaining grease off the top. The boiling action will help separate it from the
8 water/broth.

Add the green onions then bring back to a rolling boil then add the rice. Break it up to make
sure it doesn't stick to the bottom. Let it boil until it starts to expand and "jump out the pot".
9 This is a very important time relevant to the "popping" of the rice. Let the rice get
noticeably bigger/expanded before you cut heat and cover. This can be achieved on a
HARD boil. Critical to the rice pop.

When you think its ready to cover, cut back on the heat and put the lid on. Do not lift the
10 cover for any reason!

Let this cook for about 25 minutes or so. (a longer cooking time may be needed for very
large volumes of rice) Then roll the rice. Don't stir. Roll it from bottom to top. (When you
11 turn it this time, don't scrape the bottom of the pot because one exposed burnt rice grain
will ruin the pot.) Re-cover and cut the heat off.

12 Let sit for another 15 minutes and then un-cover and serve.

Thanks to pochejp for the recipe guidence and use of his photos.
 Procedure for Pastalaya
The first 6 steps are the same as for jambalaya with rice. Chop all 1 2
vegetables. Slice the sausage. Cut the pork meat cut into cubes (Try
1 to keep a small piece of fat on each piece as it tenderizes the meat
and adds great taste.) Season meat pieces well with salt and pepper
or your favorite seasoning mix.

Brown the pork down really well in oil. Let it fry till it sticks, then stir.
Do that over and over. Sometimes a little water is needed to cool off
2 the grease. The sticky part (gratin) on the bottom of the pot will dictate
your color of the rice.

You can remove the browned meat from the pot, but many cooks
3 choose to leave the it in while browning the other meats. Add the
chicken and brown it well.

Next, brown the sausage. Don't cook the sausage till fried dark brown
4 because that tends to cooks all the taste out. Just mildly brown it.

Drain the grease but dont lose the gratin. Then add the onions, green
pepper, celery and garlic and cook till clear looking. This is when you
5 scrape the bottom of the pot getting all the brown gratin from the pork.
This is where the color starts to come in.

After the vegetables are cooked add the meat back to the pot and mix 3
6 well. Cook all the water out at this time.

Use the calculator to figure pounds of pasta needed.Just use

substitute the same weight of pasta instead of the calculated amount
of rice. The liquid used should be about 1.25 quarts per pound of
7 pasta. The exact amount will vary between 1 quart per pound of
pasta and 1.5 quarts per pound. How much you use will dependi on
how soft you like your pasta, what type of pasta you use, and how
long you keep the pot covered.

Once you get the meat and vegetables cooked down, fill the pot with
water according to how many pounds of pasta you intend to use.,
8 Skim off any fat or grease. Get it seasoned the way you want it then
add pasta. Stir occaisionally to prevent pasta for sticking. The pictures
show 1 pound of spaghetti in a 6 gallon pot.

Pasta should start to soften after several minutes of boiling. I boil it

9 around 12 min or so and it should look like this. Notice there is still
water showing.
 Cover and turn heat to low. Let it sit 20 minutes or so then check it. It
should be getting just about right. Taste-test some of the pasta to
check its firmness. Cook a little more if needed. If you find the pasts
is cooked to your liking, but there is still more water in the pot than
10 you want, you can spoon some of it out. Don't take it all because that
cast pot is hot and it will evaporate that water. Also the pasta
continues to absorb some moisture as it sits. I like a moist pastalaya.
When finished, it should look like the pastalaya in the large picture.

Recipe guidance and pictures by Pochejp.

2

Here is a rather large pastalaya.

 Jambalaya Tips

Ingredients

Meat Choices Jambalaya can be made from a variety of meats, either

fresh or smoked. Fresh meats such as chicken, turkey, pork, sausage,
rabbit, squirrel, duck, venison, alligator and other wild game can all be
used. For chicken, thighs are best because they retain moisture better
than white meat. Smoked meats can be hot or mild smoked pork
sausage, andouille, tasso, ham, bacon or home-smoked game.

Pork Temple Meat Many very accomplished jambalaya cooks,

especially those around Gonzales, LA, consider pork temple meat the
best pork for a jambalaya. It comes from the head area of the pig. It was
once considered "trash" meat, but is now highly sought after. Readily
available in stores around Gonzales, it's a tasty, dark pork meat.
Although it appears to be fairly lean, it will release a sticky, gelatinous
substance which browns quickly and easily. This provides the "sticking"
needed to insure a good gratin, helping with the brown color of the
finished product. After it's browned and then braised during the cooking
of the rice, the meat becomes very tender. If you can't find temple meat
in your area, Boston butt (pork shoulder) cut into cubes will still be
delicious. Try to keep a small piece of fat on each piece as it tenderizes
the meat and adds great taste.

Browning "Gratin" is the name of the brown bits in the bottom of the
pot left after browning meat. The word derives from the French word
"gratter" meaning "to scrape". It is similar in meaning in this context to
the word "fond". Your water should have a deep, dark, rich color prior to
adding the rice. If you don't think it is as dark as it should be, you can
add a tablespoon of Kitchen Bouquet or tomato paste per pound of rice
to the pot. Purists consider this cheating.

Cooking Liquid Jambalaya should be made with stock if possible. For

a meat jambalaya, use a chicken or pork stock. For a seafood
jambalaya, use a seafood or shrimp stock. Soup base can be a great
substitute for stock. Better than Boullion is the best brand of base in
my opinion. Chicken, pork, ham, seafood and shrimp flavors are
available, but be careful using any base because they can be very salty.
Spices Louisiana food should never be overly hot. It requires a
balanced blend of peppers - white, black and red. Pepper in Louisiana
food is used for flavor, not heat. Success is when you taste the peppers
across the entire tongue - red on the front and center, black on the sides
and white pepper deeper back in the throat. The red pepper component
can be supplied by ground cayenne or hot sauce (or both). Thyme and
oregano are popular spices in jambalaya. Bay leaf is common in Red
Jambalaya.

Rice Choices

Long Grain Rice is the first choice of most cooks for jambalaya.
Mahatma is a favorite brand. Long grain rice is about 4 times longer than
it is wide and will cook up fluffier, less sticky and drier that short grain. If
not overcooked, it separates grain for grain. It will absorb at least as
much flavor from the ingredients as short or medium grain. Some chefs
like to wash the rice to remove the starch so the rice is even less likely to
become sticky and mushy. If your rice turns out mushy, you may need
to skim off excess grease after you add the liquid.

Short Grain Rice is much higher in starch. When cooked, it retains its
moisture and remains or sticky. This is why Asians chefs prefer it -
because it sticks together, you can use chop sticks to pick it up easier. It
can be wonderful in Jambalaya if you want it to be sticky. It will absorb
the flavor of the stock nicely while retaining its moisture. The sticky rice
will cling and coat your mouth and tongue where all of the taste
receptors are located. After eating a few forks of short grain jambalaya
the "mouth feel" and flavor will seem to be enhanced

Parboiled Rice, such as Uncle Ben's "Converted" Rice, is unshelled

(normally long grain) that is soaked in water and then pressure steamed
to tender, then dried. It is not instant rice. NEVER use instant rice!
Although it cooks in about the same time as other rice, parboiled rice is
much more forgiving to a novice cooking jambalaya. It's just harder to
screw it up. It can be cooked soft or hard depending on how much water
is used in cooking.

Here are some drawbacks to using parboiled rice:

1) Texture. Most people like a little wetter jambalaya with the grains of
rice sticking together. The parboiled stuff, which is more likely to be seen
in restaurant jambalaya, cooks a little drier with separate, individual
grains - that's OK for some dishes, but usually not desirable for
jambalaya.
2) Flavor. Parboiled rice seems to end up as rice with flavor around it,
as opposed to rice that has absorbed the flavor inside the grains. Also,
some brands have a strong flavor, similar to brown rice, that can ruin an
otherwise good jambalaya.

3) No "Pop" It's practically impossible to get parboiled rice to do a

proper "pop". (See the next note for exactly what is meant by the term.)

About the "Pop" Correctly cooked jambalaya rice splits down the
length of the grain, which pros refer to as the "pop". Judges in
competition jambalaya cookoffs look for popped grains as a sign of
superior jambalaya. To make your rice pop, you must have your
stock/water rolling when you add your rice, and your goal is to get it back
to a rolling boil quickly once the rice is added. (See the note on burners
below to insure you have the proper equipment.) Once it has resumed
boiling, you continue to stir the mixture at high heat until the rice starts to
absorb the water and the grains swell (your stock will have reduced
considerably by this point).

A Questionable Rule of Thumb Some jambalaya cooks figure they

need 1 pound of rice per gallon of finished jambalaya, which is fine as an
approximation. But then they go on to say there are 2 cups of rice per
pound (mistaking ounces of weight for fluid ounces). Then they apply
the 2 to 1 liquid to rice ratio using fluid ounces of liquid to weight ounces
of rice. In fact, there are really 2.5 cups of long grain rice per pound.
What this means is instead of using a 2 to 1 ratio of liquid to rice, they
are actually using more like a 1.6 to 1.

Here’s an illustration:
By the rule of thumb, a 5 gallon pot would call for 5 lbs of rice.
2 cups per lb means 10 cups of rice and therefore 20 cups of liquid
(using 2 to 1 ratio).

If they used the correct number of cups per lb (2.5) they would have
come up with (5 x 2.5) = 12.5 cups of rice calling for 25 cups of liquid.

So, they used 20 cups of liquid for 12.5 cups rice. 20 /12.5 = 1.6-to-1
liquid to rice ratio.
The jambalaya still comes out OK because 1.6 to 1 is within the
acceptable ratio range, especially for larger quantities where this rule of
thumb is normally used.

Jambalaya Tools
Cooking Pot Jambalaya is best cooked in a cast iron pot. For large
batches, there is no substitute. Cast Iron distributes the heat very
evenly, and holds the heat after cooking. It is also very easy to clean up.
Never try to make a large pot of jambalaya using an aluminum stock pot.
The thin aluminum transfers heat so quickly that severely burned the
rice is inevitable.

Burners For large (10 gallon & up) jambalaye pots, you'll want a high
BTU banjo burner rig, so you can have your water boiling fast and then
get it back up to a simmer quickly once you've added your rice. Smaller
banjo burners just don't heat the pot fast enough for big batches - and
that sets the cook up for failure.

Utensils Some jambalaya cooks use a wooden paddle for jambalaya,

but you can introduce bacteria with wood, and you can't scrape the
bottom of the pot as thoroughly. Instead, use a stainless steel jambalaya
paddle or extra large spoon to insure that the "gratin" and "soccarat"
won't burn. "Socarrat" is the name for the rice that gets crunchy and
sometimes forms a tasty crust at the bottom of the pot. Many consider it
a treat.

Overflow The jambalaya calculator is very accurate for predicting the fill
level of your pot. But if you're going to cook a batch of jambalaya that
pushes your pot to the limit of its capacity, keep a towel or 2 around for
insurance. You can wrap them around the top in case the lid starts to lift
from the expansion of the rice. Overflowing jambalaya is a disaster. It
allows heat and steam to escape and can easily ruin your finished
product.

Creole or Red Jambalaya

A Creole (Red) Jambalaya is reddish and gets its color from the use of
some form of tomato. A Cajun (Brown) Jambalaya, on the other hand,
gets its color from the "gratin" that is produced from browning the meats.
Shrimp are often found in a Creole Jambalaya. A seafood jambalaya is
usually made with shrimp stock, which comes from simmering heads and
shells for 30 minutes, or seafood stock, which uses fish scraps and
bones. For oysters, be sure to retain the oyster liquid for this purpose.
Shrimp, crawfish and other seafood do not need much time cooking, so
they should be added just before the lid goes on the pot.
If you want to cook a Creole jambalaya, use fresh Creole tomatoes if
they are available. Blanch them first, remove the skin and then chop
them finely. Since Creole tomatoes are only available for a short
growing period in June and July, canned whole, chopped or stewed
tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato juice or tomato paste are all acceptable
substitutes. Count canned tomato product (except for paste) as part of
the liquid in the recipe. You can also add paprika for red color and mild
flavor.

In a Creole jambalaya, the fresh trinity of onions, celery and bell pepper
along with garlic are usually used, cooked until the onions are clear. In a
Cajun jambalaya, some cooks leave out the celery and/or bell pepper,
and the vegetables are cooked more - until the onions are lightly
caramelized and a little brown.
 Useful Equivalents for Jambalaya Cooks
Rice

1 lb of long grain rice = 2 1/2 cups = 7.5 cups cooked

1 lb of short grain rice = 2 1/4 cups = 6 75 cups cooked
2 cups of short grain rice = 14 oz by weight

Onions

1 lb whole unpeeled medium onions = 4 medium onions = 3 1/2 cups chopped

1 lb raw chopped onions = 10.5 oz cooked
3 cups raw chopped onions = 1 cup sautéed chopped onions
1 ½ lb whole medium onions = 1.25 lbs raw chopped = 13 oz (wt) cooked chopped onions

Green Onions

1 bunch of green onions is usually about 8 onions and equals about 1 1/2 to 2 cups chopped onions (3.5 oz by weight).
4 green onions (½ bunch), chopped = 1 cup

Dehydrated Onions:

1 lb dried minced onions = 6 3/4 cups dried minced onions = 13 cups reconstituted minced onions.
1 tbsp. dried minced onions = 1/2 tbsp. onion powder
1/3 cup chopped onions = 1 small onion = 1 tablespoon dried minced onion or 1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Bell Pepper

1 whole medium bell pepper = 6.8 oz by wt = 1 heaping cup (9 fl oz) of chopped pepper (5.6 oz by wt)
3 whole medium peppers = 1 lb chopped bell pepper = 3.5 cups chopped

Celery

1 stalk = 1/2 cup chopped

1 cup chopped celery = 2 stalks = 3.4 oz (wt)
1 lb chopped celery = 4.7 cups

Tomatoes

3 whole medium tomatoes = 1 pound chopped = 3 cups chopped

8 small plum tomatoes = 1 pound
25 to 30 cherry tomatoes = 1 pound
1 cup firmly packed chopped tomato = 1/2 cup tomato sauce plus 1/2 cup water
1 cup canned tomatoes = 1 1/2 cups fresh, chopped, cooked tomatoes
3/8 cup of tomato paste plus 1/2 cup water = 1 cup tomato sauce
1 pound fresh = 1 1/2 cups chopped
1 (16-ounce) can = 2 cups
1 (28-ounce) can = 3 cups undrained
1 (35-ounce) can = 4 cups undrained

Pasta

1 pound uncooked pasta = 4 to 5 cups uncooked = 8 cups cooked pasta

Bacon

1 lb raw bacon = 4.3 oz (wt) cooked bacon + 6 fl oz bacon grease

Parsley

1 bunch = 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups chopped

6 sprigs = 1/4 cup chopped

Garlic

1 medium clove = ½ teaspoon chopped

1 teaspoon garlic powder = about 8 cloves
1 tablespoon garlic powder = about 24 cloves

Volume Equivalents

1 gallon = 4 qt = 8 pt = 16 c = 128 fl oz = 256 tbsp = 768 tsp

1 quart = 2 pt = 4 c = 32 fl oz = 64 tbsp. = 192 tsp
1 pint = 2 c = 16 fl oz = 32 tbsp. = 96 tsp
1 cup = 8 fl. oz. = 16 tbsp = 48 tsp
1 fluid ounce = 2 tbsp = 6 tsp
1 tablespoon = 1/2 fl oz = 3 tsp
 Credits and Feedback

Thanks to Pochejp for all kinds of help, including his photos, recipes, the
rice-to-liquid ratios and letting me plagiarize his cooking procedure,
Kajungee for encouragement and feedback on the volume/servings and
to the entire Food and Drink Board at Tigerdroppings.com for its
collective jambalaya wisdom.

"Amazing Jambalaya Calculator" Featured on NOLA.com (Link)

"The Jambalaya Calculator could only exist in Louisiana" (Link)

Jambalaya Calculator Android App (Link)

To comment or suggest edits or improvements, send an email to me at

STADRAT@GMAIL.COM

"I just want to say that I cooked a jambalaya for the first time in my new cast iron
pot a couple hours ago. I did the 5 gallon setup. It came out perfect! This
calculator is awesome! Thanks!"

"One of the best features about the calculator is [how well it predicts] how much
quantity will fit in a certain sized pot (rice, liquid, and meat). Since I've been using
the calculator, the catch phrase has become, "Trust the recipe", among myself
and my co-cooks. Everytime, it looks like we will be overloading our 10 gallon pot
in an effort to maximize our jambalaya output, and everytime, it comes out
exactly at the brim of the pot. Simply amazing. "

"Ok. I've used that recipe with a few tweaks for 8-150 just to see and it has turned
out virtually the same everytime, its a very good recipe and tool."

"The calculator is pretty much spot on as I have used it to cook for 50 and 100
and also compared it to my recipe for 100 and really no difference to speak of. "

"Awesome, this is what I have been looking for."

"Hey Stadium Rat, I used your Jambalaya Calculator this weekend and I wanted
to give you a shout out! I've had a 10 gallon pot for about 5 years, but have
never cooked more than half a pot (5 lbs of rice), I just haven't had the occassion
to cook for 100 people. So I used your jambalaya calculator to assist me with
ratios and quantities, etc. on a full pot. It was very useful, and the jambalaya
came out great! Best I ever made, truth be told. I tweaked a few things of course,
but the rice to liquid ratio was spot on. I keep a little less than two cups of the
meat fat in the pot, so I reduce my stock quantity by that amount. Any way,
thanks for all the effort you put into the jambalaya calculator. It's a great tool and
you are very generous for sharing it! "

"I pushed my pot trying to feed 120 once used very close to what you have listed.
I served 162 - 8 oz bowls till the last grain of rice was gone. So your end result is
pretty spot on."

"Thanks for posting this. Love it!! I cooked a jambalya last night and have to do
another one next week for my son + friends on Grand Isle!"

"Damn you internet geeks think of everything. Where was this kinda stuff when I
was tryin to figure this stuff out 30 years ago? good job rat - Very Impressive. "

"That is awesome Rat!"

"Rat I got to hand it to you. Hell of a good job. You just keep improving. When
will the scratch and sniff version be ready?"
"Nice job Rat. I send this to people that always are asking me what amount of
this for that type questions. Get asked all the time and this is a great tool."

"Very well done Rat"

"Stadium Rat, I literally cooked the best pot of jambalaya I've ever cooked using
your calculator. It also helped that I had a brand new 8 quart ceramic cast iron
pot. Rice was cooked perfectly. Jambalaya seasoned great and excellent color.
Truly authentic."

"Rat's calculator is accurate. 40 people you gonna need 5 gallons of jamb or

pasta."

"Follow Rat's calculator. The most important measurement being the water/rice
ratio. The larger the pot the lower water/rice ratio measurements apply. You can
basically follow the recipe I posted with his calc measurements for the large pot
but you don't have to remove the meat. I will say, cooking a 10 gallon jamb takes
some practice. Cook some practice pots. Good luck"

"Cooking it for the first time for 200 people is risky when you haven't done it
before other than from a box. It can be done, though. Study Stadium Rat's chart
and good luck. "

"That calculator is amazing. . . ."

"For God sakes, find the jambalaya calculator and follow it closely and you can't
go wrong! I have less than 5 years of experience cooking, much less jambalaya.
I got my first rig for Christmas last year and I followed the calculator and I nailed
it. My first jambalaya ever I was hearing best jambalaya they ever eaten
compliments from people at a new years party. The jambalaya calculator is
SICK! Stadium rat and all that contributed did a hell of a job."

"Rat did a great job on the calculator. I wish I had it 20 years ago.."

"I have used this every time I cook from my "big" pot - which I use with 10 lb
uncooked rice. I really need it more for the rice to water ratios, which are perfect
every time. "

Thank the gentlemen that put [this] together, in the words of Issac Newton that if
you are able to achieve greatness, it is only by standing on the shoulders of
giants - Pochejp and Stadium Rat.

"I can't tell you how many of my friends and family use this. "

"I just wanted to let you now how priceless your calculator was for this evening. I
received a 5 gallon Jambalaya pot for my Birthday and had two unsuccessful
Jambalaya's from it. I"m not unfamiliar with cooking Jam, just large volumes. I
followed your calculator to the T this afternoon and ended up with some of the
best Jambalaya ever. Thanks so much for you and your contributors efforts in
making this tool."

"This is amazing! "

"I've been tailgating for years, and have always wanted to cook jambalaya at my
tailgate but I was always too intimidated by the task. Last year I told my fiancé I
wanted a setup and I was gonna trial and error it until I got it right. She got me a
setup for Christmas, right around that time I discovered Rats calculator. God did
that thing save me alot of money with trial and error. My first jambalaya was for
new years. People at the party thought I've been doing this for years. Even if you
haven't quite mastered boiling an egg yet, if you can follow directions and
measurements, you can cook jambalaya among those who've been doing this for
25 years. It's unbelievable."

"This calculator is just what i needed, thanks Rat. "

"Looks good Rat. Bring it to the Gonzales Jambalaya Festival in May 2012.
Make sure you got your water right on that wood fire. "

"Just used the calculator on the Small Batch - By Pot Size tab. Came out
absolutely perfect. Thanks Rat. My first time making Jambalaya not out of a
Zatarains box, and I swear it tastes like I've been doing it for years. "

"I used Stadium Rat's Jambalaya calculator last week to make Jambalaya for 35
of my daughter's soon-to-be in laws. Came out great...Stadium Rat should win
the Nobel Peace Prize for his J.C."

"Want to credit the maker, Stadium Rat. Check out this masterpiece! The LSU
Tailgate Jambalaya Calculator is a work of art, and it is spot on. I typed in 22
large servings (2 cup) and 12 small. I used the amounts and ratios and got some
good stuff. I was a little chicken because it was such a big pot, I used Uncle Ben
rice because it cooks up easier. Regular rice would have made it a little stickier,
and it would have cooked up real nice in that big pot. Ill do that next time. That
spreadsheet is worth keeping!"

"Good stuff."

"This is a gem, take a look! Some crazy booze-sodden parish y'at has
miraculously completed ninth grade and is able to use Excel. With his
considerable skills has created "The Jambalaya Calculator"! How cool. How
nerdy. Its funny, and it works"

"Awesome tool!"

"Special thanks to Pochejp and Stadium Rat!!! Jambalaya kings!! I cooked a pot
today... AND my rice problem is fixed. I may have been having trouble because I
wasn't getting the water to an extreme boil before adding the rice."

"FYI, used the spreadsheet with a few tweaks Friday in the cookoff at work and
we finished #2 out of 57 teams. Pretty good for only the third time I've cooked
competitively. Now on to the city-wide contest in October. Guess we can call it
award-winning now! Thanks for all your labor on this Rat. "
 Retail Resources for Jambalaya Food & Equipment
Pots, Precut
Smoked Fresh
Name Location Links Burners & Meats
Meats Meats
Equipment (call)
1 Bastrop Feed & Seed Bastrop Link X
2 Ed's Shenandoah Hardware Baton Rouge Link X
3 Fresh Pickin's Market Baton Rouge Link
4 Goodwood Hardware Baton Rouge Link X
5 Matherne's Baton Rouge Link X X
6 Double D Sausage Bogalusa Link X X
7 Kirk Martin Slaughterhouse Carencro Link X X X
8 Smith's Hdwr & Gen'l Store Covington Link X
9 LeJeune's Sausage Kitchen Eunice Link X X
10 Porche's Sausage Company Fr. Settlement Link X
11 Kief's Hardware Galliano Link X
12 Galvez Hardware Gonzales Link X
13 Hutch's Hardware Gonzales Link X
14 Lamendola's Grocery Gonzales Link X X X X
15 Ralph's Gonzales Link X
16 AF Davidson Hardware Houma Link X
17 Bailey's Andouille LaPlace Link X X
18 Jacob's Andouille LaPlace Link X
19 Wayne Jacob's Smokehouse LaPlace Link X X
20 Lockport Farm Market Lockport Link X
21 Veron's Supermarket Lutcher Link X X
22 Baldwin-Taylor Hardware Metairie Link X
23 R & R Welding Paulina Link X
24 Bohning's Supermarket Ponchatoula Link X X X
25 Chris' Specialty Meats Prairieville Link X
26 Oak Grove Smokehouse Prairieville Link X X
27 Gary Matte Rayne Link X
28 Don's Country Store Reserve Link X X X
29 Don's Specialty Meats Scott & Carencro Link X
30 De Laune's Supermarket St. Amant Link X X
31 Krazy Kajun St. Amant Link X
32 Leblanc's Cajun Foods St. Amant Link X X
33 Murray's Superette St. Amant Link X X
34 Paul's Meat Market Ville Platte Link X X
35 Teet's Food Store Ville Platte Link X X
& Equipment
Precut
Temple
Veggies Comments
Meat
(call)

X Fresh vegetables of all kinds - Chopped onions - 20 lb bag for less than $15

X X
Call for specifics
X
They make a great custom burner for three leg pots of any size.

Awesome sausage

X X one stop shopping for all your jambalaya needs

X
a nice, old-school hardware store
Great andouille, tasso, hogshead cheese, boudin, chicken versions
Favorite andouille of many, tasso, jerky, fresh beans, file powder, more
Andouille, smoked sausage, pork broth, boudin, tasso, jerky, cracklins, etc.

X Excellent andouille and smoked sausage

Fine custom jam rigs with wind guards and rollers.

X
X

Full grocery with jambalaya equipment, too

Wide selection - boudin, poultry, ham, cracklins, jerky, gator, frog, quail
X
Reasonably price pots, burners & accessories
X Bulk temple meat in 10 lb bags or 30 lb boxes.
X temple meat - 30 lb boxes & smaller packs
 Links & Lagniappe

Pochejp's Epic "Jambalaya Gonzales Style" (link)

Pochejp's "Jambalaya Gonzales Style" (pdf download)

Pochejp's "Cracklins Gonzales Style" (link)

TigerDoppings Food Board Recipe Thread & Book ver. 5 (link)

MeridianDog's Recipe Collection w/ Pics (link)

Chemistry of Cast Iron Seasoning: A Science-Based How-To (link)

How to Grind Your Jambalaya Pot Smooth (link)

List of Louisiana Cookbooks Containing Recipes for Jambalaya With Tomatoes (pdf download)

New Orleans Cookbook Bibliography (pdf download)

Stadium Rat's Recipes

Jack Miller BBQ Sauce Clone

This homemade sauce is very similar to the two famous Ville Platte
barbecue sauces, Jack Miller's and Pig Stand. I reverse-engineered this
recipe based on the ingredients lists and some knowledge of how my
grandfather made a similar sauce (see below). I used dried diced
onions because that's what Jack Miller uses, but you can certainly use an
equivalent amount of fresh chopped onions if you like. Saute them down
before adding.

This was my first attempt, but I believe the result is as close to those two
sauces as those sauces are to each other. Pig Stand is slightly sweeter.

1 cup yellow mustard

1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups dried chopped onions (8 oz by weight)
5 cups warm water
10 oz bottle Worcestershire sauce
1 cup catsup
6 Tbs tomato paste
3/4 cup chili sauce
6 Tbs sugar
1/4 cup margarine
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp Louisiana hot sauce
1 tsp chili powder

1. Pour warm water over the dried onions in a bowl and allow to
rehydrate for 30 minutes.

2. Into a pot of suitable size, put the all of the ingredients, including the
onion water, and simmer for 2 hours or more, until the onions are very
soft.

3. For basting sauce, take a portion of the sauce and add an equal
amount of vegetable oil and heat. Use the top part of this mixture (the oil)
for basting on the grill. The thicker sauce on the bottom can be painted
on the meat during the last few minutes of cooking or served with the
meat as a table sauce.
Yield: 2 quarts
Total Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Source: Stadium Rat

Article About This Recipe on NOLA.com (Link)

My Granddady's Welsh (La.) Barbecue Sauce

This recipe was given to my grandfather by a friend named Max

Schlacher. Between that name, and the vinegar and mustard, you know
this must be of German origin. I seems likely to be related to Jack Miller-
type sauces. My grandfather used to cook this in a brick wishing well pit
in his back yard. The chicken was out of this world.

This method works best when the pit is covered and the coals are at
least 18 inches below the grill, otherwise you're going to encounter flare-
ups from the basting oil.

4 pounds sliced onions

2 quarts cooking oil
16 oz bottle Worcestershire sauce
1 cup yellow mustard
1 Tbs salt
1 cup vinegar

Put oil in a deep pan. Add sliced onions, salt and vinegar. Cook until
onions become light in color. Add Worcestershire sauce and mustard.
Cook slowly for 1 to 2 hours until onions are well done and very soft.

Rub chicken halves with salt and red pepper at least an hour before
putting on the pit (the longer the better). Separate the onion mixture from
the oil for use as a table sauce. Use the oil as a mopping sauce on the
chicken. The non-oil part is great by itself on plain white bread.

Cousin's Creole Tomato Dressing Clone

Cousin's Creole Tomato Salad Dressing is extremely popular right now.

Here is my copycat recipe that duplicates its taste. The original product
only listed these 4 ingredients, but now the formula has been changed to
prolong shelf life (according to a friend that knows the maker). The raw
garlic gives the dressing a nice "bite". This dressing is great as a veggie
dip, with crab cakes or on a salad.

4 cups mayonnaise
3/4 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup peeled garlic cloves
1 Tbs black pepper

1. Put all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

Source: Stadium Rat

Article About This Recipe on NOLA.com (Link)

Rat's Easy Crawfish Bread w/ Pics (link)

Jambalaya Quotes to Live By:

"If you're lookin', you ain't cookin!"

And an old cajun has this advice for cooking jambalaya: "Beat the
hell outta da first sucka who lifts da lid."

"Experience has shown that chances of screwing up the rice

increase in direct proportion to the amount of alcohol consumed by
the chef."

"Remember, jambalaya recipes are like butts - everybody has one,

but yours is the only one that doesn't stink."

"Jambalaya is only done right, which is never quick and easy."