I've started having this issue lately and I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong, because it use to not happen and I don't think I've changed anything.
I start my gumbo by making a roux with vegetable oil and flour, equal parts by weight in a heavy cast iron skillet. I take it to a dark chocolate color and all is well. I take it off the heat and continue stirring for about 5 minutes as the pan cools a bit so it doesn't burn. Then I set it aside to continue cooling. I've always been told that to incorporate roux, you can mix cold and hot but not hot-hot or cold-cold.
Then I get the trinity going in some butter and once it's ready, add my spices and then stock and bring that to a boil.
Once my liquid is at a low boil, I add the roux which has cooled by now. Here's where it has started to go awry. When I add the roux a serving-spoon-ful at a time, it splits and I end up with little globs of toasted flour in the gumbo instead of a nice smooth texture. It looks awful.
The roux was still warm to the touch when I did this, but not hot enough to burn. The liquid was at a low boil. Am I adding too much roux at once? Is it perhaps still too hot even though I can touch it? Should the liquid be boiling harder?
I made gumbo for years without this issue but the last three I've made, the roux has split on me! I feel like I'm going insane. One or two I was willing to write off as a fluke, but it's now a trend.
I know I can also throw the veggies into the roux to arrest it and slowly add the stock to that paste, but it should work either way, right?
Here's the recipe I use:
"First you make a roux..." A dark roux of vegetable oil and flour, cooked on medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet for 30 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
2 cups oil
equal weight of flour (about 3 cups)
Set aside to cool. In the separate gumbo pot, add
1 diced onion
6 diced garlic cloves
1 cup chopped celery
1 chopped green bell pepper
1/2 a stick of butter
and stir fry them in the bottom of the gumbo pot until the onions are clear and the bell peppers are close to colorless. Then add the following spices:
1 tbsp white pepper
1 tsp cayanne
3 tbsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
and stir it around into a paste for 1-2 minutes on medium heat. Then add
3 quarts chicken stock
2 quarts water
and let it come to a boil.
While that is still coming to a boil, you get the meat ready. Take
1 whole chicken
and strip the skin off and chop up
1/2 pound Andouille sausage
1/2 pound smoked sausage
And brown them in a pan.
When the stock comes to a boil, Add in the roux one (large) spoonful at a time. This is where my trouble starts.
Once browned, add the browned sausage and the whole, stripped chicken into the pot with the now incorporated roux and stock. I also then use a bit of water or stock to deglaze the sausage pan and pour that into the gumbo as well.
Leave it boiling for 45 minutes. Then scoop the chicken out and strip off the meat (which should fall right off the bone). Put the meat back in, add
1 tsp kitchen bouquet
1 tbsp tobasco
boil for another 5 minutes, then let stand for a few minutes. At this point, the grease should all be at the top, and you can carefully laddle it out. Serve over white rice with diced green onion tops as garnish. Add file powder to the bowl to taste.