It’s Jazz Fest Time!
The 45th Annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (affectionately known as Jazz Fest) kicks off this week on April 25.
Jazz Fest always runs over two weekends, and this year those weekends are April 25 to 27 and May 1 to 4 (the second weekend includes a Thursday).
In addition to an amazing lineup of music and culture, Jazz Fest also features some of the best festival food on the planet. Whether it’s Crawfish Monica, the world-famous Crawfish Bread, Hot Sausage Po-Boys, or Alligator-on-a-Stick, there is something at the festival to please everyone.
Be Safe: If you plan on going, don’t forget to pack your sunscreen and shades… and remember to drink lots of water! Jazz Fest is the preeminent spring fun-in-the-sun event, and you want to make sure that you take care of yourself out there. The sun, the heat and the crowds can lead to heat exhaustion. A little foresight and “preventative medicine” can go along way in making your experience amazing.
Chef Emeril Lagasse Shares Jazz Fest Recipes with Us
This year Chef Emeril Lagasse is sharing with us some of his recipes for classic Jazz Fest dishes, along with some survival tips for Jazz Fest.
One of the not-to-be-missed food items at Jazz Fest is the Slow-Cooked Cochon de Lait Po’Boy with Tangy Coleslaw. If you’re not from around here, you may not be familiar with the term “cochon de lait.” Cochon de lait is a classic south Louisiana food. It is a marinated, pit-roasted young suckling pig that is sliced thin and served with gravy, usually on a plate or on a po-boy. And. It. Is. Incredibly. Delicious… Seriously. 😉
Here is Emeril’s recipe for the famous Cochon de Lait Po’Boy, shared here with permission.
Enjoy!
- One 6 to 7-pound Boston butt pork roast, preferably bone-in
- 8 large cloves garlic, peeled and halved lengthwise
- Crystal hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons sweet pimentón (sweet Spanish smoked paprika)
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon Emeril’s Original Essence
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- ¼ cup beef stock, chicken stock, or water
- 2 large loaves Po’Boy bread, for serving
- Tangy Coleslaw, for serving (recipe linked)
- Creole Mayonnaise Spread, for dressing sandwiches (recipe linked)
- Place the pork in a shallow baking dish. Using the tip of a paring knife, make 16 narrow but deep slits in the meat, evenly spaced on all sides, and insert a piece of garlic deep into each slit. Sprinkle a few drops of the hot sauce into each hole. In a small bowl, combine the pimentón, salt, Essence, and cayenne. Sprinkle the seasoning blend evenly over all sides of the roast and rub into the meat.
- Place the roast in the crock of a 6-quart slow cooker (fat side up) and pour the stock around the roast. Cook on the “high” setting until the roast is tender and falling apart, 7 to 8 hours. (As the meat becomes tender, break the roast into several smaller pieces.)
- Remove the roast from the slow cooker and transfer to a large heatproof bowl or platter. Remove any excess fat and/or bones and discard. Using two forks, pull the meat into shreds. Ladle on enough of the accumulated cooking juices from the slow cooker to keep the meat moist. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Serve the meat hot, on lightly toasted French bread, garnished with the Tangy Coleslaw and slathered with the Creole Mayonnaise Spread.
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