Billy’s Boudin and Cracklins

If you’re driving past Scott, Louisiana, “The Boudin Capital of the World,” you might be confused by the popularity and prevalence of convenience stores off the interstate. Nearly all of them are making and selling the Cajun sausage known as boudin. The most famous have billboards on the road touting their product. Billy’s stays about the busiest. For a traveler seeking drinks or chips, the store itself is unimpressive; but the hot-food case is as good as it gets.

Billy’s offers an impressively wide range of products, and quality is consistent. Nothing we’ve gotten here has ever been less than scrumptious. 

The boudin is a gem, especially boudin balls. All too often, boudin balls, which are little fried spheres, are greasy and desiccated, lacking the succulence that characterizes a steamed link of boudin. Not so at Billy’s. Here the balls are large enough to  preserve the character of the sausage, and they are fried in a peppery batter rather than oily breadcrumbs. Such Cajun gas station novelties as boudin egg rolls with pepper jack cheese (here called Boudin Roll-Ups) are craveably delicious, not side-show oddities. 

Billy’s cracklin stands out for its full coat of seasoning. When we perform a side-by side blind cracklin taste-off among several from the area, Billy’s is the obvious choice because of the way its seasoning hangs on the crunchy pork.

Steamed links of fresh boudin are always the best choice at places like this, and Billy’s is no exception. Crawfish boudin, is, as usual, the weak link, but both the pork and the smoked pork are exceptional. Billy’s boudin is spicier than most, but spices to not overwhelm the flavor of the meat. It’s porkier than most, with just the right amount of rice.