AmazingRibs.com is supported by our Pitmaster Club. Also, when you buy with links on our site we may earn a finder’s fee. Click to see how we test and review products.

BBQ Shrimp & Andouille Po Boy Recipe: A Taste Of N’awlins

Share on:
Po boy with lid off showing shrimp and andouille

Let the good times roll with a flavor-rich grilled shrimp and andouille po boy!

According to John Mariani in his thoroughly researched book How Italian Food Conquered the World, New Orleans barbecue shrimp was created by Pascal’s Manale restaurant when it opened in Uptown in 1913. The problem with the original: it is never barbecued. It is cooked in a pan! We’re going to make the classic pan-cooked “barbecue” shrimp honest, and grill them.

The Po Boy is the New Orleans version of the sub/hero/hoagie sandwich. It starts with a foot-long “stick” of “baguette,” but half sticks of 6 inches are common. I put the word baguette in quotes because it is really nothing like the original from France. The crust is softer, and the interior is cottony. Most are loaded with a meat or two and “dressed,” which means they are loaded with lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayonnaise, and thinly sliced onions. For the meat, hot-breaded and fried shrimp, catfish, oysters, crab, crawfish, and chicken breast are popular. Roast beef, sliced so thin that it crumbles and is called “garbage,” with spicy whole-grain Creole mustard is standard. But andouille, a spicy coarse ground Cajun pork sausage, and “barbecue shrimp” are killer, especially when teamed. Laissez les bons temps rouler! Let the good times roll!

BBQ Shrimp & Andouille Po Boy Recipe


Po boy with lid off showing shrimp and andouille
Tried this recipe?Tell others what you thought of it and give it a star rating below.
3.42 from 39 votes
Get a taste of New Orleans with this delicious sandwich recipe for barbecue shrimp grilled with andouille sausage, sauced, and served on a roll.
Serve with: A dark beer, like Abita Turbodog from New Orleans, or even a porter.

Course:
Dinner
,
Lunch
,
Main Course
Cuisine:
American
,
Cajun
difficulty scale

Makes:

a well-stuffed two-foot sandwich
Servings: 6

Takes:

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Equipment

  • Slotted spatula or spoon
  • Grill topper, if your shrimp are small

Ingredients

Notes:
About the shrimp. You can use fresh or frozen shrimp, but fresh are best and you should always try for shrimp from American waters. I look for Gulf shrimp. The larger the shrimp, the better, because they take longer to cook and we want them on the grill as long as possible to get some smoke flavor. Before you go shopping, read my article on the Science of Shrimp.
About the andouille. Try making your own. My recipe has two methods, authentic and “hamdouille,” a very good shortcut.
About the hot sauce. Use your favorite brand. Tabasco is from Louisiana, so it would be a good choice. If your andouille is hot, you might want to skip the hot sauce. If you are from New Orleans, crank up the heat!
About the onion. You can use a white or yellow onion if you wish.
Optional. A sprinkle of fresh cilantro is a nice touch at the end.
Metric conversion:

These recipes were created in US Customary measurements and the conversion to metric is being done by calculations. They should be accurate, but it is possible there could be an error. If you find one, please let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page

Method

  • Prep. Prepare the barbecue sauce and warm it.
  • Thinly slice the lettuce and the onions, and chop the tomato.
  • Cut the bread into 6 or 12 inch (15 or 30 cm) sections. Slice it lengthwise. Be careful to not ruin the crust as you either press in the bread or pluck some out to make canoes that will hold in the ample fillings.
  • Fire up. Prepare the grill for low heat cooking.
  • Cook. Grill the cut side of the bread over low heat until it starts to brown. Leave the lid open and watch that bread as if it was your last meal. A tiny bit of char is OK but don’t let it burn, and it will burn if you turn your back, and if you walk away it will go up in flames.
  • Increase the heat of the grill to about 325°F (163°C) in the direct zone, about medium. Put the andouille on the grill over direct heat and roll it around until it browns and hits 160°F (71°C) interior temp. Most of the time we overcook sausage on the grill, so use a thermometer for a change. Don't overcook if you want juicy sausage! Set aside and let it cool a bit, then slice it on an angle into ¼ inch (6.3 mm) coins.
  • Remember the shrimp must be peeled and deveined. Brush the shrimp with vegetable oil or melted butter to prevent sticking. If they are small, use a grill topper. Grill about three to four minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the shrimp. When one side turns pink and gets some grill marks, flip them. As soon as the interior of the shrimp is pearly and opaque throughout, and you may need to slice one to check, get them off the grill. Do not overcook.
  • Serve. Toss the shrimp in the warm sauce to coat. Add the sliced andouille into the bath. Spoon plenty of shrimp, sausage slices, and some sauce onto the bread. Top with lettuce, tomato, and sliced onion. Have lots of napkins on hand.

Related articles

Published On: 3/28/2017 Last Modified: 2/13/2024

Share on:
  • Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer - Founder and publisher of AmazingRibs.com, Meathead is known as the site's Hedonism Evangelist and BBQ Whisperer. He is also the author of the New York Times Best Seller "Meathead, The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling", named one of the "100 Best Cookbooks of All Time" by Southern Living.

 

High quality websites are expensive to run. If you help us, we’ll pay you back bigtime with an ad-free experience and a lot of freebies!

Millions come to AmazingRibs.com every month for high quality tested recipes, tips on technique, science, mythbusting, product reviews, and inspiration. But it is expensive to run a website with more than 2,000 pages and we don’t have a big corporate partner to subsidize us.

Our most important source of sustenance is people who join our Pitmaster Club. But please don’t think of it as a donation. Members get MANY great benefits. We block all third-party ads, we give members free ebooks, magazines, interviews, webinars, more recipes, a monthly sweepstakes with prizes worth up to $2,000, discounts on products, and best of all a community of like-minded cooks free of flame wars. Click below to see all the benefits, take a free 30 day trial, and help keep this site alive.


Post comments and questions below

grouchy?

1) Please try the search box at the top of every page before you ask for help.

2) Try to post your question to the appropriate page.

3) Tell us everything we need to know to help such as the type of cooker and thermometer. Dial thermometers are often off by as much as 50°F so if you are not using a good digital thermometer we probably can’t help you with time and temp questions. Please read this article about thermometers.

4) If you are a member of the Pitmaster Club, your comments login is probably different.

5) Posts with links in them may not appear immediately.

Moderators

  Max

Click to comment or ask a question...

Spotlight

These are not paid ads, they are a curated selection of products we love.

All of the products below have been tested and are highly recommended. Click here to read more about our review process.

Use Our Links To Help Keep Us Alive

Many merchants pay us a small referral fee when you click our “buy now” links. This has zero impact on the price you pay but helps support the site.