Like so many of us, James Trahan grew up in a house full of good cooks. “My mom and dad cooked all the time, but I didn’t pay any attention when I was young. It wasn’t until I left home for college in Lamar, TX that knowing how to cook started to mean something to me,” he said. “After a year of living in the dorm, then six months in an apartment, I started to get tired of college food, of fast food, everything. I wanted something good that reminded me of home.”

So he went and bought some pork chops, rice and corn. “I remembered the pots my late grandmother had given me, and I just kinda cooked along. When the dish was done, it seemed to me it tasted just like her gravy,” he said. “I think it was the pot, plus she was up there cooking it for me, because I sure didn’t know what I was doing.”

He persisted, cooking every week, until he got good at it. Championship good, eventually. The first barbecue competition he entered, he won. “It was 2003. I had a barbecue rig on a trailer that I’d inherited from my grandfather, and there was going to be a barbecue competition in City Park for the Live Oak Festival. Just for grins, I said to my wife, Kristine, ‘We ought to enter.’ I really didn’t think we had a chance. She took me seriously, and we entered. We won first place in brisket and in chicken,” he said.

Trahan has not limited his competition to just barbecue, however. He’s cooked in contests for jambalaya, wild game, gumbo, etouffee. “You name it, I’ve cooked it,” he said. He has participated in the Gumbo Cookoff since 2011, garnering 5 first place wins, four in seafood and one in chicken and sausage. The crawfish etouffee recipe that won him the 2012 Mudbugs on the Bayou competition is included below. 

He does want to emphasize that competitive cooking is different than cooking for family. “In a competition, you’ve got one shot. The judges are taking one bite, so you have to pack as much flavor into that one bite as you can,” said Trahan. “At home, many of the recipes I use for competition are too rich just to sit down and eat, especially the barbecued meats.”

Just because he is a champion cook, that doesn’t mean he cooks just anything. “I won’t cook or eat red beans,” he said. “Don’t get me near broccoli or cabbage. I tell my family, just let me know when the smell clears.” He also doesn’t bake. “I don’t bake much. With regular cooking, you can put your own twist to it. With baking, you have to follow the recipe, or you might have a disaster.”

His favorites to cook? “Oh, I like to cook anything for a crowd: pastalaya, jambalaya, gumbo, barbecue. And really, anything wrapped in bacon.”

His love for competitive cooking has been passed down to his daughter, Emily. Unlike James, Emily paid attention to the good cooks in her family, and started cooking competitively at age 8. She’s competed in the Junior BBQ World Championship, and has won 2 BBQ Reserve Championships and 1 Grand Championship. The Trahans have met Guy Fieri, and Myron Mixon, the winningest BBQ cook in the world.

Trahan would like everyone to know about a barbecue competition coming up, for local junior cooks.As part of the Festival of Live Oaks, June 12 in City Park, there will be a BBQ contest for junior chefs, in two divisions, ages 6 – 10, and 11 – 16. The festival will supply everything, from grills to meat; cooks are asked to bring their choice of seasoning and compete for prizes. Interested junior cooks should contact James, or call the New Iberia Parks & Recreation department, and speak to Heather Dominque or Pat Thibodeaux, 337-369-2337.

 

James Trahan’s Award Winning Crawfish Etouffee

(makes 12 quarts)

 

1 quart chicken broth

2 ½ sticks real butter

4 pounds of Guidry’s Creole Mix

2 caps liquid crab boil

3 cans cream of Shrimp Soup

3 cans Cream of Golden Mushroom Soup

½ small can tomato sauce

½ can Rotel Tomatoes

⅓ can Old Bay Seasoning

1 bunch green onions

1 bunch parsley

⅓ can Magic Dust or your favorite Cajun seasoning

7 pounds Crawfish Tails

1 container crawfish puree

 

Melt butter in large pot, add Creole Mix, saute until soft. Add tomato sauce, Rotel, cream of shrimp, cream of mushroom, Old Bay, Cajun seasoning, crawfish tails and crawfish puree. Cook for 15 minutes on low heat. Add green onions and parsley.Mix well, turn off fire, cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Serve over rice. Yum!