-Funding for "Louisiana Coastal Cooking" was provided by... ...and by the Plaquemines Parish Tourism Commission.

A short drive from New Orleans, Plaquemines Parish offers a diverse variety of fishing, fresh seafood, rich history and environmental activities in Louisiana's Delta Country.

Learn more at visitplaqueminesparish.com.

[ Birds chirping ] -This time on "Louisiana Coastal Cooking," we'll check out a diverse array of wild game and seafood dishes at Cook-Off for the Coast, an annual competition showcasing local teams.

The coastal-restoration themed event raises awareness through an expo and activities that create community connections.

After the cook-off, we'll sample dishes that reflect the competition's deep appreciation for outdoor life in Louisiana.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ The Cook-Off for the Coast is held at Docville Farm, an historic property in Violet that hosts community events.

The mission of the Center for Culture and Learning on the Mississippi River is to improve the quality of life in St. Bernard Parish.

The annual cook-off celebrates the bounty and cuisine of Southeast Louisiana, with dishes featuring wild game and seafood found in the state's coastal wetlands.

Proceeds from the competition support coastal restoration efforts.

Samantha Carter, outreach manager for the National Wildlife Federation's Gulf program, is one of the cook-off organizers.

-The National Wildlife Federation is one of the oldest and largest conservation organizations in the United States.

Here in Louisiana, we're part of a coalition called Restore the Mississippi River Delta, where we focus on advancing large-scale coastal restoration for people, the economy, and wildlife.

Louisiana is losing land faster than almost anywhere else in the world.

Since the 1930s, we've lost an area about the size of Delaware, and we continue to lose land at a rate of about a football field every 100 minutes.

And that obviously has a huge impact on, you know, both wildlife and people that live on the coast.

The Mississippi River Delta is one of the most productive estuaries in the world, and that's because of the Mississippi River.

That's all the freshwater coming down from kind of that middle third of the United States and hitting the Gulf of Mexico and mixing with that saltwater.

And because of that, we have a huge diversity of different habitats.

And with that comes, you know, just this wide array of different species.

And those species are things that we like to hunt and fish and eat and are part of the reason that make this place so special.

The Cook-Off for the Coast was started in 2017 as a way to raise awareness about coastal restoration while eating a lot of good food and having a good time.

It's a partnership between Restore the Mississippi River Delta, the Monroe Foundation, and Vanishing Paradise.

And we work together every year to host this event, which includes amateur cook teams.

Teams compete in five categories.

It is swims.

So that's our fin fish, anything that swims through the water; flies, that's -- Think of your ducks mostly, but we have some goose and other things like that have made their way into the category; crawls, that's where wild boar and a lot of our game species come in.

We have a student category.

Both Chalmette High School and Nunez Community College have also been great partners in the cook-off.

In addition to them always having cook teams, they often table and talk about the projects that they're working on.

And then we have a crowd favorite, which everyone who goes gets to vote on their favorite dish.

And the winning teams get these wonderful trophies that are made by a local artist in St. Bernard.

-The one-of-a-kind trophies are designed by artist Luis Colmenares, dubbed the Picasso of Chalmette.

-We've added an art competition in recent years and we have partners from -- Almost 20 partner organizations came and tabled, which provided information on everything from coastal restoration to more urban stormwater issues.

We have the Louisiana master naturalist talking about all the great flora and fauna, and so it's a great educational opportunity and a great way for folks to learn how to get involved in the fight to save our coast.

-The event connects people of all ages with the culture of coastal communities.

It also highlights music and local cuisine with cooking demonstrations by coastal advocates, including chef Dana Honn.

-2024 was our biggest cook-off yet.

We estimate that we had over 2,000 attendees over the course of the day.

We raised over $20,000 to support St. Bernard restoration projects, which is always our goal.

-We're making a stop in the city of Covington in St. Tammany Parish for white beans and shrimp.

The seafood entry from Team Mudda Roux was picked as the 2024 Cook-Off crowd favorite.

Team chef, Gregg Avila, prepares the prize-winning dish in the North Shore community, where he and his wife, Dana, relocated after Hurricane Katrina floodwaters destroyed their home in St. Bernard Parish.

-You start off soaking your beans.

I soak my beans overnight with all the seasoning that they're gonna be cooked with.

I found that the beans soak up more seasoning that way than just cooking in a pot.

I think soaking the beans helps them hydrate.

It takes less time to cook them, and I feel that they cook better when they're hydrated.

And the beans that I'm using here are great northerns.

I'm gonna fry off this sausage.

Get that going in a pan.

Had a little bit of olive oil in there just to get it going.

While that's going, I'm gonna pour the beans in this pot.

So there's onion.

There's celery, there's bell pepper.

There's garlic.

There's jalapeño.

There's parsley.

There's bay leaves and pickle meat.

I'm just looking for the sausage to get a little bit of brown on it.

I don't want to cook it too much.

It's already cooked, so get a little bit of brown on it to add a little bit of flavor to the beans as it's cooking.

See how the sausage has gotten brown, kind of caramelized?

I'm gonna move this over to this burner.

I'm gonna add a little bit more water to these.

Okay.

As they cook, the water will boil off.

And the beans break down, and that's what makes them creamy.

Right now, I'm just waiting for the beans to come to a boil.

-As the beans come to a boil, Gregg talks about this blue-ribbon dish and the team's Cook-Off track record.

-This is one of our favorite dishes at my hunting camp.

At one of our hunts I cooked it this year, everybody said, "This is what we need to cook for the cook-off."

I had never done it in such a big kettle as I did this year.

I made 20 gallons of beans in Docville.

We cook everything there.

We soak the beans overnight with all the seasoning in them.

We got that at morning.

We fried all the sausage and everything off in the kettle, dumped the beans in it and started cooking them.

That was it.

We won four years in a row.

The first year we did a fried duck and andouille gumbo.

Next year we did an alligator sauce piquante.

The year after that, we did the curried pumpkin and corn bisque with the crawfish and andouille.

We did the white beans and shrimp.

Luckily it came out the way it did and it won and everybody liked it.

And the rest is history.

So now the beans are boiling.

I'm gonna put the lid on them and let them boil for about another 30 minutes, and I'll check them.

At the end of the 30 minutes, I'll turn them down to medium-low heat and let them cook for about another hour, hour and a half, until they get creamy.

And then they'll be done and we'll add the shrimp.

When the beans are finished and I add my shrimp, I also add a bunch of chopped green onions.

You don't need to let the shrimp cook too long, maybe five minutes.

Once they turn color, that's it.

Turn them off.

You don't want to overcook them.

So these are 35-count shrimp.

They're peeled, deveined, butterflied Louisiana wild-caught shrimp.

Nothing but.

Always.

So if you cook your beans and they look a little thick to you, don't add any water.

When you put the shrimp in, the shrimp are gonna give off some water.

So wait until your shrimp are cooked and like you want them.

And then if you want to add some water, you can.

If you don't like them as creamy as these are, you can add more water.

This is just my preference.

This is the way I like my beans.

Ready for a little taste?

Alright.

♪♪ So there you have the Creole white beans and shrimp, which was this year's winner at the Cook-Off for the Coast in Meraux, Louisiana.

And that's from Team Mudda Roux.

-Through an outreach program for New Orleans' chefs and restaurateurs that includes tours of the wetlands, the National Wildlife Federation is building support for the long-term sustainability of the delta.

A tasty coastal protection strategy is the addition of invasive species to our menus.

That includes wild boars, a prolific nuisance animal that does considerable damage to farmland, wooded areas, and swamps.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries estimates that there are about a million feral hogs throughout the state.

Trapping hogs has become an effective way to help with population control.

-We've worked with many chefs that focus on invasive species as one way to help.

We've had a lot of wild boar at the Cook-Off over the years.

They are incredibly detrimental to our wetlands.

They trample native plants.

They can even dig into the sides of levees and they outcompete, you know, our native species.

-Our next dish is a Cook-Off entry from Team On Tha Lou -- smoked hog sandwiches with slaw, a wild-hog specialty of Rachel and Ryan Borden.

-Hi.

Welcome to our home.

We are in Lower St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, right inside the floodgates here.

This is where we trap our hogs.

Let's go inside and see how we cook them.

-Wild hogs are a problem in Lower St. Bernard, where the Bordens live.

They trap the destructive animals on their wooded property.

To prepare the hog for smoking.

Ryan injects it with a commercially prepared meat marinade before coating it with mustard.

The hog is smoked using pecan wood and lump charcoal for 12 hours and is basted frequently during cooking with a marinade created by his late father, Earl Borden Senior.

-This is apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and extra virgin olive oil, equal parts -- a third, a third, a third.

This one's gonna cook a little longer.

Then we're gonna go inside.

-After my husband is finished smoking the hog outside, we rest it overnight.

Put it in the oven at 270 for about 4 to 6 hours, depending on how big the hog is.

So right now I have my internal temperature reaching right at 190, which is what we want for pulled pork between 190 and 200.

So I'm gonna go ahead and open this, and we're gonna shred our meat.

The reason why we smoke it for 12 hours, hog meat is very tough.

It's wild game.

It's all muscle.

Very, very little fat in it.

So low and slow is what you want to do to get the perfect texture and for flavor.

So that's really why we do it so long and be patient with it.

It really has a rewarding outcome as far as flavor and free food.

Living off the land.

So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna cut up my meat just a little bit.

As you can already see, it's falling apart.

I mean, that's super easy.

I really don't need to cut it a whole lot, but I'm gonna put it in this bowl here, and I'm gonna take a hand mixer and actually shred it with a hand mixer, which sounds very odd, but it's a wonderful hack and takes a lot less time.

So I'm taking all this meat off the bone.

Like I said, hog has very little fat, so any fat that you can reserve helps the moisture, helps keep it juicy.

This is a recipe you guys got to sample at Cook-Off for the Coast.

It is not the first time I've done it.

This is how we do it in that -- for dinner, you know, for our family.

So now that we have all of our meat in there, this is a new tip.

I actually saw one day on how to shred meat.

It looks crazy.

I am a baker, so I use a hand mixer for baking.

Never for meat.

Um, but quick and easy.

Just turn the mixer on low and it shreds in no time.

It really eliminates a lot of time getting it done.

And that's it.

Meat shredded.

You'll have a couple big chunks that I could break up with my hand, but as you can see, I mean, it took, what, 30 seconds.

And then all this pork is beautifully shredded.

Now that all the pork is shredded, we're gonna go ahead and make a homemade barbecue sauce.

You can use any store-bought or I'd like to share mine with y'all.

My main ingredient is actually a house specialty.

My sister makes these candied jalapeños.

It's basically just sugar and jalapeños.

Um, but it is definitely a family favorite.

And she made it so often.

We normally just ate it over, um, like cream cheese as an appetizer, but it's too good.

So I needed more.

So I actually came up with some homemade barbecue sauce using it.

And who doesn't like a little lanyap in their sandwiches?

So the jalapeños work really great.

All I'm gonna do is add some ketchup... ...to it.

I'm gonna go ahead and add a little Worcestershire.

We're gonna make it nice and thin.

So we're just gonna shake this up real good.

As you can see, it's already making a beautiful color.

And I'm gonna pour this right over all this meat.

The meat's gonna absorb this really well, too.

It almost absorbs it instantly, making for even better flavor.

You get the smoke, you get the sweet, you get the barbecue sauce.

It really, really is a lovely barbecue sauce.

But like I said, you can definitely use your own, um, even grocery store.

If you want to make your own barbecue sauce and you don't have candied jalapeños, you can sub out the candied jalapeños for teriyaki and just use a little more ketchup.

And actually that works really well.

Alright.

And that's it.

And that's finished.

Next we're gonna make our coleslaw.

Super easy.

I just buy the pre-packaged coleslaw from the grocery store.

I get the tri-colored coleslaw because I do like a little extra flavor in it.

This is a recipe my mom taught me when I was a kid.

Super easy.

Um, what you're gonna use is 1/4 cup of sugar.

We're gonna use 1/2 cup of mayo.

And then a tablespoon of Creole mustard.

This is what really makes the coleslaw for me.

If it doesn't have Creole mustard, I don't want it.

Also, I like to put raisins in mine.

I do like the sweet and savory.

You don't have to put raisins.

Raisins is optional.

And then you're just gonna give this a good mix.

I do like to let my coleslaw sit for a couple hours.

The mayo actually cooks down the slaw.

Makes it a little more creamy.

So once you're done with this, you probably should let it rest in the refrigerator.

And to an hour should be fine.

And by then you'll see the creaminess happen.

And that's it.

You give it a good stir.

Once it comes out the fridge, it'll be ready to put on the sandwich with the pig.

I do not use mayo for the sandwich because of the coleslaw is filled with mayo.

I just think that's overload.

So what we're gonna do is just put some of this hog right here on the bun, be generous.

And then we're gonna load this coleslaw right on top.

♪♪ I actually learned to put coleslaw on my barbecue after Katrina when I worked in Memphis.

And now I don't want to have my barbecue any other way.

And there you have it.

There's your hog slider.

Nice and easy.

-Chef John Folse, whose family lived bayou to table in St. James Parish, has spent a lifetime spreading the word about the rich food culture of his home.

In 1988, the renowned chef made international headlines by serving Louisiana cuisine to President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev at a presidential summit in Moscow.

-When you're born into the richness of the heart of culinary, your only desire is to share it with the world.

And that's why I thought it's so important to take Louisiana cooking globally.

Like when I did the Reagan-Gorbachev summit, I wanted to just show that through Louisiana's swamp-floor pantry, we could open the doors of the world real wide.

-Our final stop is Restaurant Revolution in New Orleans' French Quarter for Louisiana tradition.

Cochon de lait prepared by chef John Folse and chef Chris Anderson.

This centerpiece for holiday gatherings can be prepared with either domestic or wild pigs.

-Well, today I have the pleasure of doing something I've loved to do all of my life.

And that is the suckling pig, the roasting of the suckling pig.

I grew up in the swamplands of Louisiana, and, Chef, I tell you this story all the time, that one of the joys that we had with working with our grandfathers and aunts and uncles and everybody else was the gaining the knowledge of the suckling pig and all of the things -- the sausages, the andouilles, the boudins, the hogshead cheese, all the things that this great animal gave to us.

So whenever I have an opportunity to showcase, uh, the suckling pig, it's a great day in the kitchen for us.

So you want to show them how to get this done?

-Yeah.

-Okay, well, first of all, obviously the suckling pig has a pretty heavy skin here, so the seasoning actually has to be rubbed in pretty heavy with, uh, with your hand.

So what are you gonna do with your seasonings?

-I'm essentially just gonna oil it down to make sure it gets -- That way, the seasoning can stick to the actual animal itself.

And once I do that... -You notice a lot of handwork here.

-Always handwork.

You got to show every bit of cooking some love, Chef.

-And I'm gonna go ahead and give you a little bit of -- You can get some of your own seasoning.

Yeah, I'm gonna put some of that garlic.

I like a lot of garlic on -- on this.

And, of course, the skin of -- of the pig is -- is -- is pretty thick.

So you're definitely gonna want to put excess seasoning on it because it's a -- Little bit Worcestershire sauce on here.

Now -- now, uh, the joy of the cooking of the pig was the job that the young folks like me had.

Since you're younger, go ahead and massage that pig, Chef.

Let me see how you do it.

Uh, no, no, no, you got to work it, Chef.

You got to -- Oh, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, I mean, this pig -- this pig is giving up a lot for us today, you know.

[ Both laughing ] But anyway, so the skin, of course, uh, is gonna absorb all that beautiful flavor.

We've used our injector as well.

And you can get these injectors at any store, and then, of course, we'll just come in and put seasoning all through it at this point.

-Get it into the hams and shoulders for sure.

-And massage it in.

That's an important part of it.

We want to tell the cooks to get it -- get it in there.

I remember the suckling pig as an all-day event.

-Yeah.

-You know, all the aunts and uncles and cousins and everybody would come to the house.

But early on, we came to understand the value of the meat of the pig and, uh, and all of the dishes that came out of it as well.

So once this is all, uh, all done, I'm gonna pour a little bit butter on top of this.

You don't mind a little bit.

-Absolutely.

And you can roast these over open flames, open coals.

You know, there's multiple different ways you can kind of roast a pig.

You know, you go up to North Carolina, you can you can see them on smokers.

Um, so it just kind of depends on where you're from, what you like.

But this would work in any sort of cooking.

-Well, if you have a rotisserie, obviously, that's -- that's an advantage.

But most people don't.

So naturally it's gonna go either into an oven that's big enough to take the pig.

And you're putting a lot of seasoning on it because it has to penetrate that and of course the injection.

We're injecting it to get more seasoning in.

So about what, 4 to 5 hours?

-I'd say 4 to 5 hours, depending on the weight of it.

Here we obviously have our own open rotisserie that we can stick these big old things on and kind of have it for our own guests.

-And in fact, we have one going around on the pit right now.

-Well, this pig here is ready to go, but this is a little tip.

You don't have to Cajun inject it.

You can always brine it like you do a turkey.

You can just season the outside of it.

Now this is ready to go, Chef.

Get it on the roaster?

-Into that 350-degree rotisserie oven.

-Open flame.

Yeah.

-It's gonna be beautiful.

-It is.

-Okay, Chef.

Beautiful, beautiful little suckling pig here, right?

When I look at this, though, I'm reminded of the wild boar that we used to, uh, hunt in the swamps of Louisiana before we had the domesticated pigs.

-Yeah, before we go to the butcher.

-And that's what it looks like, y'all, when it's all said and done.

Great holiday dish.

But more important, this is when family comes together and pass on the tradition to that next generation.

Uh, we don't want to lose that.

-The food of Louisiana is a window into the traditions of the state and its diverse culinary heritage.

Chefs and food lovers from all walks of life have become coastal advocates, pushing to preserve the bounty of sportsman's paradise.

-Our ultimate goal is to advance science-based, large-scale coastal restoration, and make sure that we can get as many people involved in the fight to save the coast as we can.

-One of the things that I think have changed drastically in Louisiana is an appreciation for Louisiana and its uniqueness.

Not only its people, its -- its -- its culture, its coast, everything.

I really feel that we have such a unique presence here in Louisiana.

We have just a unique culture.

Our music, our food, our ambiance, our people, the seven nations that founded us.

We just stand out globally.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -You can find recipes for all of the dishes in this series, chef profiles, and more information about Louisiana coastal cooking by visiting wyes.org.

Funding for "Louisiana Coastal Cooking" was provided by... ...and by the Plaquemines Parish Tourism Commission.

Nature, tradition and culture come together in Plaquemines Parish, where the Mississippi River and the Gulf meet in Louisiana's Delta Country.

Learn more at visitplaqueminesparish.com.