GrillinFools
I partnered with Zatarain’s on this one. For this easy jambalaya recipe, we are going to smoke our smoked sausage (yep, double smoked is where it’s at) over the top of a pan of jambalaya, which will also be smoked, thus, we capture the dripping and flavor from the sausage in the pan – yum yum. Additionally, some creole grilled shrimp and an optional crostini finish out this southern, spicy comfort food classic.
Furthermore, scroll down for the step-by-step, pic-by-pic, foolproof grilling instructions.
Smoked Jambalaya Ingredients
- 2 boxes Zatarain’s Jambalaya
- 12 cups of water, divided
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 42 ounces Zatarain’s Cajun-Style Smoked Sausage (three 14 ounce packages)
- Zatarain’s creole seasoning
- 1 lb shelled and deveined shrimp
- Green onions
Additional Needed Equipment:
- Roasting pan
- Roasting rack
How to Make this Easy Jambalaya Recipe
Start this easy jambalaya recipe by pouring the Zatarain’s jambalaya into a roasting pan:
Next, add 8 cups of water:
Reserve the last 4 cups of water for later.
Then, add the oil:
Stir the water to get all the seasoning to dissolve:
Next, bring the pan to a boil.
This can be done inside on the stove, although we used my griddle grill:
While the water comes to a boil, get the smoker ready.
We used a kamado here, hence we put the coals on the bottom, a chunk of smoke wood on top and then plate setters between the fire and where the pan of jambalaya will go:
How to Smoke Jambalaya on a Charcoal or Gas Grill
- For a standard grill, bank the charcoal to one side and place the pan of jambalaya on the other side
- For a gas grill, turn on the burner on the far side of the grill and place the pan on the opposite side
Then, remove the Zatarain’s Cajun-Style Smoked Sausage from the packages and grab a knife:
Furthermore, we want to slice about 3/4 of the way through the sausage, spaced evenly down the length of each link:
Why Slice the Smoked Sausage?
Indeed, there are a number of reasons to slice the sausage. It will allow:
- The sausage to heat up faster
- Extra smoke penetration
- More drippings and the flavor to seep out of the sausage into the pan
When the jambalaya boils, remove the pan from the griddle (or grill or stove) and move to the smoker, although don’t turn that griddle off.
We will need it in a minute:
Then, drop in the roasting rack and layer the sausage on top:
Close the lid on the kamado grill and allow the smoke and the heat to transform this dish into something magical.
Our target temperature inside the grill is a little over 200F.
We want the jambalaya to simmer, but not boil:
Also, remember that water we reserved? The pan can lose liquid quickly.
Thus, we added two cups of water about 20 minutes in and another 2 cups later.
As you can see here this is about 20 minutes in.
The sausage is browning nicely, although the liquid is cooking down quickly and we are losing a lot of moisture:
Time to Grill the Shrimp
While the jambalaya and sausage are smoking, season the shrimp with the creole seasoning:
Work that seasoning through the shrimp, then drop it on the hot griddle we left on earlier:
Additionally, feel free to make some crostini here. This is nothing but a toasted slice of a baguette. Simply put, brush oil on each side of the bread and then toast it on the griddle (or charcoal or gas grill).
If you are looking for a crostini that is a little more creative, we can help with a number of crostini recipes.
Once the shrimp is done, remove it from the grill.
When the jambalaya has simmered and smoked for a good 30-40 minutes, the sausage will look like this:
You can see that we need those last two cups of water in the pic above, which we added, although not pictured. Also, I probably should’ve only done one cup or let it cook down some more before taking the final pics. I caught a bunch of grief for that on social media, deservedly so.
Remove the sausage and the roasting rack from the pan.
Be careful; the sausage will be so tender it will break easily:
Slice the sausage along the slices made earlier.
Now, drop the sausage chunks, grilled shrimp and water into the pan:
Close the lid and give our easy jambalaya recipe another 10-15 minutes in the smoke, then remove from the heat.
Finally, I served the jambalaya in crocks with a pinwheel of a couple creole shrimp, as well as the crostini and some sliced green onion:
Easy Jambalaya Recipe Rundown
Smoky, spicy, a little crunchy, and oh so savory. Indeed, this was definitely a home run and took about an hour to feed my family of six and have plenty for leftovers for kids to grab before practice (or after) or for dad as an afternoon snack. Also, scroll past the recipe card to see more pics from this cook along with my reaction to a couple bites.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below or send me an email.
Also, if you could leave us a great review with lots of stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ that would be most appreciated!
Additionally, you can follow us on our GrillinFools Facebook page, Instagram, and YouTube feeds
Easy Jambalaya Recipe Card:
Easy Jambalaya Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Roasting pan
- 1 Roasting rack
Ingredients
- 2 boxes Zatatain's jambalaya
- 12 cups Water Divided
- 4 tablespoons Vegetable oil
- 42 ounces Zatarain's Cajun-Style Smoked Sausage 3 packages
- Zatarain's Creole Seasoning
- 1 lb Shrimp Peeled and deveined
- Green onions
Instructions
- Pour the Zatarain's jambalaya into the roasting pan
- Pour in 8 cups of water and stir through to dissolve all the seasoning
- Pour in the olive oil
- Bring the jambalaya to a boil
- Stoke up the smoker and and toss in a chunk of smoke wood. Target temp inside the grill is 200F
- Slice the sausage about 3/4 of the way through in uniform widths down the length of each link
- Place the roasting pan of jambalaya in the smoker and set the roasting rack on top. Put the sausages on the roasting rack so we catch the drippings and flavor from the sausages as they smoke
- Smoke for about 20 minutes and add 2 cups of water as needed
- While the jambalaya and sausage smoke, season the shrimp with the creole seasoning and grill. When done, remove from the heat and set aside
- Toast some crostini (optional)
- After 30-40 minutes, remove the sausage and roasting pan from the grill and carve the sausages along the slices made earlier and place the sausage chunks into the jambalaya pan.
- Add the shrimp and water as needed
- Close the lid and let the jambalaya smoke for another 10-15 minutes
- Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes to thicken
- Ladle into bowls and top with the crostini and green onions for garnish
More pics of the process plus my reaction
Related Posts
