Crawfish Boil - with Special Guest Chris Carr

Chris Carr Podcast
Fri, 3/4 12:28PM • 39:02
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
crawfish, big, louisiana, people, boil, crawfish boil, favorite, alligator, freshwater, sack, fishing, cook, new orleans, talking, listeners, cowboys, put, thought, buy, weekend
SPEAKERS
Chris Carr, Intro, Sam Fischer

Intro  00:01
Welcome to cowboys, not eggheads…. home of the brave, not home of the fearful. The world needs more cowboys and fewer eggheads. We're everywhere podcasts are found. So tell your fellow cowboys and let's keep the conversation alive on Facebook and Twitter. And now, cowboys, not eggheads with Sam Fischer

Sam Fischer  00:33
man I'm excited about today's podcast. I've been chasing this guy for a long time. He's my friend Chris Carr iHe’s my favorite Louisiana Cajun. How are you today? Mr. Carr?

Chris Carr  00:45
doing wonderful. You're my favorite Nebraska. Thank you. Cornhusker.

Sam Fischer  00:50
I do appreciate that. So Chris, and I our background goes back to my old previous life as a political hack. And we spent a lot of time together. Oh, I don't know. 20 years ago, I suppose now almost 20. Anyway. Working together in 2003 2004.

Chris Carr  01:13
That's 2002.

Sam Fischer  01:16
Yeah, does it goes back to to all the way back to two. And so so we've known each other since 2002. Done a lot of stuff together. My favorite time was Chris was probably in 2004 when were in the great state of Nevada, delivering the final electoral votes for Bush 43 Nevada, Nevada, Nevada. I hate that dude. I’m do you say Montana?  So Chris is a very distinguished and respected political operative in the country and is still doing it and has been on a number of national campaigns and very, very high profile positions. So appreciate your time today, my friend, but he's just an old he just my old friend from Louisiana. That’s way I look at it. Yes, sir. So what I wanted Chris to talk about today was the old crawfish boil. Now Chris is known also for his ability to organize and produce and cook up. crawfish boils put on crawfish boils. Now you're contracted to do this, is that correct?

Chris Carr  02:21
I have done some paid events across the country. I think the first one that I did out of state was 1999 in Pinehurst, North Carolina for the USO not for the US Open. It was a private party associated with the US Open. That's when Payne Stewart God rest his soul. Oh, yes. He won that and then was like a year later he passed away?

Sam Fischer  02:44
Wow? So how does one get the reputation to be hired by that organization to do how does that work?

02:52
IYou're looking at the organization and you're talking to

Sam Fischer  02:58
that's you? Yes, yeah. But

03:00
no. Look, it's you know, back in the 90s when when I was in college, what do we do on the weekends? We we went crabbing, we went fishing, and then we picked up a sack of crawfish then you could get like a second crawfish, which is on average like 32 pounds a sack. We can buy sacks of crawfish back there for like 20 bucks a sack. So we, between about eight of us we'd find about 20 bucks. And then we boil crawfish. So we just started just cooking during college and my first paid event was 1995 and it was on a sunny Bacchus Sunday, which by the way, Bacchus Sunday is this upcoming Sunday during Mardi Gras, and I cooked for I don't know, like 200 people. And I And here's the thing, but people don't realize people always say Oh, I'm going to New Orleans. I'm like, You have gone for the food and crawfish and you know New Orleans and I love New Orleans. But New Orleans, especially back then was it they didn't have the crawfish that we have from my part of the state Southwest Louisiana which is where the majority the crawfish are farmed. Because we get the big boys and they would get the river crawfish, which were much smaller crawfish every time I'd go and bought you a crawfish boil in New Orleans. You're like where you get these crawfish where you get? And of course I would tell people my sources that say oh by you, Bayou tonton. And so people are like oh yeah, I know where that is.

Sam Fischer  04:21
Now say that again. I just love the way the you talk.  oddest list there's only reason I have him on today is because I love his accent.  Bayou what?  Ton Ton?  

Chris Carr  04:28
Bayou TonTon . That was just that we would just do that.

Sam Fischer  04:31
How do you spell that?  t-o-n-t-o-n? Yeah. Anton tauntaun by and I’m going to back you up. I want to back you up to a little bit because you said crabbing and fishing now ….that could ….I’ve come to learn fishin’ means that you could be frickin casting a hook for alligator but you're , you’re talking specifically crabbing and fishing for crawfish.

04:50
No, no, no. During college, we'd always go crabbin’ on the side of the road, right. Hagberry Louisiana. Yeah. Or we'd go fishing. You know? speckled trout are freshwater fish. Okay, but

Sam Fischer  05:02
all right, but so if you if you go to catch crawfish What do you call that? Fishing?

05:06
Well that's fishing . Yeah, that's fishing but like, I mean, we wouldn't really catch our own crawfish. We always just buy a crawfish. You can they're all that it's, you know, those are all professional organizations. Not that we're not professional. But I don't I don't own

Sam Fischer  05:20
the land cook them. You don't catch them.

05:22
I cook them a boil. Boil. Boil. Yes.

Sam Fischer  05:25
So how hard is the frickin boiler crawfish Dude, why is it so hard? Yeah,

05:29
it's easy. Oh, it's very easy. But when you're cooking for several 100 people, it's gonna be a logistical nightmare if you don't know

Sam Fischer  05:37
better, right? So let's talk about that. Let's talk about the so the so on let's talk about your on. Next. Well, I don't know when this is gonna be on Sunday, February 20. Whatever. Seventh? I don't know. Shit. It's the Sunday before Mardi Gras, which is this Sunday before Mardi Gras? Yes, I'm not sure we're gonna do this podcast. Anyway. You're seven days from now, six days from now you're going to do 27 You're right. Yep, you are going to do a big crawfish boil in New Orleans. A smaller one just right. All right. Oh, that's right. This is about 4050 people, but still having 40 or 50 people over for dinner is it requires a little bit of work. So it was what is that? It’s  work. What preparation are you going to do before that? Or what are you gonna worry about?

06:25
So I won't I'll try to keep this quick. I won't bore you with too many of the details knows all the details. This is what's gonna happen. So not to get to get into my itinerary with you, but just so you can appreciate what the hell is going to happen. For our

Sam Fischer  06:39
listeners what we have listeners in all 50 states and 21 countries. My eight listeners in Germany want to know the details. Give it to us. 

06:45
We're gonna give it to them. Alright, here you go. Germans…… So on Thursday night, on Thursday night this upcoming Thursday. I got to be in Boise, Idaho has nothing to do with crawfish. But then I wake up Friday morning. I fly to Lake Charles, Louisiana. And I get in. That's what Friday night. Saturday morning. I go to Crowley Louisiana. Rice capital Louisiana. Mind youi. And they also that's where the the one capital

Sam Fischer  07:12
would rice. Rice capital. Yes. I thought you said rifle. Okay. No Rice, rice capital.

07:19
And let me tell you something in Louisiana where you have rice fields. You got crawfish, because they rotate between rice one year sometimes and crawfish the next year. Gotcha. Actually, most of these farmers make more money off the crawfish than they do rice. And rice is a commodity like anything else. That price is a market up and down. Right? I

Sam Fischer  07:37
can see that. But protein is worth more.

07:39
So anyway, I'll pick up probably three or four sacks of crawfish. So that's about 120 130 pounds of crawfish on Saturday morning.

Sam Fischer  07:49
All right now back up. Because when you say sack a crawfish was does that mean? You go dig your hand into a cold ice tank. And there's like a potato mesh sack or what does it mean? So

07:58
you sorta but they That’s what I would picture. It's a it's a mesh sack. That when the when the fishermen go out on the low crawfish, boats, and about a foot of water. And they have these traps all in rows, they will dump to the traps into this tray, and all that they have a grader. So they'll grade out, the smaller ones will drop through the grater. And they'll get rid of those and the other ones go straight into the sack. And on average is about 32 pounds per mesh sack.

Sam Fischer  08:27
Now, so I know and our listeners know a small one and be like less than an inch and maybe tiny Right, right. That's right. And regular crawfish should be made the cut to be too. Oh, that's so nice. Fingers are about three inches. It looks like

08:41
Okay, nice magnum Okay, okay. And as it gets warmer, they're gonna get bigger too. Alright, because this is we're kind of part of the beginning of the season. It's still cold in Louisiana, believe it or not. It's very cold down there. relatively cold. Yeah, relatively cold, but it gets in the 30s. And when it's windy crawfish don't like wind crawfish like heat, and they like lightning and rain. That's when they multiply. Alright, so I'll pick up three or four of these sacks. So about 120 230 pounds. I'll drive from Croley that cost was at cost. They probably run about five $6 A pound live right now. Gotcha. Not that much. I'm not that much. I bet I get him probably about $4 $4 a pound. Gotcha. Okay, so I haven't talked to I haven't talked to the farmers yet. And you're reminding me I got a call it put my order into today, I’m talking about things that I'm going to do this week. You

Sam Fischer  09:34
know, I'm sorry. I hate to interrupt you, but it's interesting.

09:38
Yeah, no, that's good. So I'll place my order today. I'll find out what the price is. You know, again, I don't know that. That's a good. I know they're gonna be $3 or more. But if you're in a restaurant, you don't pay six - $7 For boil crawfish, for labs, the ones I'm gonna pick up probably about $3. So then I'll drive from Crowley.

Sam Fischer  09:59
Now Dammit, I'm gonna interrupt you again. I'm so sorry. So that requires probably a cooler or something; you can't just throw them in the back of your truck, right? You got to put them in cold water. What

10:08
do you go? No, no, no, no, no, you can put them in, you can put them in back in your truck, especially now that's kind of cooler. Now sunlight and I said winds are not good crawfish. sunlights not good either. But if you’re -  I'm only driving about two hours. So typically what I'll do is I'll put the crawfish in back of the truck. I'll lay them down down in the bed of my truck. And I'll take a burlap sack. And I'll wet the burlap sack and wrap, wrap it. Okay, so it's not directly hitting it and they stay kind of cool 

Sam Fischer  10:36
keep ‘em cool and cool and moist.

10:38
Right? Correct. You're very smart. Sam Fischer, you're thinking

Sam Fischer  10:42
I'm an egghead when it comes down. No

10:45
your cowboy. Um, so I'll make my drive to New Orleans. Saturday morning. I got to get there by noon because then I got to haul my ass to near the fairgrounds that I'm jumping on on on a float for the Endymion parade. I'm riding and Endymion Parade which is Saturday night 26 That that parade rolls from like five o'clock in the afternoon to 11 at night - just for your listeners to know -Endymion’s a very large parade and we end up in the Superdome. It's gonna be a very late or early morning to Sunday morning. That I'll be out enjoying Mardi Gras, then I will. I'll take a nap. Probably Sunday morning for about an hour. And then I got to get up. And then I'll probably have a you know, something to get me going like a Bloody Mary. Yeah. And I gotta relax. Liquid encouragement? Yeah, yeah. And I'll have a little dip. I have a little dip to relax.

Sam Fischer  11:38
Yes, sir. Then is that Copenhagen or Skoal?   no Skoal bandits. Thank you. It's safe for it.

11:44
I don't like the grit in my teeth anymore.

Sam Fischer  11:46
And your wife is alright with that?  She's She's letting you chew these days. That's that's that's all good. Oh, that's my other friend.

11:53
Well, I'm not home. I'm in Louisiana. She’s in Vegas. 

Sam Fischer  11:59
Alright, that's pretty interesting. Alright, so we got our dip. We got it. We got our Bloody Mary and then what?

12:05
And then we'll transition to beer. Then. I'll have the crawfish -get everything set up get. I'll have an outdoor burner. A high, you know, a jet burner. High BTU BTU burner. And then about 120 quart. Pot, crawfish pot. And then I'll get everything set up. I'll fill up water. I'll then I'll start adding my seasoning to that water. Okay, in seasoning,

Sam Fischer  12:36
you can't tell anybody what's in the seasoning?

12:38
Well, it's it's a What brand is it's a it's Louisiana fish fry

Sam Fischer  12:42
a you buy it? You're not even making it. Oh, hell no,

12:45
I'm buying it. It's the best it's got it in there. It's got like, you know, it's got the Cayenne and salt and pepper but it's kind of limited or salt little source all about you. Maybe Hey, Dennis It's got a little lemon to it. I like a little lemon. And then I add and then I add some  Zataran liquid boil. And that if you were to drink that right now you blow holes in your stomach. Yes are powerful, powerful, powerful stuff. But yeah, it's going into a bunch, you know, it's going into a big pot. So I just do kind of a little dab in there, that the liquid boil, and then I'll add some more salt. So I keep mine fairly simple. Okay. And then when I do like an hour or two before the event even starts, I bring it to a boil. And then once it comes to a boil, I'll shut it off. Because when it's time to start cooking for the guests, it won't take as long to bring to a boil. Just I learned that little trick. Okay. Um, then the work starts because then I got to start rinsing the crawfish. Okay, now,

Sam Fischer  13:45
How big a crew do did you got helping you on some like this on Sunday?

13:49
I was just me on Sunday. Just you okay? Yeah, okay. Yeah, good. So only four sacks of crawfish.

Sam Fischer  13:54
I don't know, dude. I've seen pictures of you where you've had five or six on your crew?

13:58
Well, that's but those a big.… I mean, that's, that's when you cookin’ and ..

Sam Fischer  14:02
I know you don't just just don't put any makeup on that crew. They got to be qualified for that crew when they

14:07
got it when they got it. They gotta have work ethic. Yes, and they and they better have a good back because they're gonna be hauling some some poundage. Okay.

Sam Fischer  14:16
All right, on your own.

14:17
So here's the here's the deal. It depends who you're buying your crawfish from, because you can buy from some farmers where they actually purge their crawfish in freshwater tanks. And you and I were talking about this before we actually started recording crawfish. Yes, they're fresh. They're freshwater. They're not salt water like shred

Sam Fischer  14:38
I didn't know that listeners. I thought I thought were like lobster thought it came straight from the ocean. It is not it's from freshwater.

14:44
They come either from the basin, ,Atchafalaya Basin or they come from rice fields. 85% of our crawfish have come from all from from the ponds, which they say ponds but it's like a rice field. Okay, right.

Sam Fischer  14:56
You need airboat to get across the thing right? You can see some

15:01
people with airboats, but you don't, you know, they got crawfish boats. Now, they didn't make specifically for these little right shallow, shallow fields. Okay, they got a big paddle in the back, they can actually go over levees, these little boats, who would be cool. Yeah. Anyway, so some of these operations are very sophisticated. And they will, they will have these big Purgin’ teams, which is it's really, it's a, it's a sight to see. Like, if you're into this stuff and you end to cook in and you like seafood. It's actually worth like seeing these operations. In fact, Jeff Davis Parrish, they, they're there, you can go online and you can take a tour and actually go on a boat and watch them catch the crawfish. So anyway, or you can just watch a video of them doing it. But some of these operations have these Purgin tanks and to truly purge a crawfish takes like 27 hours. So they're in freshwater, the water, you know, they got pumps that are active that entire time and they just clean in the crawfish or you can get crawfish that are just you know that people may say all their purge, but they're they're not completely purged. They just rinsed all the dirt in the mud off the tail, right. And the reason I'm saying that is because if you're buying crawfish that are already had been purged or thoroughly cleaned, okay, that's less work you got to do and it comes time to boil. Alright, so I did learn this trick after flying crawfish for 10 plus years across the country, is that as an example, the LSU crawfish boil Alumni Association in Vegas where I would cook, you know, like, over 5000 pounds in a in an afternoon. That, that crawfish I didn't I didn't want to clean. I didn't want to purge I didn't want I wanted that crawfish. When they caught it from the field and they put it in a sack. I wanted that crawfish to go straight in the cooler until it hopped on the plane. Because the more handling that you do to crawfish, it decreases the amount of time that they're going to live. And so you know, when you're talking about catching crawfish, put them on a plane. And then me having to keep crawfish in a in a in a walking cooler overnight at Southwest Airlines in Vegas, you're looking at three or four days. Right? So but guess what that cut that created more work for us. And that's when you saw the pictures of actually I actually would have 10 people helping me because most of the people cooking a crawfish is not really the labor intensive part. It's it's just the handling of the crawfish when you're cleaning them because you have to go through a whole process of cleaning them and then and then you know we have a whole we got equipment that makes it easier. You know they go into these like like trash cans plant you know with holes in it and they sit in freshwater and fresh water is constantly being pumped in these big horse troughs. And and then, you know after the water turns clear, they're clean. And then we two men pick up you know each side of that trash can and we dump it into these big vets big ballers where I can do about 110 pounds at a time I got two of those those two big commercial operations. Now this weekend I'm not because I'm only doing three or four sacks I'm just using this as a smaller pot that you can buy. You know at a at a hardware store in Louisiana.

Sam Fischer  18:14
I'm picturing like a Black Kettle cauldron, but  don't know—- that's a witch's brew rumors. Now

18:21
that would be that would be if you cook in a jambalaya i Okay, that'd be like a cast iron pot. Okay, this

Sam Fischer  18:27
is this thing. What is this stainless steel?

18:29
Or aluminum? Aluminum pots? Okay. The big. I tell you what,

Sam Fischer  18:33
you see me we take some pictures and or you got pictures of them. Send them to me. Well, media you've

18:39
seen you've seen the past where people fry their turkeys? Yeah. Okay. It's a similar pot, but much bigger. Okay, so aluminum, aluminum pots. And then inside the pot. There's a basket. So, so Sunday, what a colander.  Threre you go. Very good, sir. Thank you. Thank you. So, this weekend, like I said, I'll rinse my crawfish. They're probably going to be some clean crawfish already. Excuse me, but I'll still rinse some. And then when I'm done rinsing my crawfish and ice chest. Then what I do is I literally I pick them up my hands bare hands because I find it easier to do it that way. The trick is to make sure that when you have when you're rinsing crawfish in ice chests, and you get ready to pull them out of the ice chests. You want the water to be over the crawfish and they won't pinch you if I've seen jackasses, like put their hands in there when there's no water and their hand comes out you know, full of blood.  Not looking good. Not looking good. But if but if it's water in there, you could put your hands in there. Or you could wear gloves, whatever rubber gloves and I just I just feel the baskets up straight from that ice chest, you know in freshwater into the basket, as you said the colander, and then the water is already boiling now I got seasoning and  and water. And boom that basket goes right into that, into that, into that, that boiling water and then I let it come back because when you put that crawfish in what's going to happen? You know, you saw me boiling anymore you get cold water and you got a lot of, you know, a lot of back. That's right. So I'll let it come back up and I start the clock for two minutes for a boil and I cracked the lid a little bit for a boil and then I shut it off and then I soaked my crawfish. Which by the way, that's a I'm gonna tell you right now for your listeners. Everybody now talks about oh, I soaked my crawfish. Oh, I got people always tell me Oh, do you still soak crawfish? Yeah, I soak my crawfish because you know what? My friend Mike Crawford from Lake Charles started that. The soaking crawfish …..years ago. So I know all about soaking crawfish.

Sam Fischer  20:44
I was taught from the Pioneer

20:47
Michael Crawford. Yes. So I go about 15 minutes in a soak them;  I'll stir my paddle. And that's where they're getting all that juice and I and then Sam. When I'm stirring them, I'll add mushrooms. And I'll add butter. And sometimes I'll add like sausage, like smoked sausage in there. And then started 

Andouille I  I hope. Yeah, just like smoked pork sausage. You always they have a lot of andouille in New Orleans;  we just have smoked pork sausage, but anyway, okay. Um, and then I'll, I'll do a couple, you know, testers to make sure that after 15 minutes when you when you when you peel that tail, I want that juice to run down you your hand, you know, I mean?

Sam Fischer  21:28
Yeah, it's gonna be sloppy business…. eating crawfish. Yeah,

21:31
yes, yes. But But I want you to taste that the juice from it from soaking it and the seasoning  in it. And I'm gonna tell you, like, you know, for people who like seafood, I love shrimp. But to me, there's nothing better than then than farm raised crawfish because they're sweet. And that meat is very, very clean. And one thing people say is like, yeah but I can't get full on crawfish because you don't know how to kill them. That's why…. you learn how to it's like, look, everybody for the most part, especially Americans ; I don’t know about you Germans. But you know, we know maybe they can eat peanuts. But most Americans go to baseball game with a they got sitting there with peanuts, right? And you can see him cracking those little things and they don't even look at the peanuts and crack him looking at a baseball game either. Eat a peanut let's same thing in Louisiana. at three years old..… Thinking about it. Not even thinking about it. At Three years old. Crawfish. Yeah, feeling crawfish and and so it's

Sam Fischer  22:23
a bit like decapitating grasshopper. That's the first thing I could think of was up here. Now. We have grasshopper so you just yeah. You just take your head off. And you got to know exactly where to do it. And you just, I don't know what the crawfish

22:37
and of course I don't have one to demonstrate. So it's a little harder to explain it. Especially get the listeners but it's literally I mean, everybody knows what a lobster looks like. And you know where the tail starts from the cavity in the body. You just twist it. You twist it and …Oh it’s a twist?  It's a twist and I take

Sam Fischer  22:54
it on like a hatch. No, no, no, no, no, no. See, I would have done it. We got it. You got

22:57
twist, you got to do a twist. And what I do, is I'll take one little one little ring off that tail. And then it gives you it gives him more meat to pull and take the other thumb you push from from the bottom of that tail  you push the tail the meat the meat out. That's it

Sam Fischer  23:15
standing now do you do just to slap a bunch of meat on the plate or just you just slap it in your mouth right there? Like you're eating a peanut? Oh, no, you hit it right there. Yeah, boom. Right there. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, right. You are not eating this with a fork and a knife. Yeah,

23:27
I mean, oh, no, no, no, no, no, you're sitting there with it with a cold beer.

Sam Fischer  23:31
I'm thinking like a nice little beach towel or something on me to have to .. We put on bibs Bibs. Yeah. Bibs? Wear a bib or an old t shirt. And get after it! Yeah. Now with the crawfish. We serve little a corn on corn on the cob. And then red potatoes. And that's that's all. That's all

23:51
right. That's right now, I will tell you this. I do my corn and my potatoes separately. You know why? Some people again, these people who show up and they probably started bawling last year. Oh, you don't you don't boil it together as if you're supposed to. And I look I'm like no, I don't boil it together because it's required different times.

Sam Fischer  24:10
Right. Right. And you don't want to taint the taste. You can add them together on your own discretion. I mean, yeah, I completely get that. Yeah. So it's same pot.

24:19
So what I do is my potatoes, my red potatoes. I'll bring it to a boil. It's the same pot. I'll bring it to a boil. I put the red potatoes in the colander as you call it the basket. And I bring it to a boil. And once I put the basket in there, right, the colander and then the bowl of water and let it come to a boil. And then I I turn it I make sure it's I don't want to I don't want my potatoes to fall apart. Right? I want to I want it to hold together. I just want them to be very tender. We put a fork right through it right. So I just I turned the heat down to like probably like a medium fire. It's still kind of boiling. And I go for 10 minutes. And then I pull that basket out and I'll I'll stick a knife or whatever if it if it goes right through easily. Good enough, I yank it out. I soak it for like a couple of minutes and I've poured into a little small ice chest. And then I take like Tony Sasherie’s  And I'll, I'll actually I take butter first. And I just put, I'm talking a tub of butter on their brother, a tub. Yeah. And then And then, and then I take Tony Sasherie’s and sprinkle it. And then I'll kind of gently you know,

Sam Fischer  25:25
butter, not margarine, right.

25:26
That's whatever you want margarine, butter, whatever, but get some cheap I want Kerry gold, you know the expensive stuff ..  There you go. And then you just you just you want that. And then I'll serve the potatoes. Like on the table when we pour the crawfish. I'll come back with my little surgical gloves. And I'll place I'll place boiled potatoes and then the corn doesn't take any time, you know, but I'll butter that to do the similar process with the corn as the potatoes and I'll just place the corn the corn and potatoes on top of the piles of crawfish that I put on. Because when you're serving when you serve a crawfish, what you want is you want like a picnic table or just like a folding table and you put a newspaper on it, or visqueen or something and you just pour the basket of crawfish right on there. And then people stand on the table and they just go to town and put some trash cans right there and they just put the shells in the discarded in the trash can.

Sam Fischer  26:18
You gotta have a cold beer with all that too. It would be outstanding. Just

26:22
multiple. Yeah, multiple cold beers. Absolutely. Yes, sir.

Sam Fischer  26:26
Absolutely. What an experience unbelievable now what how did it what's the history behind crawfish boils it we were talking a little earlier —-this is a Catholic tradition night and meat on Fridays are what? I think

26:37
that I mean Right. So my last cultural event it's a bit difficult. It is so with my last name being Carr kind of fully a little bit. I have a little Irish, me but it's mainly Cajun my mom's a Fountaineau. And they're crazy. And they're from around Welsh, Louisiana. And a lot of these again a lot a lot of that area of South West Louisiana from like Crowley Louisiana all the way down to like well, you know, Welsh, Jennings Gueydan or Vermillion parish, Jeff Davis parish, Acadia parish, all that you know, has been formed it's a very agrarian Cajun society right. And is different from like there's a call it down to Bayou which is below New Orleans. That's a lot of values and a lot of commercial fishermen but they focus primarily on oysters and shrimp in and the saltwater, saltwater seafood. And our folks because they were very agrarian and rice farmers. That's how they started getting into the to the rice business. And look cajuns will eat pretty much anything. And it just you know, I just think back in the day people thought some some some cajuns said well, this, this ball some water put that crawfish in there and seas- on the water. And and I just remember as a kid, you know, before it became really big, you know, across the country. Crawfish boils. You know, it was primarily done during Lent, because on Fridays, we don't eat meat. It need to be a fish fry or crawfish boil. And then and then a lot of people do crawfish balls on Good Friday as well. That's a that's a that's probably the biggest

Sam Fischer  28:21
and again this kind of coincides with the primetime of crawfishing right? I mean, that's

28:25
that that's correct. That's correct. And and look south Louisiana is is you know, we're a lot when everybody talks about SEC and this year we're all LSU fans we’re a lot different from the rest of the SEC there a lot of them are Protestants and you know, God bless ‘em. But we're Yeah,

Sam Fischer  28:44
I went to Catholic high schools does that count?  Yes.

28:47
But we're but but the the majority of Cajun are Catholics and and so you know, that pocket of Louisiana stretch and along the Gulf Coast is very Catholic, very Cajun, we cook different. We eat different. And you know, it's just it's, it's just part of our tradition. And now crawfish is is really big. It's huge in Texas. In fact, I was on a call last night for guy that works for golf course around San Antonio, the Bernie Bernie Texas region and I'll be boiling crawfish there this spring because it's most of our crawfish are shipped out to Texas by the way. They're one of our big the biggest consumers of Louisiana form raise crawfish. Well, man,

Sam Fischer  29:30
you got a I got to get on your schedule here, buddy. You're gonna have to send me I can't do Sunday, but I got to get out and are you gonna do one in Vegas at all

29:38
this year? I'm probably going to do a smaller one. In Vegas. Probably from you know, 100 or so folks. It won't be the big one that we that we would do in Fremont Street. Yeah, we're gonna probably do one with LSU alumni for just a you know, a couple 100 People probably I'll let you know about that. And then and then I'm, uh, I'll leave. I'll do some personal ones too, you know at the house in Vegas. And and then we got a couple in Texas and I got Jazz Fest this year to about five blocks from from the fairgrounds in New Orleans. I'll be boiling during Jazz Fest

Sam Fischer  30:12
that's like in the March, isn't it? No, it's

30:14
uh, this will be the second weekend of jazz fest. I think it's the first weekend of May. On a Saturday night I'll be bawling. Uh huh.

Sam Fischer  30:21
Brother, I'm I give, check those dates out. loved him and I have a friend have got a place out there so I can just stay there. And yes, ha. Outstanding. Now my last question. This has been very informative. So one of my favorite TV shows the last decade is a special on History Channel called Swamp People.

30:50
I've used it Have you seen that? I have seen it and I know right

Sam Fischer  30:53
now so tell tell me I assume that they're not making stuff up. I mean, my favorite. I heard about my friend Troy Landry on a podcast once and I'm that's my dream is to get Troy I am going to invite him but as he said, Well, you know, it's a reality TV show. And he goes oh, you can't make them alligators act. So I don't know. What is your thoughts about swamp people? Is it I mean, obviously, any reality TV shows they're gonna like well, we'll try that again. We'll try from this angle or whatever. But to me, I love it. It's it's a it's a it shows genuine American people. I mean, everybody's juniors and you can get ; earlier this season or during the season. If you ever listen, my podcast Carr anyway, is that I interviewed my favorite copywriter and I turned him on to swamp people. And Gary actually, he takes notes during swamp people for phrases of copy of just because the genuine authenticity of these people what they say and how they say it. So what give us your review swamp people.

31:53
So first of all, I thought about you because during teal season, and that would be a podcast on hunting. But during teal season, I do a big annual to hunt, which is the second weekend the first Saturday brother

Sam Fischer  32:06
I am going to show her an egghead I am I don't know what a teal is. Must be a bird. I don't know. Tim

32:11
is a duck and duck duck. It's a small it's a very it's one of the fastest, if not the fastest is there's

Sam Fischer  32:18
so it'd be like porn. I knew it if I saw it. Yeah, probably probably.

32:22
There's blue in Kiel. There's green link Teal cinnamon teal we get name I'm sorry.

Sam Fischer  32:27
I'm sorry for this. And I'll leave this in here and show what an ignoramus. I am but yeah, okay.

32:32
So, so TEALS the first migratory bird that that Paul's asked to to the south, okay, before the big ducks come down in November, December, January, anyway. Yep. So during teal season, I always have a big to hunt. Okay. And this this. So this year, I had, I had I had a big group that came in from all over the country. And we don't so we hunted Saturday morning and then we went to Jeff Landry. Jeff Landry is our Attorney General in Louisiana. Jeff's has an alligator hunt the same weekend as our Teal to hunt. So we loaded up in shuttle buses and I took my guest to Jeff's alligator hunt. And I thought about you because we may we're going in as windy road or in St. MartinVille, Louisiana. And I saw one of the places where one of your characters. Yeah, that's right. I was like, damn, Sam would love to see this.

Sam Fischer  33:22
I think that's that's is that the Edgar's the seat Martinsville, um, which ones it is?

33:28
It's in a weird part. Pierre part. Oh, Pa part. Well, that's Troy. Yeah, that's true. Yeah, yeah. So anyway, so to answer your question, um, do I think I think they, the characters are about as genuine as they get. I mean, they are, you know, they all have made a living primarily out of Achapalyn basin. Those accents are real. I mean, they sneeze in in French. I mean, they just they are real cajuns, you know. Now, do I think there's a more? Look, I I'm not an alligator Hunter. But I have a lot of friends who are alligator hunters. And most of them don't get into, you know, these big fights with alligators. Alligators aren't going. It's a pretty it could be it could be a pretty, I guess. boring thing to see. I guess.

Sam Fischer  34:19
I think that's right. I mean, It would be be my first question to Troy. And what's the average fight? Is that because they're gonna make it look like it's a 20 minute deal? Right. But it probably is a couple minutes of sheer terror a couple of times if you get a big 12 footer on there. I mean, yeah, actually, it seems to me that the smaller ones fight harder than the big ones. Well,

34:38
I've had experience with that. Those little shits are aggressive. And I was so I was I was bass fishing during college years. And we were in this freshwater place, lack of sand reserve, which Jeff Davis parish and we're out there bass fishing, and I had a buzzbait top water bait and they said look, and people don't realize Bass are very aggressive. And the reason why you use like a buzzbait is because they want to strike it just because they're pure aggression. Anyway, this small little alligator kit coming after my dam buzzbait to the point where I had to take the animal, my rod and reel it. I started hitting it. I'm always trying to kill it or anything, it was just me off. You know, I'm trying to catch bass, not a little alligator. But those big alligators they wouldn't give two shits about what I was doing. They just sit on the bank watching but does but the small ones they are. It's known they are they are much more aggressive. The young the younger ones than the big ones. That's a

Sam Fischer  35:33
big one. I think the big ones are smart. Honest. I think they true. I don't know elegant rubs bring or not, but I think they do. I mean, the big ones live to be a long time because they're not they're not going to aggressively go after prey like that. And the smarter ones are what the hell they're just young and dumb. I mean, that's a try to look at it. That's right. I think I think that's accurate. Yeah, interesting. Interesting. All right, my friend. So this season, I've been doing five to conclude the podcast, we have a fun little thing we call five rapid questions. And so all right, and you'll be good at this because you're like me to see what comes to your mind. So I'm gonna I'm gonna ask a question and you're just gonna, you're just gonna answer whatever come our

36:07
way. Right? You're ready. Is this right? It was G or are. They're all they're all G they're all G Oh,

Sam Fischer  36:14
okay. All right.

36:16
Let's watch my mouse do

Sam Fischer  36:17
there. Yes, sir. favorite ice cream?

36:22
Chocolate ice cream. Favorite cowboy. John Wayne.

Sam Fischer  36:26
Favorite egghead?

36:27
Sam Fischer. 

Sam Fischer  36:30
That's your like a fourth guest in a row that said I'm not an egghead.

Intro  36:35
He may get lively, but it's never personal

36:39
favorite, favorite movie. Lonesome Dove. There's TV made for TV. And so you are a good because your podcast is Cowboys and Aliens. If you had seen lonesome.

Sam Fischer  36:49
I've never seen Lonesome Dove. It's interesting. I'll watch it now. A favorite. I think you're in the dogs, right? You like dogs? Alright, so what's it what's your favorite dog ever had? Who was he?

37:03
It's got to be my current Sandy German Shepherd. Oh, outstanding. Great. All right. I have to put an asterix. I hunt with labs, black labs, and I love black labs. They're not mine. But they're my buddies. Dogs. And I just want to tell you I love those dogs. I love loyal they save my ass. A lot of effort chasing geese and ducks. I used to. I used to be the black lab running across those I can't

Sam Fischer  37:32
Well, hey, man. Thank you, brother. Now if somebody wants to get a hold of you to to do a crawfish boil well they do they email you or where they

37:39
email Chris Carr as to ours Chris Carr. Dot Nevada or excuse me.nd for Nevada, Chris car.in. Nevada, Nevada. Chriscarr.nv@gmail.com.

Sam Fischer  37:53
Outstanding. Well, maybe we can get some. Maybe we'll get you up here in Nebraska doable. I got a buddy Betsy he does. He does a fish fry. So he's an ice fisherman. No, we're doing he just he just came off a 14 day stand up in Montana ice fishing. That's cool. Oh, it's yeah, you'll have no you have certain listen to my show. But I'm going to he does he does. He has between 80 and 100 pounds of fish for his fish fry. They closed down the block and it's always on Good Friday. So really, maybe we can get you to do a crawfish boil on a Good Friday sometime. That would be a lot of fun. A lot of fun. When Betsy is gonna hear this he's gonna go nuts. But you know,

38:32
we got to do he gets what he could he could do the fish. Right. I could do the boil. He just wanted to do all the fish. We could just do a split fishing crawfish.

Sam Fischer  38:39
I'll talk to him. I mean, I'm serious. I'm serious. I know. We will fly Ashley up to.

38:45
Okay. Okay. That's very nice, sir. Yeah,

Sam Fischer  38:49
yeah. Well, thank you, sir. Appreciate appreciate it and thank you anytime