HHermes Private Lab

Backyard command sheet · May 23

Crawfish boil 2026

boil boss mode

Shopping list first, recipes second, timing third. Built for the phone-in-Costco reality of hosting: tap what is bought, add what changes, keep moving.

Tomorrow's run

Editable shopping list

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Before buying duplicates

Already have / confirm

Already noted

  • 2 packs hot dogs
  • Large cooler that fits 2 sacks
  • 40-ish qt drink cooler + 2 small Yetis
  • 40 qt cook/steam pot + 100 qt soak pot setup
  • One 6 ft folding table, camp awning, plenty of chairs

Confirm / borrow

  • Clay's 40–50 qt cooler
  • Matt's larger pot, burner, regulator/hose, basket, paddle/skimmer
  • 2–3 extra folding tables
  • One more canopy if heat/storm risk remains

Do not forget

  • Refill propane + get one additional full tank
  • Ice: keep drink ice and food/seafood ice separate
  • Paper towels + wipes everywhere
  • Rain/lightning fallback for food tables and cooking zone

Working recipes

Recipes & batch notes

Draft-level, practical, and intentionally short. Hermise can turn these into full recipe cards later.

Viet-Cajun soak pot

  • Onion, garlic, oranges, lemons, bay leaves.
  • Louisiana powder + liquid boil, Louisiana hot sauce.
  • Frozen orange concentrate, optional pineapple concentrate.
  • Lemongrass + bún bò Huế concentrate.
  • Maintain the same 100 qt soak pot across batches; rebalance seasoning carefully so salt doesn't creep into violence.

Post-soak garlic butter

  • Butter + minced garlic as the base.
  • Lemon pepper, Cajun seasoning, bún bò Huế concentrate.
  • Lemon juice + a little orange concentrate.
  • Toss crawfish after soaking, batch by batch.

Mac and cheese

  • 16 oz elbows, 4 cups whole milk, 1/2 cup flour.
  • Medium yellow cheddar + extra sharp white cheddar + Gruyere, about 40 oz total.
  • Use onion powder, not onion salt.
  • Optional mild gochujang in wet mix. Panko or Ritz topping; skip extra butter if Ritz.

Pulled pork sliders

  • 1 large pork butt, about 8–10 lb raw; buy 2 only if planning heavy leftovers.
  • Season and smoke Friday so Saturday is reheating/holding, not raw-protein management.
  • Hold covered with juices; reheat at 250–300°F if chilled.
  • Serve on slider buns with black pepper mustard BBQ sauce, pickles, and optional slaw.

Black pepper mustard BBQ sauce

  • 1 cup ketchup, 1 cup honey, 3/4 cup yellow mustard.
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup Worcestershire, 1/4 cup brown sugar.
  • 2 tsp each black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder; 1 tsp salt.
  • 1/2 tsp each red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, cumin. Mix ahead and refrigerate.

Smoked cream cheese dip

  • Cream cheese + sour cream/Greek yogurt + a little mayo.
  • Cajun seasoning, garlic, green onion/chives.
  • Cheddar or pepper jack, optional bacon/sausage bits.
  • Finish with pepper jelly, hot honey, or chili crisp.

Houseguest breakfast tacos

  • 24 eggs, 2–3 lb bacon/sausage, 24 tortillas.
  • Cheese, salsa, hot sauce.
  • Bagels/muffins, yogurt, fruit, OJ, milk.
  • Keep it boring and self-serve so the morning belongs to crawfish logistics.

Run of show

Prep & day-of timing

Finish bulk shopping. Confirm crawfish order, grade, pickup time, payment. Re-check weather. Refill propane and lock borrowed coolers/tables.

Smoke/cook pulled pork and make black pepper mustard BBQ sauce. Make smoked Chex/snack mix if doing it. Grate cheese for mac. Stage disposables, pans, tubs, coolers, and table covers.

Houseguest breakfast. Reheat/hold pulled pork covered with juices if chilled. Start ice/cooler setup. Pick up crawfish at 10:30 AM in Arlington.

Rinse/purge crawfish. Prep corn, potatoes, mushrooms, artichokes, lemons, oranges, onions, garlic. Set pulled pork slider station.

Build soak pot. Set kids/fallback food and snacks out before the first spicy batch causes tiny human negotiations.

First batch out. Loop: cook/steam in 40 qt pot → soak in 100 qt pot → toss with garlic butter → serve → rebalance soak pot.

Crawfish usually runs out. Hold kid food, mac, pulled pork sliders, fruit, and snacks for the late-afternoon survival window.

Infrastructure

Equipment checklist

Cooking zone

  • Two burners/pots/baskets
  • Long paddle/skimmer
  • Heavy gloves + apron
  • Lighter/torch + spare lighter
  • Thermometer optional

Serving zone

  • 2–3 extra tables
  • Butcher paper/newspaper/table covers
  • Foil pans with lids
  • Serving spoons/tongs
  • Sauce bowls or squeeze bottles

Comfort / cleanup

  • Trash + shell station
  • Handwashing/sanitizer station
  • Sunscreen, bug spray, first-aid
  • Shade, fan, towels
  • Lighting if people stay late

Source: Hermes event note at wiki/life/events/crawfish-boil-planning.md. Update the wiki after the boil with what actually happened.