Good 'Ole Fashioned Shrimp Boil

I was looking for an original and interesting birthday lunch idea for my mother-in-law, Blanche, for her 81st birthday.  The kids and grandkids were going to be at the house to help us celebrate, so lunch needed to appeal to a wide range of ages.

A shrimp boil seemed to be the obvious choice. It covers so many food favorites in one pot.  It looks great and it tastes great.

This time I decided to try a new recipe instead of using a Shrimp & Crab Boil spice packet.

4 quarts of water
1/2 cup Old Bay seasoning
2 Tbsp sea salt
1 can of beer (Bud Light, of course)
8 medium red potatoes
2 Vidalia onions
2 lbs Smoked sausage
5 ears of corn (I like the bi-color best)
2 lbs of shrimp  (I like the peeled and deveined - tail on -- lots less work!)

In a 10 - 12 quart stock pot, combine the water, beer, Old Bay seasoning and sea salt.  Bring this to a boil.

While waiting on the mixture to boil, wash and and quarter your red potatoes.  I didn't peel them.
Peel and quarter the Vidalia onions.
Cut the smoked sausage into 2" pieces.
Shuck and wash the corn.  Break the ears in half.

Once the mixture boils, add the potatoes and onions.  Boil for 8 minutes.
Add the smoked sausage and boil for 5 more minutes.
Add the corn and boil for 7 minutes.
Add the shrimp and boil for four more minutes or until shrimp is pink and opaque.

Drain your boil and pour into the middle of you table.  I used my Pampered Chef bamboo cutting board to pour it out onto.  You could use newspaper or anything else that is food safe.

Serve this with sour cream, cocktail sauce, and butter on the side.  I served fresh fruit and crusty bread with this to round out our lunch.

My grandson, Christian told me this was the best corn on the cob he'd ever had.  He is six so that's a compliment I'll take.