• 6 slices bacon, diced
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup flour
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 medium carrots, quartered and diced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon chervil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon Creole  or Old Bay seasoning
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco
• 1 12oz bottle beer (Voodoo, Abita)
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1 bottle (8 oz) clam juice
• 1 pound boneless chicken breasts, 1 inch diced
• 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced
• 2 teaspoons gumbo filé powder (optional)
• ½ pound crabmeat (do not use lump)
• 1 pound crawfish tails or 21 30 shrimp deveined and split in half

Directions

Place bacon in a heavy Dutch oven and bring to medium heat. Cook until the fat is rendered and remove the crisp bacon pieces.  Add the flour and oil to the Dutch oven and cook over medium low heat until mixture is just beyond golden brown, stirring occasionally (to make a rich brown roux takes time and patience). Increase heat to medium and add onions, bell peppers, carrots, salt and pepper.  Cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, chervil, bay leaves, Creole seasoning, Worcestershire, and Tabasco. Stir until thoroughly combined. Add the beer and cook 2-3 minutes reducing slightly. Add the chicken broth, clam juice and chicken breasts. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for an hour.

Add the andouille sausage and cook an additional 15 minutes.  Add the filé powder and crawfish (or shrimp) and cook for an additional five minutes.

Serve by spooning ½ cup of cooked rice into a soup bowl and ladle the gumbo over it.