Low Country Boil a/k/a Frogmore Stew

The low country includes the coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia.

4 pounds small red or yellow potatoes
5 quarts water

2 (Old Bay or Zararain's) bag of crab boil seasoning
4 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
2 pounds hot or mild smoked beef sausage, cut into 1½-inch pieces
6 ears of corn, halved
4 pounds large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined or shell on size 26/30
Quarter onions, preferably Vidalia sweet onions local to the Lowcountry.
6 lbs. of crab or crab legs
Cocktail sauce

DIRECTIONS:

Bring Water to boil in Eight Quart stock pot
Add crab boil seasoning:  boil bags (one spicy Zatarain’s and one plain), a few healthy dashes of hot sauce, 4 sliced up lemons, and dumped a few light beers in there for good measure.  The secret to the success of  Low Country Boils is to be aggressive with the seasoning,
Remove & set aside two cups of seasoned water
Add Corn & Potatoes
After 10 min add sausage & cook an additional 20 min
Remove corn, potatoes, sausage - Keep warm
Add  back two cups of seasoned water
Boil Crabs 4 minutes (Place in warm container)
Add Shrimp - Cook 1 minute (Stir every 20 sec)
Remove shrimp, add to corn, potatoes, crab and sausage
Serves 12.

Optional:  

Try different ingredients each time you make a boil to keep your boils interesting.
Add couple of king crab legs and a 5-6oz lobster tail or two.
5 lbs of Snow Crab, 3 lbs of large shrimp, 3lbs of crawfish, 3 lbs of andouille sausage and 8 ears of corn. - no potatoes
This one pot meal could even be done in a crock pot or
Large pot (a turkey fryer works well for a large group)
How to Cook and Clean Live Crab

(Adapted from Southern Living, August 2002 and Real Simple, August 2001)