Remove any dead crawfish and clean the rest with a salt purge. Put about a cup of salt into a large tub of water, stir it up a bit, and drain. Repeat this process one more time without salt.

Fill a large stockpot (42 quart is a standard crawfish boil pot size) with water and bring to a boil. Season water with 1/2 cup salt, 3 tablespoon white pepper, 3 tablespoon black pepper and the lemon. Add the potatoes (and sausage, if you’re using it), cover and cook for 8 minutes.

Add the corn, onions and crawfish. Bring back to a boil, cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until crawfish turn red and float to the top. Turn the heat off and let the crawfish sit for 4 to 5 minutes; this will allow the crawfish to absorb the seasonings. A visitor suggested to throw ice in the boil and the crawfish will sink during the soaking process. Drain the water or dish out the crawfish and vegetables.

Place the crawfish in an ice chest and sprinkle with two teaspoon each of white, red and black pepper and two teaspoon of salt. Stir. Close the lid of the chest and the steam will meld the seasonings to the crawfish.

Allow 3 to 5 pounds per person. Get a beer, wait a few minutes and enjoy!