John Sp
TVWBB All-Star
Hello All,
Here is my recipe for Red Beans & Rice. Red beans are a staple in the New Orleans area (and throughout south Louisiana, Mississippi, and east Texas. It is an historic dish which is traditionally made on Mondays. This is because Monday has always been wash day in New Orleans and the dish lends itself to being left for long periods to simmer on the stove (presumably while the laundry is done elsewhere). For this reason every (non chain) restaurant in NOLA (and you can't hardly walk a block without running into a good restaurant here - this is why we all look the way we do) offers its version of red beans and rice on Monday. RBR is a creole dish and as with most popular dishes in NOLA there are many schools of thought (precisely as many as there are people cooking it) as to the best way to do it. Some use some hocks as the flavoring meat while others insist on pickled pork. The subject of Trinity (a mixture of celery, onion, and bell pepper) is also hotly debated. Please see my BEPs post for that discussion. The crazy folks over in west Louisiana even add potatoes. Each to his own I suppose.
This recipe is scalable. This makes enough for six people (four if they are Cajuns) as a main dish or 8-10 as a side dish. I am usually cooking it for my family of eight or for church groups of 12 - 30, so at minimum I am cooking a double batch.
Ingredients:
1 lb Red Kidney Beans
1 cup Chopped Trinity (2 parts celery; 1 part bell pepper; 1 part onion)
2 cups Cooked Long Grain White Rice
3 cups Chicken Stock (homemade if possible)
¾ lb Smoked Meat w/ bones (ham hock, pork necks, turkey necks, etc)
1lb Smoked Sausage (pork, alligator, etc) sliced crosswise into ¼ inch discs– optional
3 cloves Garlic (rough chopped)
½ cup Chopped Green Onion
2-3 tbs Vegetable Oil
3 tsp Kosher Salt – optional (more or less to taste)
4 each Bay Leaves
? Cayenne Pepper – optional (to taste)
Instructions:
Pick over the beans to remove foreign objects and soak them overnight in enough water to cover them by 2”. Drain the beans and reserve. Add the smoked meat to a large pot (cast iron if you have it) and render it over medium low heat for 15 – 20 minutes. Remove the meat and reserve it for later. Add vegetable oil enough to supplement the fat in the pan to make about 3 tablespoons. Increase heat to medium high and add the trinity. Saute until onions are translucent and slightly caramelized. Add the garlic and stir constantly for aboout another minute. Return smoked meat to the pot and add beans, chicken stock, salt, bay leaves and cayenne pepper. Note - the stock should just cover the beans. If it does not, add more stock or water to cover. Return the mixture to a boil and reduce heat to medium low. Cook covered for two to three hours stirring frequently (your beans should simmer - not boil) until the beans soften but still hold their shape. Remove the smoked meat (make sure to get all the bones - pork neck bones and turkey necks can be a pain at this step). Adjust the seasonings to taste. Add the sausage (if desired) and continue cooking over medium low heat - partially covered - for another hour stirring frequently. Once the desired consistency is reached (some like them thicker, some like them soupier), remove the bay leaves and discard. Serve over rice and garnish with the green onions.
Options:
· If serving as a main dish, serve alongside a section of roasted smoked sausage
· Some folks like to add whole chili peppers to the beans as they cook
· A variety of different meats or sausages can be used for this. A ham bone works well instead of the ham hocks. Alligator sausage is excellent in place of the smoked sausage (and always seems to find its way into the RBR I cook for Yankee mission groups). Andouille is always an option.
Here is my recipe for Red Beans & Rice. Red beans are a staple in the New Orleans area (and throughout south Louisiana, Mississippi, and east Texas. It is an historic dish which is traditionally made on Mondays. This is because Monday has always been wash day in New Orleans and the dish lends itself to being left for long periods to simmer on the stove (presumably while the laundry is done elsewhere). For this reason every (non chain) restaurant in NOLA (and you can't hardly walk a block without running into a good restaurant here - this is why we all look the way we do) offers its version of red beans and rice on Monday. RBR is a creole dish and as with most popular dishes in NOLA there are many schools of thought (precisely as many as there are people cooking it) as to the best way to do it. Some use some hocks as the flavoring meat while others insist on pickled pork. The subject of Trinity (a mixture of celery, onion, and bell pepper) is also hotly debated. Please see my BEPs post for that discussion. The crazy folks over in west Louisiana even add potatoes. Each to his own I suppose.
This recipe is scalable. This makes enough for six people (four if they are Cajuns) as a main dish or 8-10 as a side dish. I am usually cooking it for my family of eight or for church groups of 12 - 30, so at minimum I am cooking a double batch.
Ingredients:
1 lb Red Kidney Beans
1 cup Chopped Trinity (2 parts celery; 1 part bell pepper; 1 part onion)
2 cups Cooked Long Grain White Rice
3 cups Chicken Stock (homemade if possible)
¾ lb Smoked Meat w/ bones (ham hock, pork necks, turkey necks, etc)
1lb Smoked Sausage (pork, alligator, etc) sliced crosswise into ¼ inch discs– optional
3 cloves Garlic (rough chopped)
½ cup Chopped Green Onion
2-3 tbs Vegetable Oil
3 tsp Kosher Salt – optional (more or less to taste)
4 each Bay Leaves
? Cayenne Pepper – optional (to taste)
Instructions:
Pick over the beans to remove foreign objects and soak them overnight in enough water to cover them by 2”. Drain the beans and reserve. Add the smoked meat to a large pot (cast iron if you have it) and render it over medium low heat for 15 – 20 minutes. Remove the meat and reserve it for later. Add vegetable oil enough to supplement the fat in the pan to make about 3 tablespoons. Increase heat to medium high and add the trinity. Saute until onions are translucent and slightly caramelized. Add the garlic and stir constantly for aboout another minute. Return smoked meat to the pot and add beans, chicken stock, salt, bay leaves and cayenne pepper. Note - the stock should just cover the beans. If it does not, add more stock or water to cover. Return the mixture to a boil and reduce heat to medium low. Cook covered for two to three hours stirring frequently (your beans should simmer - not boil) until the beans soften but still hold their shape. Remove the smoked meat (make sure to get all the bones - pork neck bones and turkey necks can be a pain at this step). Adjust the seasonings to taste. Add the sausage (if desired) and continue cooking over medium low heat - partially covered - for another hour stirring frequently. Once the desired consistency is reached (some like them thicker, some like them soupier), remove the bay leaves and discard. Serve over rice and garnish with the green onions.
Options:
· If serving as a main dish, serve alongside a section of roasted smoked sausage
· Some folks like to add whole chili peppers to the beans as they cook
· A variety of different meats or sausages can be used for this. A ham bone works well instead of the ham hocks. Alligator sausage is excellent in place of the smoked sausage (and always seems to find its way into the RBR I cook for Yankee mission groups). Andouille is always an option.
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