Neil McClure’s Red Beans and Rice

{photo credit: McClure’s Barbecue on Instagram}

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McClure’s Barbecue is known for their smoked foods. They are consistently ranked as one of the top 10 best barbecue spots in New Orleans. While the various smoked meats, the variety of sandwiches, hamburgers, and selection of sauces are the main draw that gets you in the door, it’s the amazing set of side dishes that separate this joint from the others.

Some of the popular sides, notably listed on the USA Today’s ‘10 Best‘, are the smoky collard greens and the pork & pork & beans. NOLA.com recommends the barbecue jambalaya and jalapeno cornbread.

On Monday’s, there’s an added side: Neil McClure’s Red Beans & Rice. In my ‘How Do You Red Bean?‘ interview with McClure, he said that he soaks his red beans in NOLA Brewing Company’s Brown Ale overnight. Of course, McClure includes a variety of smoked meats to the pot – which is typically smoked rib meat and pulled pork, but he also adds smoked onions and smoked garlic to the beans which bring in a new level of flavor to the final product.

What should you pair with McClure’s Red Beans & Rice beside one of the 32 brews that the NOLA Tap Room has to offer?

{photo credit: McClure’s Barbecue on Instagram}

Buttermilk-soaked fried chicken. Along with the red beans, this fried chicken has been a Monday staple at McClure’s Barbecue. If you’ve been following them on Instagram, you’ve probably drooled over the photos that they share every Monday. McClure’s fried chicken is so good in fact that Eater NOLA named them one of the Top 5 Places to get Fried Chicken in New Orleans.

Now, how’s that for a Monday?

The McClure’s Barbecue shirts say: You Don’t Win Friends With Salad. It’s true. You win friends with fried chicken and red beans and rice.

{photo credit: McClure’s Barbecue on Instagram}

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Neil McClure's Red Beans and Rice

Course Main Dish

Servings 16 people

Author Red Beans and Eric

Ingredients

• 2 lbs dried red beans
• 1 bottle of NOLA Brewing Blonde Ale plus cold water
• tablespoon bacon grease/oil about 4worth
• 4 cups of smoked onions diced
• 4 cups of green bell pepper diced
• 4 cups diced celery
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped smoked garlic
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 lbs combination of rib meat sausage, and pulled pork
• 2 tbsp Crystal Hot Sauce
• 1 tbsp Creole seasoning
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Soak the red beans overnight in a bottle of NOLA Brewing Blonde Ale and enough water to cover for 24 hours. Before cooking, drain and rinse.
2. In a large pot, over medium heat, cook the bacon for about 3 minutes, then add more grease or oil to the pot. Add the diced smoked onions, green bell peppers, celery, and smoked garlic.
3. Once the trinity is heated through, add rib meat, sausage, and pulled pork. (Try to have less meat than beans by half.) Season with the Crystals Hot Sauce, Creole Seasoning and salt and pepper. Add the red beans to the pot along with the 4 bay leaves. Pour in enough stock to cover the beans with 3 inches to spare. Bring to a boil, reduce heat; simmer until the red beans are done. Add more stock as needed.
4. Feed the Masses.

{photo credit: apintofhoppiness.com}

McClure’s Barbecue is exclusively at NOLA Brewery located at 3001 Tchoupitoulas Street in New Orleans. For information on their menu and social media links, please visit them at http://www.mccluresbarbecue.com.

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Keep the red beans cookin’!

Eric

Red Beans and Eric

Eric Olsson is the food blogger of RedBeansAndEric.com. He publishes new recipes and interviews weekly. He has developed recipes and written articles for the famous Camellia brand in New Orleans, Louisiana. He has been mentioned in Louisiana Cookin‘ magazine and has had recipes featured in Taste of Home magazine – with his Creole Turkey recipe being runner up in their annual Thanksgiving recipe contest. He lives outside of Detroit, Michigan, with his wife and four children.