Amazing Homemade Red Beans & Rice that is Better Than Popeyes
There is no better red beans and rice recipe than the homemade pot that I love to cook up on a Monday night. It’s hearty. It’s smoky. This is comfort food at its finest.
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 6 pieces of smoked bacon chopped into small pieces - save all that bacon fat!
- 2 cups smoked ham chopped into small pieces
- 2 small sweet onions diced
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1 cup green onions diced
- ¼ cup garlic minced
- 1 lbs smoked sausage cut into 3-inch pieces
- 2 tbsp dried parsley
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp rubbed sage
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 lbs dried red beans soaked in water overnight and drained
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 lbs smoked ham hocks
- Water to cover beans about 8 cups
- salt and pepper to season (I used 1-1/2 salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper)
- 1 tbsp Louisiana hot sauce
- green onions for garnishment
- 1 cup hot cooked jasmine rice
Instructions
- In a large pot over MED-HIGH heat, cook the chopped pieces of bacon to render the fat out and they have started to brown, about 5-minutes.
- Add the smoked ham, onions, bell pepper, celery, green onions, and garlic and saute until the trinity has become tender and the onions are translucent, about 10-minutes.
- Add the smoked sausage to the pot along with all of the seasonings: parsley, thyme, basil, sage, cayenne pepper, and white pepper. Stir everything together making sure the seasoning is spread around. Add the red beans to the pot and continue to stir the contents so everything is well mixed together. Keep stirring for about 3-minutes.
- Pour water into the pot making sure that the beans are covered by about 2-inches of water; I used 8 cups of water. Tuck the ham hocks into the pot and add the bay leaves.
- Bring the pot to a rolling boil over MEDIUM heat and allow to cook for 30-minutes; stir occasionally to prevent the beans from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Reduce heat and allow the beans to simmer until you've reached your desired creaminess. I cooked my red beans for about 2 1/2-hours.
- About 30-minutes before serving, season to taste. I used about 1 1/2-teaspoon salt and 1/2-teaspoon black pepper. Add the 1 tablespoon shot of Louisiana hot sauce - or any hot sauce that primilary uses vinegar as an ingredient.
- As I'm stirring the red beans, I tend to mash some of the beans against the side of the pot to help create that creaminess.
- Once the beans are at the right creaminess and the seasoning seems right, they are ready to be served of cooked hot rice. Lately, I've been using jasmin rice. I like the added flavor that that rice brings. I garnish with green onions and sprinkle the beans and rice with some Creole Seasoning. Serve more hot sauce at the table. Don't forget the warm French bread! Enjoy!
