Ingredients
- 1 pound dried red beans, rinsed and sorted over
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
- 3/4 cup chopped celery
- 3/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch cayenne (to taste)
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried ground thyme
- 1 pound smoked sausage, split in half lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces (I prefer Andouille)
- 1 pound smoked ham hocks
- 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
- 10 cups chicken stock
- 4 cups cooked white rice
Vegetarian Option
For a vegetarian version, omit ham hocks and sausage, substitute vegetable stock for chicken stock, add
2 canned chipotle chilies in Adobo, minced, and 2 tsp liquid smoke (if desired). You could also add some vegetarian smoked sausage to the pot if you can find a brand you like.
Directions
Prep time: 8 hours (See Pressure Cooker Alternative below)
Cooking time 2 ½ to 3 hours. (See Pressure Cooker Alternative below)
Place the beans in a large bowl or pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Let soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and set aside. (See Pressure Cooker Alternative below)
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery and bell peppers and season with the salt, pepper, and cayenne. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft. Add the bay leaves, thyme, sausage, and cook, stirring, to brown the sausage. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the beans, ham hock and enough chicken stock to cover everything by 1 inch, stir well, and bring to a boil. (See Pressure Cooker Alternative below) Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and starting to thicken, about 2 hours. (Should the beans become too thick and dry, add more chicken stock, about 1/4 cup at a time.)
Remove from the heat and with the back of a heavy spoon, mash about 1/4 of the beans against the side of the pot.
Remove the ham hock, let it cool enough to handle and then carve/strip the meat off the bone, discarding the skin, fat and bone. Return the ham hock meat to the pot. Return to the heat and continue to cook until the beans are tender and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves.
Serve over steamed white rice.
Pressure Cooker Alternative
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cooking time 1 hour.
This meal comes together a lot faster and still tastes just as great if you cook it in a pressure cooker. I use a Fagor Rapid Express cooker that runs at 15psi.
You will not need to soak the beans overnight for this method. Follow the above directions and after the liquid starts to boil, place and lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for bringing the cooker up to pressure. As soon as it has reached pressure, turn the heat down to low and let it cook under pressure for 30 minutes.
Do a quick release of the pressure by placing the cooker in your sink and running cold tap water over it until the pressure has dropped off and it’s safe to open the lid. Test the beans for doneness. If they are still too firm, repeat the pressure cooking process and let them cook for an additional 5 minutes under pressure. Quick release the pressure and test again. Repeat until you are happy with the tenderness of the beans.
With the back of a heavy spoon, mash about 1/4 of the beans against the side of the pot. Remove the ham hock, let it cool enough to handle and then carve/strip the meat off the bone, discarding the skin, fat and bone. Return the ham hock meat to the pot. Return to the heat and cook (not under pressure) until the beans are tender and creamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and remove the bay leaves.
Serve over steamed white rice.
