Cajun Red Beans and Rice

Avoid cooking the rice with the bean mixture. It will soak up a lot of the liquid needed to cook the beans properly for the final dish.

Red beans and rice recipes are about as plentiful as alligators in a Louisiana swamp. Different cuts of pork (but usually a smokey sausage), variety of spices, what beans to use – you will find variations in all these areas from recipe to recipe. Experiment and find what appeals to your taste buds but start here.

SOFTWARE

·         1 lb. small red beans, rinsed and picked over for odd bits

·         3 T. Kosher salt

·         4 c. water, cold

·         6 sliced of thick cut bacon, finely chopped

·         1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

·         1/2 medium green pepper, finely chopped

·         1 stalk of celery, finely chopped

·         2 T. garlic, minced

·         1/2 t. dried thyme

·         1 t. smoked paprika

·         2 bay leaves

·         1/2 t. cayenne

·         4 c. chicken broth, low sodium

·         4 c. water, room temperature

·         12 oz. andouille sausage, split lengthwise, cut in ½-inch slices

·         1 t. apple cider vinegar

·         6 c. cooked white rice

METHOD

1.      Dissolve the salt and cold water together. Add the beans, then soak until the next night (at least 8 hours but no more than 24 hours).

2.      Drain the beans and rinse.

3.      In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon until slightly brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, green pepper, celery, and garlic. Stir to combine and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

4.      Stir in the thyme, paprika, bay leaves, and cayenne. Cook for 1 minute.

5.      Add the beans, broth, and room temperature water. Raise the heat to medium high until it begins to boil.

6.      Reduce the heat to medium low and bring the mixture to a steady simmer. Stir occasionally. Cook for 60 minutes or until the beans are soft and the liquid thickens.

7.      Add the sausage and vinegar. Cook for another 30 minutes.

8.      Season with salt and pepper to taste.

9.      Serve over rice with hot sauce or sliced scallions if desired.

10.  Enjoy!

VARIATIONS

A lot of recipes will use tasso, which lends a lot of spicy kick to the dish but is hard to find outside of southern U.S. I’ve also seen smoked ham or pork shoulder used. Change the meat if you like but be careful about your seasonings. Hot sauces are personal preference, but Tabasco makes a smoked pepper hot sauce that seems like it was built for red beans and rice.