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New Orleans Red Beans and Rice

Creamy, smoky red beans simmered low and slow with andouille (or our favorite for with beans chaurice), ham hock (or tasso ham), and the holy trinity — served over white rice the way New Orleans does it on Mondays, or Sundays, or all the days.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Cajun, Creole
Ingredients Equipment Method Video Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb 450 g dried red kidney beans, preferably Camellia
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil or bacon fat
  • 1 lb andouille sausage (or chaurice if available) sliced into ½-inch coins
  • 0.5 - 1 lb smoked ham hock or leftover ham bone, or 8 oz pickled pork, or tasso ham
  • 1 large yellow onion diced (about 2 cups)
  • 2-3 celery stalks diced (about 1 cup)
  • 1 green bell pepper diced (about 1 cup)
  • 4 garlic cloves (we usually double it) minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • ½ tsp cayenne plus more to taste
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 3-6 dashes worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp Zatarain's Creole seasoning (Optional)
  • 2-3 dashes Hot sauce and to serve
  • 5-6 cups chicken stock, or pork stock, or water plus more as needed
  • ¼ cup sliced green onions plus more to serve
  • Salt to taste (add at the end)
  • Cooked long-grain white rice to serve
  • Cornbread to serve (with or instead of rice)

Equipment

  • 1 Big Pot

Method
 

  1. Soak beans overnight in cold water covered by at least 2 inches. Drain. (Quick-soak: boil 2 minutes, rest covered 1 hour, drain.)
  2. Brown the sausage in oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Remove and set aside, leaving the fat.
  3. Cook onion, celery, and bell pepper in the fat 6–8 minutes until soft. Add garlic; cook 1 minute.
  4. Add beans, ham hock, bay leaves, thyme, Creole seasoning (optional), black pepper, cayenne, hot sauce, worcestershire sauce, and stock. Bring to a boil, return the sausage. then reduce to a low simmer.
  5. Simmer partially covered 2–2½ hours, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender. Add water if it thickens too much.
  6. Mash about 1-2 cups of beans against the side of the pot and stir to create a creamy gravy.
  7. Remove the ham hock, shred the meat, and return it to the pot. Discard bay leaves. Taste and adjust salt.
  8. Serve over hot white rice or fresh baked cornbread. Top with green onion and hot sauce.

Video

Notes

Better the next day. Beans freeze well for up to 3 months (freeze without the rice). For deeper smoke, run the andouille on the smoker 30–40 minutes before slicing.
We prefer chaurice sausage over andouille. It brings a slightly different flavor profile and texture. 
If you haven't tried it, cornbread topped with red beans is a flavor bomb of joy. You might even rate it higher than a Popeyes red beans and buttermilk biscuit sandwich.