"the Gumbo Pages" Traditional Red Beans And Rice

Total Time: 28 hrs
Preparation Time: 24 hrs
Cook Time: 24 hrs

Ingredients

• 1 lb red beans or 1 lb red kidney beans, dry


• 1 large onion, chopped


• 1 bell pepper, chopped


• 5 celery ribs, chopped


• 3 -5 garlic cloves, minced


• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke, more to taste (traditional way use 1 large smoked ham hock, or 3/4 lb. smoked ham, diced, for seasoning)


• 1 -1 1/2 lb mild or hot smoked turkey sausage (more traditional is just regular sausage or andouille) or 1 -1 1/2 lb turkey andouille sausage, sliced on the bias (more traditional is just regular sausage or andouille)


• 1/2-1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed


• 1 -2 bay leaf


• as many dashes crystal hot sauce, to taste or tabasco sauce, as you like to taste


• 3 -6 dashes worcestershire sauce


• 1 teaspoon creole seasoning (like tony chachere's)


• salt


• cooked rice (i serve it over brown rice, but traditional is )

Recipe

• 1 soak the beans overnight, if possible. the next day, drain and put fresh water in the pot. (this helps reduce the flatulence factor.)


• 2 bring the beans to a rolling boil. make sure the beans are always covered by water, or they will discolor and get hard. boil the beans for about 45 - 60 minutes, until the beans are tender but not falling apart. drain.


• 3 while the beans are boiling, sauté the trinity (onions, celery, bell pepper) until the onions turn translucent. add the garlic and saute for 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally.


• 4 after the beans are boiled and drained, add the sautéed vegetables to the beans, then add the liquid smoke (or ham hock), smoked sausage/turkey sausage, seasonings, and just enough water to cover.


• 5 bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. cook uncovered for 2 hours at least, preferably 3, until the whole thing gets nice and creamy. i taste the broth at around 1.5 hours and adjust seasonings as they cook down. stir occasionally, making sure that it doesn't burn and/or stick to the bottom of the pot.


• 6 note: if the beans are old -- say, older than six months to a year -- they won't get creamy. make sure the beans are reasonably fresh. if it's still not getting creamy, take 1 or 2 cups of beans out and mash them, then return them to the pot and stir.


• 7 if you can -- let the beans cool, stick them in the fridge, and reheat and serve for dinner the next day. they'll taste a lot better. when you do this, you'll need to add a little water to get them to the right consistency.


• 8 serve generous ladles-ful over hot long-grain rice, with good french bread. i also have a bottle of hot sauce on the side for those who like it spicy!