Red Beans & Rice with a Ham Hock & Sausage | SouthernPaddler.com

Red Beans & Rice with a Ham Hock & Sausage

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
Red Beans and Rice with a Ham Hock and Sausage.........

1 16 oz package of dried Red Beans , you can use less beans if you like to.
1 smoked pork hock
12 oz cooked kielbasa , cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces.
( If you want it spicier then use Andouille sausage )
1 1/2 cups of water
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1 med onion , diced
1 stalk of celery , diced
1/2 cup of chopped Red , Yellow or Orange Bell Pepper.
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon dried Thyme , crushed ***
1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano , crushed ***
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper , or to taste. :D
1 8.8 oz package of cooked long grain or brown rice. ( I use Uncle Ben's precooked microwave rice )
Black Pepper to taste.........
NO , I did not forget the Salt , the smoked Ham Hock will make it salty and you can always add more if you want it.

The wife and I have this and it is really good , the above amounts are suggestions on how much to use and works pretty good.
*** To crush the Thyme and Oregano I put it in a small bowl and use the back of a metal spoon to crush it

1..Rinse beans.In a large saucepan , combine beans and 6 cups of water. Bring to boiling , reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat , cover and let it stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans.
( I rinse mine and soak them overnight to skip this step )

2. In a 3, 1/2 to 4 qt slow cooker combine the beans , pork hock , sausage ,the 1 1/2 cups of water , the broth , onion ,celery , tomato paste , garlic , thyme , oregano ,and cayenne pepper.

3. Cover and cook on low heat for 9 to 10 hours or on high for 41/2 to 5 hours.

4. Remove the pork hock and when it is cool enough to handle remove the meat from it.
Add the meat from the hock , the rice and sweet pepper into the bean mix.If using the low setting switch to high and cook for 30 minutes more.
 

Wannabe

Well-Known Member
Apr 5, 2007
2,645
2
on the bank of Trinity Bay
Chuck,
That is kinda the way the Wife fixes red beans.When you put a red bean recipe in the public domain you should also include a cornbread recipe like it is part of the bean recipe. That way the people who has never had red beans will also have cornbread and truly enjoy the experience of red beans. :D
Bob
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
There are so many Corn Bread Recipes that it would be imposable to just list one so I figured that if they already do not know how to cook Corn Bread then they don't deserve it.

By the way I am fixing the Red beans and rice tomorrow and you can bet there will be a pan of Fresh Hot Corn Bread to go with them. Might even have some Cracklings in the Corn Bread. :wink:
 

mike

Well-Known Member
Jun 29, 2009
694
9
TEXAS!
I usually use tasso when cooking beans. If I don't have any, I use Cajun sausage I buy in bulk in Kinder, La. Andouille will work, but it is not spicy enough for me.

As for cornbread, I use Corn Kits. It is good cornbread that is easy to fix. If it is meant to be mixed with something else, like red beans, I use the mix as-is. If it is for eating separately with butter, I add about 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to the mix. Cook it in a cast iron skillet and you can hurt yourself it's so good.

Mike
 

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
I'm told that, a combination of beans and rice make a perfect protein. That being said, I probably need to track down a reliable nutritionist (that combination is darned rare, in my experience) to help answer some questions:
1. Is one kind of bean better than another?
2. How well do various beans rank in joining with rice to produce this perfect protein?
3. Same questions about various varieties of rice.
4. What ratios of beans to rice are the best here?
5. Are some methods of cooking better than others?
6. Are some additives (corn, oils, onions, garlic, various peppers, etc.) more nutrional than others?

Nearly all combinations that I've tried, taste good. Some, of course, taste better to each of us than others. Personal preference weighs heavy here. F'rinstance, some store brands of refried beans, not only cost less than do major brands, but contain less water and fat.

On canoe trips, I carry dehydeated refried beans. Adding some water (or beer), minced onion, and minced garlic yields a very good spread for tortillas. Some rice pilaf on the side would be easy to cook by steaming a bag of rice, Knoor Spring Garden Vegetable Soup, or diced fresh stuff. Not too hard to eat well with some preplanning.
 

Wannabe

Well-Known Member
Apr 5, 2007
2,645
2
on the bank of Trinity Bay
Jack,
To get the proper protein mix with beans requires several different types of beans. Which ones, how many,and in what ratio I have no clue. I have not looked into it because I eat beans for good taste and get my protein from the ham in the beans which I pun in for the Taste. I do not worry about protein, I just eat. Brown rice is better for you than white rice. Brown rice is good now and then but some things we eat just Has to be eaten with white rice or it doesn't taste as good. To me, that is. That's the thing about taste, everyone is different.
Bob