Kenji's take on Red Beans and Rice

[Carolyn]

JCBBQ Awe shucks. You are welcome. I was hoping it wasn't too long of an answer, and I am no bean expert, but red beans are pretty easy, and most recipes are similar.

Let us know how your beans turn out.

[JCBBQ]

Thank you for this comprehensive answer and the link to this thread. You’re the best!!

[Carolyn]

JCBBQ
There is already a thread on the subject. I wasn't sure where to put this since it crosses, recipes, websites and discussion.
To answer your question, I follow a basic recipe, but don't always make it the same way. What I do is loosely based on the Camellia Brand Recipe. If you go to the comments below the recipe, you can see what local cooks do.
I have also referenced Emeril Lagasse and The CajunNinja among others. This is kind of cool. Louis Armstrong's family recipe

I use a whole med yellow onion, a green bell, pepper, 3 or 4 stalks of celery and a couple tsp. diced garlic from a jar.
I don't use a premix cajun spice blend. I used onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, paprika and salt. I don't bother to measure. I used 2 tsp of Chicken Better than Bouillon. I used smoked bacon to render fat and threw the pieces in the pot. The problem with that is you end up with strings of bacon fat, but they can be pulled out. I didn't have hocks or anything, so I used what I had. I browned sliced Hickory Smoked Andouille from the local Albertson's (not the legit stuff from La Place.)

The recipe by Kenji is a good one, just based on reading it and familiarity with cooking beans.

Here is my take on the Red Bean situation.

• The beans are best when using ham hocks or ham bone, IMHO. Smoked meat is essential no matter which ones you decide on. I have used a smoked turkey leg and once time a left over spiral cut ham bone. You don't have to add Andouille. If you like it, and can find it, then go for it.
• I don't use thyme or sage. Many recipes call for thyme, not sage.
• I don't boil my precooked sausage to death. I add that at the end after it has been browned.
• I salt at the end, just to make sure I don't oversalt. People can add salt to taste when served.
• I use a box of chicken stock or Better than Bouillon.
• The use of butter is optional. Some people add butter to the beans. I don't. I do add some to the rice to keep it from sticking and drying out in the fridge.
• Old New Orleans cooks do indeed used pickled pork. My mother-in-law did.
• There is something to adding acidity to the beans. Some people use vinegar/ apple cider vinegar. See Red bean essentials. Of course, you can use any vinegar based hot sauce. I use Tobasco. My brother and nephews prefer La. Hot Sauce.
• As far as salt making the beans tough, I have no clue and haven't noticed any difference when I salt my beans. My guess is if you are getting tough beans, it is because they are old or not cooked enough.

bbqLuv asked an interesting question regarding Red Beans vs Kidney Beans. I think I'll start a topic in the discussion section.

[grantgallagher]

RonB 100% soaking in salted water overnight now

[LA Pork Butt]

jfmorris I grew up with red beans and rice just about every Monday, and while we never used bacon, which would be great, or used sausage red beans and rice would probably be my last meal. I think the salt port, which my mother called picked meat, was my favorite of the two.

[jfmorris]

I second that. I used a pound of "bacon ends" from Porter Road in a pot of beans last weekend, and the family couldn't get enough of them. My daughter came back the next night wondering if we still had leftover beans, haha.

[fzxdoc]

This is a really good RB&R Instant Pot recipe, for those who are interested.

https://www.paintthekitchenred.com/a...eans-and-rice/

Also, grantgallagher , Cook's Illustrated tested the "no salt in beans until they're cooked" theory and basically debunked it. I can't find that test article, but did find one that Kenji did:

https://www.seriouseats.com/salt-bea...er-good-or-bad

FWIW, here are a couple of CI articles that address the salting method:

https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how...soak-for-beans
https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how...h_experience_2


Here's a Serious Eats author's (Daniel Gritzer) takeaway in this article:

Here's the take-away: Skip the soak on thin-skinned beans like black-eyed peas, black beans, and lentils. For other beans, it's best to soak unless you know for sure that you're dealing with high quality, freshly dried beans, in which case you can skip it.

I still follow Rancho Gordo advice and don't add salt until the end of the bean cook because their beans are so fresh. Don't mess with the RG experts, IMO.

Kathryn

[Willy]

For those of you who'd like to try adding pickled pork to your red beans and rice, the Frug has a recipe for pickled pork in his "The Frugal Gourment Cooks American". It's basically cubed pork butt refrigerated for a few days in a boiled (then cooled) brine of straight vinegar (several cups) heavily seasoned with pickling spices, especially mustard seed. DO boil the brine outdoors; don't ask me how I know this.

I haven't made this, or RB&R, in quite a while, but it is GOOD and I think I need to make some RB&R with pickled pork a la the Frug soon.

[LA Pork Butt]

Camellia Brand red beans are the creamiest IMO. I think salt pork or a ham bone are great alternatives to sausage.

[JeffJ]

This is how I make them: Dark roux. Combination of shrimp and chicken stock. Andouille sausage. Holy trinity plus garlic. Bay leaf. Salt, black pepper and a dash of cayenne. A few dashes of homemade hot sauce. I like to throw in a smoked ham hock and discard after the cook (scraping out the little bit of usable meat in the process). When I cook brown rice I like to add things to add flavor to the rice itself - salt and pepper being obvious additions to the water it cooks in. I really like to spoon in some of that 'Better than Bouillion' chicken broth paste. That really flavors the rice and makes the dish richer. I do use canned kidney beans though. It's been WAY too long since I've made red beans and rice. I'm going to have to remedy this travesty.

[Andrrr]

FireMan I immediately thought of how many brats I cook over the course of a year and how I’d even begin replacing all those cooks. Hopeless I tell ya. Brat season is upon us

[RonB]

@grangallagher - please let us know which is better - if there is a difference...

[FireMan]

Yeah, can you say pass the brats! 🕶

[grantgallagher]

His article makes sense to me. Ive always found my rancho gordo cooks to be much longer than expected so im going to try it this way next time. Im a big kenji fan

[RonB]

All I can say is that Kenji backs up what he sez with scientific data....