Louisiana Red Beans and Rice, #theRibShack Way

[PaulstheRibList]

I really want to develop some Barbecue stuff with a Louisiana flair. I haven't found much a particular Louisiana way for BBQ. But we have LOTS of other categories with Burgeoning Louisianaocity. One of my fav's is Red Beans and Rice. If you have a Popeye's Fried Chicken nearby, and you haven't scarfed down some of their Red Beans and Rice lately, then put that on your list for this week.

I sauteed up a bunch of the Louisiana trininty, onion, bell pepper and celery, along with some garlic, all in the fat from bacon and pork & beef sausage (it's what I had on hand).

Here's the batch I made yesterday, just 1 pound of beans and water only, no chicken broth. It was good!


Today, as you all know, it Resurrection Sunday, aka Easter. I'm a Jesus-Follower, so I love today! We had a reception after the Worship Gathering, and I was in charge of rounding up some fellas to help set it all up. They had store-bought pastries and fruit and such planned for the day. Very nice and all, but...I'm a dude, and I love having the dude's feel the love and such, so I though, "Hey, I'm the @BishopofBBQ, and we need some man food!"

I happened to have another 5 pounds of Camilla beans on hand, and a bag of onions and several heads of garlic, etc. I decided to switch out Chicken Broth for the water, to add some depth to the flavor.

That's my 12 inch Lodge skilled on the top left, and the HUGE 14 incher on the bottom, with the sautee just getting underway. A ham hock is the preferred pork flavor vehicle, but I didn't have that. Add to that some bay leaves, salt, pepper and cayenne, thyme. Sautee that a bit. Then chicken broth, water and Camellia brand red beans, then onto the smoker at 5 am in the morning

Nighttime is such a peaceful time. It says in the Bible that the women were going to Jesus' grave to annoint his body with oil and spices right after daybreak on the Sunday after He was crucified, but He beat them to the punch, the Grave was empty when they arrived. I was thinking about the soon coming sunrise when I started the fire on the Jambo.


On went the 2 pots of beans, both at the very top!
About 3.5 hours later, I brought them up to the church building for manly enjoyment! (OK, the chicks liked them a lot, too.)


I cooked about 15 cups of rice, and the game was on! I think the chicken broth added richness to the flavor. Future experiments will be using ham hocks, and cook those to make a broth, and making my own chicken broth.

At church, the men got all the stuff setup, and at the end all cleaned up. And good conversations about Jesus, go-fast boats and converting firetrucks to BBQ Firetrucks. Allthe beans were gone, but there were still plenty of the store-bought pastries in their nice wrappers left over. We'll bring those to the homeless shelter tomorrow.

Happy Easter! #JesusIsAlive

Paul

[jharner]

Amen brother, that looks like some mighty good eaten there. Love me some red beans & rice, but we had brisket and Meatheads Easter ham with plenty of sides. Happy Easter to all.

[Jerod Broussard]

Great job man!!!!

[DWCowles]

I love beans and rice...I always put them on my order everytime I stop at Popeye's...make that a large please

[Dr ROK]

Wish we had a Popeye's around here. Nothing but KFC. Closest Popeye's is about 6 hours away. Love cajun food!

[jerrybell]

We used to love Popeye's when we lived in CO. We moved to UT and it was many years before the first Popeye's opened here. I don't know if the restaurants are inconsistent or overall the chain's quality has gone downhill. The sides are still tasty but I think they're butchering the chickens a little young. You still get the same number of pieces but the're tiny. I've stopped going.

[LA Pork Butt]

It is Monday. Are the red beans on?

[Thunder77]

WHooooooWEEEE! That's some good eatin'. I tell you that for true!

[gcdmd]

Correction on the spelling: "that" should be "dat," and "for" should be "fo'."

[gcdmd]

I enjoy your posts, Paul. You bring a certain enthusiasm and joie de vive to the table, and you have definitely grasped the concept that life is an equipment sport and whoever dies with the most toys wins.

If you get a chance to score on some old Griswold cast iron cookware, you should seize the moment. They were probably the best cast iron pots and pans ever made. You can still get them online at eBay and other sites, but they are generally expensive.

As for chicken stock, it is the universal elixir for flavor enhancement. Some chefs use it exclusively (strong, weak, roasted bones, non-roasted bones) eschewing any other stock. Homemade is best, but in a pinch I turn to Tone's Chicken Base from Sam's. It is salty, so you would have to adjust.

George

[bbqoaf]

Awesome, I need to make this. As usual I love the scale of your cooks and the fact that you are often helping out your community. An example to us all.

[PaulstheRibList]

I did a quick search here in thePit for Red Beans and Rice, and noticed that us Louisiana folks (me) are the bulk of the discussion. We've been busy with the Ole' PaulsRibShack, so I am slower than I prefer in doing my Red Beans testing. This past week we launched it on the truck. It was really good! It's based on the Camilla brand recipe, which is similar to Meathead's.


Here it is next to our regular Smoked Beans, and that fabulous Beef Short Rib!!!


Now for Leftovers! Day 1


Day 2, topped with Pork


I'm still searching for that next step to GREAT!

I'm going to add some Cider Vinegar, per Meathead, and also try adding Pickle Pork, per Kenji.

I also did a cool stew a few months back and added a Umami bomb, and some gelatin, per Kenji's instructions. I'm going to experiment with those as well. I love the smooth texture of the bites provided by a little gelatin.

Red Beans!!!

[lonnie mac]

Gawsh Paul these look DELISH. Sort of a Red Beans and Rice guru myself. I pride myself in this Louisiana staple. I was born and raised in a little town called Clio on the Amite. I am still 20 years behind everyone else!

[PaulstheRibList]

lonnie mac Dude!!! I was just in Amite City 2 weeks ago to officiate the wedding of my best friend's daughter. The Berry Barn. Same place I cooked Ribeyes for 225 for another friend's daughter 2 years or so ago.

Red Beans! Oh wise one, give me your tweeks and hints!!

[texastweeter]

I always throw in a hamhock or two, use zatarans brand rice only, and just a splash or crab boil to it. Imma try yours next. Love Red beans and rice along some blackened redfish or flounder! Where is the LOVE button?

[RonB]

I've not done RB&R from scratch, but if you take a package of Zataran's red beans and rice and add 1/3 lb of spicy breakfast sausage, (cooked and chopped fine first), it makes a very good side dish. Add the sausage before cooking the RB&R.

[lonnie mac]

lonnie mac Dude!!! I was just in Amite City 2 weeks ago to officiate the wedding of my best friend's daughter. The Berry Barn. Same place I cooked Ribeyes for 225 for another friend's daughter 2 years or so ago.

Red Beans! Oh wise one, give me your tweeks and hints!!

Oh brother I am not the wise one for sure! In fact, my red beans are more on the simple side. The difference between Cajun, and Creole, and you know what I mean. It's about the beans as you know! Here is my simple staple crockpot meal. Of course ONLY Camellia Red Beans. I don't really do-dad things up like some fine dining Creole chef would do trying to show all his friends that he has a spice rack. It's red beans and rice. It's grandma's red beans and rice!


3 Strips Bacon browned in pan
12 ounces Andouille sausage, cubed and brown
1 cup finely diced onion
3/4 cup finely diced celery
3/4 cup finely diced green peppers (I use poblano)
4 cloves minced garlic

VERY FINELY DICED! All these veggies need to completely disappear in the end otherwise you just made beans and veggies.

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1-2 smoked ham hock on top
32 oz carton chicken broth plus more just to cover beans and hocks
1 pound red Camellia beans, soaked overnight
about 2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste

Cook 8 hours on low.

Add roux when about done.

I told Moonbeam months ago that one day soon, we are gonna come and see you and eat like a king from your food truck. I couldn't find your latest schedule, but after all this flood crap is done here, I gotta make a home trip to see my peeps.

EDIT: to add...

Paul, sprinkle a bit of Trappey's Pepper in Vinegar on top of every bowl you sell. It will be a business decision you will never regret brother!

[PaulstheRibList]

Dude!!! Love it!

I will def try the Trappey's

[PaulstheRibList]

You should try putting your Red Beans in the Smoker for 4 hours, then finish in the oven/crockpot.

[DWCowles]

Thanks Paul for making me hungry

[texastweeter]

Adam Sandler voice "you put it in your mouth, chew it up, and let it slide down your throat hole!"

[texastweeter]

Adam Sandler voice "you put it in your mouth, chew it up, and let it slide down your throat hole!"

[PaulstheRibList]

texastweeter I've never had a bad meal from Popeye's!