Several years ago I was looking at the dried beans at Walmart and a very elegant older man was also shopping for red beans. He asked if I was planning to make red beans and rice. Since I was, he offered his recommendation. As it turned out, he was from New Orleans and the only brand he used was Camellia. After explaining the recipe he used, which was based on the back of the package, he wished me good luck and went on with his shopping.
Of course I bought the Camellia brand red beans and made red beans and rice immediately. They were delicious! The package recipe calls for pickled pigs feet but I use ham instead. Not much of a pickled pigs feet person to be honest. If you have a leftover ham bone to use, then by all means do. You can substitute a ham hock or two if you haven’t cooked a ham lately. Traditionally red beans and rice was made on Mondays to use the ham bone leftover from Sunday dinner. I love traditions like that for famous dishes!
Red Beans and Rice Recipe
- 1 pound/2 cups of dried red beans, small red beans or red kidney beans work well
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2-3 tablespoons Cajun Seasoning
- 1 ham bone/1-2 ham hocks/1 pound diced smoked ham
Soak and Cook Your Beans
My preferred method is to soak dried beans overnight in salted water. Pour the dried beans out on a table or countertop and sort through them. You are checking to make sure there are no rocks or clumps of dirt. I also check for any cracked, spilt, or weird beans and toss them in the compost.
Put the sorted beans in the pot or a large bowl and cover with water. Add a tablespoon of salt and set aside to soak. There are quick soak methods that call for bringing the water to a boil then letting it sit in the hot water for an hour or so. I have also cooked them straight from dried with good results. The key is not using really old dried beans. They will take much longer to cook and sometimes never get truly tender.
Above you can see the beans soaking and then after they are cooked. I usually drain the water and add fresh water and more salt before bringing them to a simmer over low heat. This is when you would add the ham bone or ham hock. Since I am using diced ham for this recipe I’ll add it later.
You might have heard to never soak or cook beans in salted water but that’s not true. I’ve always heard that salt would make the skins tough and the beans wouldn’t cook. This just isn’t true and I have no idea where this myth came from. You will only have trouble with the beans not cooking if you have old beans or don’t cook them long enough.
Flavoring the Red Beans
Once the beans are tender, cook the onion and celery in a skillet with a tablespoon of oil or bacon drippings. I chop the onion first and get it going in the skillet while I chop the celery. You can prep the vegetables first and cook them together if you want. Once they are tender, add the Cajun Seasoning to the skillet to cook a bit. I like to fry spices off when I can to heighten their flavor. Add the vegetables and seasoning to the beans.
In the same skillet, fry the ham a bit to get some caramelized flavor going on. I let it cook and stir for a good 5 minutes or until the edges of the meat darken. This is where you will get a lot of flavor for your dish. After you add the ham to the pot of beans, you need to deglaze the skillet. There’s so much flavor left in the skillet from the onions, celery, and ham and you don’t want to waste it. Pour about a half cup of water into the skillet, swirl it around a bit and pour that into the beans.
Most of the caramelly bits should come right off into the water on that first go since the skillet is hot. If there are any left then just repeat with more water and add that to the beans. If you need to add more water to cover the beans and ham then go ahead. I had to add a couple cups to my pot.
Finish and Serve!
Now all that’s left is to taste the beans for seasoning and add salt if it needs it. You can add more Cajun Seasoning if it’s not spicy enough for you. I like to serve this with white rice, pickled red onions, and hot cornbread.
Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried red beans
- 1 tbsp oil or bacon drippings
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 2-3 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 1 ham bone, ham hock or 1 pound diced ham
- salt
Instructions
- Sort dried beans and soak in cool salted water overnight.
- In the morning, drain beans and cover with fresh water. Add a teaspoon of salt and ham bone or ham hock. If you are using diced ham you will add it later.
- Bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 to 2 hours or until the beans are tender. Check occasionally and add more water as needed.
- Heat oil or bacon drippings in a sauté pan and add the onion and celery. Sauté over medium heat until tender and translucent.
- Add the cajun seasoning to the vegetables and fry for 30 seconds. Add diced ham if using and fry for a couple of minutes.
- Add the vegetable mixture to the beans and stir gently.
- Deglaze the sauté pan with 1/2 cup of water and pour the deglazing liquid into the pot of beans.
- Remove the ham bone or ham hock and cool slightly before removing all the meat and adding the ham back to the pot of beans.
- Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed.
- Serve over white rice.
