Justin Wilson is probably one of my all-time favorite chefs. He was never fancy, but he could keep your attention that’s for sure. His Cajun drawl was so strong, you had to listen closely. He made down-home Cajun recipes and appeared on our PBS station for some time when I was growing up. I used to love watching his shows and listening to his funny stories! If you don’t know who he was, check out this video on YouTube…it’s great! Now this isn’t his recipe for Red Beans and Rice, but I think it would’ve made him proud.
First, start off with two or three smoked ham hocks, half a pound of bacon and some good Andouille sausage (cajun sausage) or a good spicy/garlicky sausage. Dice the bacon and sausage and place in heated stock pot with about 2 tablespoons cooking oil.
Next, dice one large onion. Add to the pot and saute until translucent.
Add garlic and saute until fragrant, do not brown. Immediately add green bell pepper and celery.
Add water to pot and add ham hocks and rinsed beans. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Add remaining ingredients, except green onions and cook very slowly, partially covered, for 2 to 3 hours hours. Stir the mixture about every 30 minutes. Beans are ready to serve when they are very tender and easily mashed with the back of a spoon and the liquid is thickened. At this point, I use my stick blender and puree 2/3 of the beans to make a thick “gravy”.
Serve over steamed white rice and serve with garlic or French bread.
If you love Red Beans and Rice, I’m sure you LOVE these…”I Garontee!”
- 1 pound dried red beans
- 12 cups water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 - 3 ham hocks
- ½ pound bacon, diced
- 1 pound Andouille or other smoked sausage, quartered and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- ½ cup celery, chopped
- ½ cup chopped green onions
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup fresh minced parsley
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, minced
- 2 teaspoons Creole/Cajun seasoning, like Tony Chachere’s
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Tabasco, sauce to taste
- 4 cups hot cooked rice
- Pick through beans and remove any pieces of dirt or shrivled beans. Rinse well and drain in a colander.
- Dice the bacon and sausage and place in heated stock pot with about 2 tablespoons cooking oil. Add chopped onion to the pot and saute until translucent.
- Add garlic and saute until fragrant, do not brown.
- Immediately add green bell pepper and celery and sauté for about a minute.
- Add water to pot and add ham hocks and rinsed beans.
- Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.
- Add remaining ingredients, except green onions and cook very slowly, partially covered, for 2 to 3 hours hours. Stir the mixture about every 30 minutes.
- Beans are ready to serve when they are very tender and easily mashed with the back of a spoon and the liquid is thickened.
- At this point, I use my stick blender and puree ⅔ of the beans to make a thick "gravy".
- Stir in green onions and keep warm until ready to serve.
- Serve over steamed white rice with garlic or French bread.
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Phil Culver says
March 19, 2016 at 10:13 pmre: Cajun Red Beans and Rice recipe. I’ll make this soon but curious about the statement “puree 2/3 of the beans”? Since it is all mixed up, you are also puree’ing the bacon, sausage, onions, etc… You really don’t mean you pick out 2/3 of the beans do you? I know, silly question, but I’m a guy and read things as they are written.
Jennifer says
March 20, 2016 at 4:23 amHi Phil,
Yes, I meant 2/3 of the mixture, including the bacon, sausage, onions, etc. By doing this you’ll thicken the entire recipe, making a gravy-like consistency.
Phil Culver says
March 20, 2016 at 7:18 pmHey, wow, that was a quick response. Jennifer, you might want to look at your directions on this. It says to add the Green Pepper and Celery, twice. Probably just an editors typo. I’m making this now but I couldn’t find the Tony C spice. I’ve seen it in the past but now no one carries it. I used Zatarains Cajun spice. It should be ok. My house smells great so I can’t wait to try it. Oh yeah, I’m assuming the green onions are a garnish since the instructions omit them.
Thanks, Jennifer
Jennifer says
March 21, 2016 at 1:52 amThanks for the heads up on the recipe errors. I’ll go in and correct the mistakes. Zatarain’s should work just fine, it’s very similar. I hope you enjoy the beans!
Mcoyne says
April 4, 2017 at 10:32 amLooks great but do you soak the beans overnight first?
Jennifer says
April 5, 2017 at 2:02 pmWhen cooking very slowly for two to three hours, it is not necessary to soak overnight.