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!”
Cajun Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried red beans
- 12 cups water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 - 3 ham hocks
- 1/2 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
- 1/2 cup celery chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup fresh minced parsley
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves minced
- 2 teaspoons Creole/Cajun seasoning like Tony Chachere’s
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce to taste
- 4 cups hot cooked rice
Instructions
- 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 2/3 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.
I’m Jennifer Locklin, author and owner of Jennifer Cooks. I am a trained chef and passionate about good food, cooking for family and friends, and creating recipes that form lasting memories from one generation to the next.
re: 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.
Hi 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.
Hey, 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
Thanks 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!
Looks great but do you soak the beans overnight first?
When cooking very slowly for two to three hours, it is not necessary to soak overnight.
Well, i had way too much liquid, but I didnt puree as much as I should have. Flavor was good. Even those who are soooooo picky gave it a try and ate it. Thanks Jennifer, I will do the finishing puree correctly next time.
Yes, the puree really helps bind everything together.