Chef notes
As a kid if I saw the ingredients for beans out the night before I got excited, because I knew for two or three days, I'd have one of my favorite meals for dinner. Now, at almost 40 years old, my mama will text me to tell me, "I made beans, I fixed a container for you." I will pass by a corner store and pick up a few pieces of chicken, swing by my mama's to get the beans, and find a place in the house to hide and eat, just so I won't have to share. I'm sure a lot of people can relate to that feeling of knowing everyone in your house ate, and ate well. But if they see you excited about a meal, all of the sudden they want a "taste," which ends with you sharing your glorious solo meal. I don't blame them, I get it. There's just something about that well-seasoned, slightly smoky taste from the beans and the sausage. It's one of the foodways to my heart.
Technique tip: Sauté everything ahead of time in the same pot you are cooking the beans in, so you can trap the flavor.
Swap option: Instead of pork, you can use turkey.
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Ingredients
- 1 pound dried red beans
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped green onion
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
- 2 pounds andouille sausage
- 1/2 pound applewood bacon
- 1 smoked turkey neck
- 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
- 3 quarts stock (veggie, chicken or pork), divided
- Cajun seasoning
- cooked rice, for serving
Preparation
1.Prep the beans by soaking them in water overnight.
2.In a large pan on medium heat, sauté the onions, celery and peppers for 8 minutes until caramelized and set aside.
3.Sauté the sausage and bacon at the same time on medium heat in the pot you will be cooking the beans in. Keep them moving by stirring them (the objective is to get the fat from both to be in the pot early to influence the flavor and to get the sausage all nice and caramelized). After 7 minutes, once both are sticky but not overcooked, remove the sausage and bacon and set aside.
4.Add the beans to the pot along with the veggies, 2 quarts (8 cups) of the stock, smoked turkey neck and garlic. You can add the bacon back in also, but that is optional.
5.Let everything cook down for about an hour and a half on a medium heat, uncovered. The liquid will decrease. Stir sporadically.
6.Add 2 cups more of the stock at this point, then the sausage (and bacon, if have not done so already) and allow to cook for another hour.
7.Begin to taste and season with Cajun seasoning to taste. The last 30 minutes is the perfect time to decide what your consistency will be. For thicker red beans, do not add extra liquid. For thinner red beans, add about a half a cup to a cup of stock at a time.
