Bacon and sausage fat carries soaked red beans through two hours of low heat into thick, serious business
Ingredients
Ingredients
- FOR THE RED BEANS:
- 1 pound dried red beans, soaked overnight, picked over for pebbles
- 1 pound bacon, diced small
- 1 pound smoked sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 pounds sweet onion, diced fine
- 12 cloves garlic, chopped fine
- 3 poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, chopped fine
- 1 cup celery, chopped fine
- 12 cups chicken broth, low sodium
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground
- 2 Tablespoons Casa M Spice Co® Uncontrolled Chain Reaction®
- PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER:
- 4 cups cooked white rice
- Louisiana Hot Sauce
- fresh jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, diced
- green onions, chopped
Method
-
01
Soak beans overnight in 2 gallons water
480 minPick over beans for pebbles before soaking.
-
02
Brown bacon in pot over medium-high heat
6 minTurn bacon as needed to brown all sides.
-
03
Add sausage and brown alongside bacon
5 minYou're building a flavor foundation here — let the sausage develop a caramelized crust in that bacon fat, which takes about 5 minutes of medium-high heat. Watch for the edges to brown and tighten; that's when you know the Maillard reaction is doing its job.
-
04
Add onions, garlic, poblano, celery; cook 15 min
15 minStir often until onions are translucent and vegetables soft.
-
05
Add broth and bay leaves, boil 20 min
20 minBring to boil over high heat, then reduce to rolling boil.
-
06
Reduce to simmer, cover, cook 2 hours
120 minOnce you add your beans and broth, bring it to a gentle bubble, then drop the heat so it's barely moving — you want a lazy simmer where a bubble breaks the surface every 2-3 seconds. At the 90-minute mark, crack the lid and check for thickness; if it's looking soupy, let it ride uncovered for the last 30 minutes to concentrate those flavors.
-
07
Cook white rice
20 minMake rice while beans simmer.
-
08
Taste and season broth with pepper and spice
3 minOptional: mash some beans with potato masher for thicker broth.
-
09
Serve over rice with hot sauce and garnishes
2 minGarnish with Louisiana hot sauce, jalapeño, green onions.
From Mike's Notebook
Dice your bacon small so it renders completely into fat that braises the beans, not chewy pieces.
Pick over soaked beans twice — once dry, once wet — because pebbles hide in wrinkles.
Mash a handful of beans against the pot side at the end for body without making it soupy.