Any time someone asks the question, What exactly is soul food? the answer should always be a comforting bowl of red beans and rice. Just sit them down, give them a spoon, and when they finish, ask them if they understand. They will.
Chef John's Red Beans And Rice Ingredients
1 pound dry red kidney beans
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
12 ounces andouille sausage, diced
1 cup finely diced onion
cup chopped celery
cup poblano peppers
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 quarts chicken broth, or more as needed
1 smoked ham hock
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
hot sauce to taste
4 cups cooked white rice
2 tablespoons chopped green onion, or to taste
How to Make Chef John's Red Beans And Rice
Place beans in a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 8 hours to overnight. Drain and rinse.
Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir sausage in hot oil until oils slightly release from sausage and edges brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir onion, celery, and poblano pepper into sausage; cook and stir until vegetables soften and start to turn translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir garlic into sausage mixture; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir red beans, chicken broth, ham hock, bay leaves, black pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper, and hot sauce into the sausage mixture; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours. Add salt and continue simmering until beans are soft, meat is tender, and desired consistency is reached, 1 1/2 to 2 hours more. Season with salt.
Spoon rice into bowls, ladle red beans mixture over rice, and top with green onion.
Chef John's Red Beans And Rice Nutritions
Calories: 541.5 calories
Carbohydrate: 62.9 g
Cholesterol: 46.4 mg
Fat: 20.5 g
Fiber: 10.1 g
Protein: 25.9 g
SaturatedFat: 6.4 g
ServingSize:
Sodium: 1384 mg
Sugar: 3.6 g
TransFat:
UnsaturatedFat:
Chef John's Red Beans And Rice Reviews
My first time EVER making red beans and rice, and this was the recipe I chose. I served it with homemade corn bread (also in AR - search for Grandmas Cornbread) How mine differed:1. Used a ham shank instead of a hock. 2. I forgot bay leaves. 3. Skipped the hot sauce.4. Used pasillo peppers.5. Used 14oz of regular old Johnsonville sausage w/pork, beef, turkey, and whatever else is in it.THE VERDICT Pros: 1. I hate spicy food (and also have a toddler) so my milder version was perfect for us. 2. My house smelled like Louisiana all day. 3. Extremely filling 4. Huge amount of food and very cheap ingredients5. Leftovers This recipe will feed my family of 2 and a toddler for days Cons:1. It took about 4 hours total, so my gas stove was on most of the day and someone had to stay home to man the kitchen. Would have preferred to use a slow cooker, but it gave me a solid excuse to watch football all day. (Also, the toddler can reach those knobs. Luckily, shes an obedient one with no early signs of pyromania.) 2. Cant give the cooked ham bone to my dog, so she was disappointed about that. Overall, its absolutely delicious. If you have several hours to spare and dont want to cook again for a week (or if you need to feed 10 lumberjacks), this is the recipe for you
Like Chef John, I substitute chicken broth for some of the water to give the dish a better flavor. This is what made me want to try his recipe over others.I also like that in his recipe, he doesnt skimp on the Louisiana andouille (pronounced an-du-ae - the lls are silent) sausage. It really makes the right smokey-hot flavor for this dish. Good andouille tends to be expensive, and an economy version will just be called "hot smoked sausage" links such as Bar-S or Morell. (Do not use polish Kielbasa - totally wrong flavor.)Also, there is a difference between "red beans" and "kidney beans". It is the actual name for a particular type of bean - not just a color. Kidney beans may also be red, but they have a different flavor than "red beans". Here on the west coast, I can always find dried red beans at Safeway, and Walmart sells canned red beans.I serve with greens ("the recipe here for "Kickin Collard Greens is my favorite), some cornbread, and sweet tea.Love your recipe for this classic dish, Chef John 5 STARS
I just made this recipe, and it was delicious All of the ingredients came together nicely. At first, I thought I had too much liquid, but I let it cook down a bit without the lid. I put the lid back on and just let it simmer. It began to thicken and became perfection. I cant wait to make this for others...maybe my Superbowl party. I did not use any hot sauce. Im not a spicy person. Even without it, my husband says it has a nice kick to it. I also added two chicken bouillon cubes for added flavor, so I actually added very little table salt. Chef John has made me look good, once againIt did not explicitly tell you when to add the beans...add it with the broth.
Amazing. Comfort soul food at its finest. Ive made this several times and it always turns out fantastic After sauting the sausage and veggies, I dump the whole thing in my crockpot, cook on low overnight, 8-10 hours. Winner. The house smells maddeningly delicious in the morning, and I cant wait to spoon it over rice for dinner
Im going to tell anyone who asks that this is my own personal recipe and I dont care what any of you think about it.
Delicious. Made this as written when hubby was out of town. The (grown) kids and I loved it. Made it again when hubby was back, but since he doesnt eat pork I substituted chicken andouille sausage and smoked turkey leg for the pork meats. Still very good.
Im from New Orleans and really dont use a recipe when I make red beans. But since I love Chef John, I wanted to try his way. Outstandingly delicious
Oh my delicious everyone in our family (8 total) loved this dish. We had leftovers but they were gone in 3 days. (That doesnt usually happen with leftovers.) I substituted canned red beans rather than soaking beans overnight. I rinsed them first. Worked great. Once all the ingredients were added to my pot, I boiled them for about 75-80 minute. (A lot less than the original recipe calls for.) We all felt the flavors had cooked well together in that short amount of time. About 1/2 way through the cooking time, I mashed the beans down inside the pot. For whatever reason, that really made a nice difference in taste and texture. Loved it No doubt Ill be cooking this one up again and soon.
This turned out so well I made it in the crockpot - I soaked the beans overnight, drained and rinsed in the morning, chopped and sauted the other ingredients according to instructions, added them to the crockpot, then let it simmer on low all day and then cooked on high for the last hour or so just to make sure the beans were cooked all the way. I served it with brown rice. Thanks Chef John for such an amazing recipe Im glad for another crockpot meal. Ill be making this again for sure.
Excellent I used a pound of chorizo sausage, soaked some dried kidney beans, left out the poblano pepper, salt & hot sauce, used chicken broth in place of water and didnt have a ham hock. Smelled delicious cooking all day and served up over brown rice was a great presentation. The flavor had a nice spice that wasnt overwhelming. Delicious
Two pieces of constructive criticism:1. I have found that when you use raw dry beans you must soak them, (pref overnight in the fridge), in brine.If I dont, then the skins are VERY tough and no amount of cooking will tenderize that. I use 1.5 tablespoons of salt to 2 quarts of water for one pound of dry beans. 8 hour soak is best but you can go to 12. Then before you start your bean recipe drain the beans in a sieve, rinse and soak in fresh water. Then start your recipe (saute-ing the onions, the sausage, celery etc....) The beans will be ready to go in the pot and simmer by then.2. You didnt mention what to do with the ham hock. Im assume just put it in with the bean mixture at the beginning of the simmer process?Otherwise this is a great recipe. (AND BRINE THOSE BEANS Try it if you dont believe me. Beans are cheap)
No changes, will make again and again
YUM Out of necessity, made it in crock pot, subbed chunk of ham for hocks as store that carries Andouille does not carry hocks, subbed Fresno chilies from salsa garden to use them up, otherwise followed recipe. Wonderful
Absolutely DELICIOUS Flavorful and makes you keep going back for more Loved this recipe. Thanks Chef John, you never disappoint
It was very good, I used a tablespoon of chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, otherwise make it as written.
I have made this several times and it is always amazing This last time I just threw all the ingredients in a crockpot on low for 10hrs, and it was just as good as cooking it on the stovetop. I do soak the beans overnight and substituted the peppers for bell pepper, because thats what I had on hand. I also used smoked sausage instead of andouille, and add about 2tbsp of Cajun spices to add the lost flavored from the andouille. I didnt use oil and I also used brown rice instead of white to make it slightly healthier. Great Recipe
This recipe is absolutely amazing I used spicy Italian sausage because that was what I had, but no changes otherwise. It might be the most delicious thing Ive ever made
Used chicken andouille sausage (10oz package) & 1.5 lbs smoked turkey necks instead of ham hocks because husband wont eat pork. Because that meant much less fat than the original ingredients, and fat is flavor, added several tablespoons of duck fat. Also used 1/3 more of the trinity because my onion came to a full cup when chopped (so needed more celery & poblano to balance). Used dried small red beans (NOT the same as kidney beans) and quick-soaked in salted water for one hour. (Quick-soak = cover beans in cold salted water - enough to reach about an inch above dry beans. Bring to boil. Turn off heat, cover, & let soak 1 to 2 hours. Drain and use as you would slow-soaked beans.)
Were having a Louisiana dinner night with some friends and I decided on making Red Beans and rice...OMG....this is the best. I made the recipe exactly as it says...no changes. I also made it the night before, and it does taste better the second day. You wont be disappointed. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Craving red beans and rice tonight but had to make a few subs. I worked all day so canned red beans instead of dried beans and looking for budget friendly so used smoked lite sausage instead of the Andouille. Also used a little smoke seasoning instead of ham hocks due to the much shorter cooking time. Put on some brown rice while chopping and lovely comfort food with leftovers. Yum.
This was so delicious. I left out the hot sauce and added just under a tablespoon of Cajun seasoning. I also added a bit more onion and garlic than it called for. My mom doesnt like a lot of spice, so I mixed in a heaping spoonful of sour cream to her plate and she loved it. Super filling and comfort food at its best. Thanks for the amazing recipe
This was very good. It was especially good the next day. I did add cayenne because we like just a little heat.
Very nice flavor Switched it up - used canned kidney beans and smoked sausage. Didnt have the ham but the flavor was still delicious.
Wow. Ill never buy box mix again. Hard to find andouille near us so just made do with smoked sausage, though I think I might try chorizo in the future.
Loved it We used Chef Johns recipe for the flavors but did this in our instant pot as we didnt soak our beans overnight and within 50 minutes we had Red Beans and Rice with NO hard beans.
I used more than a pound of beans to
This is a keeper.
I used 1 can each of black beans and kidney beans rinsed well, encased Italian sausage, and Jasmine rice. No...never bell peppers. Yuummy
Made this in pressure cooker and it was pot-licking good, even without the ham hock (couldnt find it here in the U.K.) No need to soak beans overnight. Just add them with everything and cook on high pressure for 60min. This is a crowd pleaser. Thanks, Chef John
Did not include the ham hock but otherwise the exact same recipe. Very tasty meal and with cold weather coming I will make again soon.
My family really enjoyed this meal. It is very easy to make as long as you have time time. It was a little spicy but adding more rice for those who like a milder flavor was all it took to make it perfect.
This was some of the most delicious food Ive ever eaten Honestly cant believe this masterpiece came from my kitchen I will be making this once a month at least The flavors were spot on, I didnt change a thing Thank you Chef John....you sir are a genius :)
Wonderful dish I added 6 roasted Serrano peppers for a bit more heat.
Turns out slightly different each time, but so delicious
Wonderful deep flavor
Holy I didnt realize how easy it was to make delicious red beans and rice Id compare these to some Ive had in New Orleans Great recipe Chef John
If I could give this 10 stars I would. The recipe is perfect as is. So much flavor My family enjoyed this recipe so much. I will make this again very soon. Thanks for sharing
Jeez, this was good.
Simple and tasty. I did add extra seasoning because thats how I cook. I also split this recipe in half because I was cooking for one.
Husband doesnt eat pork, so made w/ some substitutions. Andouille style sausage made w/ turkey, smoked turkey leg instead of hammock.... Also used my new instant pot at pressure to shorten cook time. Still came out really good.
Followed the recipe exactly with the exception of only adding about an 1/8 tsp of red pepper. This will be on the menu from now on. Everyone loved it
BEST Chef John Excellent on all fronts Company LOVED it and ate every bit. Thought it was funny in the written recipe the beans are left out of the instructions at the point when they should be added to the mix. GREAT STUFF
Excellent
Perfection.
Very good I used pickled jalapeos instead of the poblano peppers because I forgot to buy them, and it worked out well.
It was very good
Made this exactly as stated, better than the New Orleans style restaurant in town Thanks, Chef John
We loved it. Instructions were easy to follow and the recipe turned out delicious.
Pretty good but what happened to the Ham hock?
Delicious and spicy
Super tasty, I added a bit more spice but I like a ittle more ehat.the recipe as a whole is fantastic. Thank you Chef John, as always, great food
Delicious
This took a very long time to make especially since I forgot to soak the beans overnight and had to boil, then soak for an hour. But wow, was it worth the time. Delicious. When I tasted it for salt before it was completely done, I didnt think it tasted that great. I was thinking that I wouldnt like it. Boy was I wrong. Once it was done, over rice, it was fantastic. I did mash about half the beans to thicken the whole dish and I think that was a good idea. Made exactly as written/video and I wouldnt change a thing. Without including the hour for the soaking of the beans, the whole thing took about 4 hours to make. Glad I started it early.
Direct quote from my husband: "This is delicious DONT lose the recipe"
Added more hamhock, and will continue to use recipe.
This was straight-up awesomeness, and just the ticket for post-Harvey Houston comfort food. The only thing I did differently than Chef John was to not mush up the beans as much at the end to thicken it. I believe Chef John smashes about 50% of the beans, I only did about 20% at most and it was perfectly to my taste as far as chunky/sauciness, and more attractive dish. Enabled the rice to absorb some juices better I think. Definitely recommend using the chicken broth instead of the water. I used good-quality Cajun sausage (easy to get here).
Didnt change a thing. It was outstanding
This I definitely will be making again.Family loved it. Delicious
This is a simple and yummy dish, only thing I added was 1 cube of Knorr Caldo de tomate (tomato bouillon with chicken flavor)to the required water instead of salt.
Amazing I added a jalapeo and extra celery, and
Yummy. I made this almost exactly as written except for omitting the cayenne since the andouille was plenty spicy. We have a country store nearby which sells wonderful meaty smoked ham hocks which added great depth of flavor. Oh, I did change one other thing. I used a one pound bag of small red beans, which are smaller and not the same as kidney beans.
This was awesome. I did switch the poblano pepper for bell pepper but added a jalapeo pepper cut in half no seeds. Definitely a make again.
This is a great recipe just as it is.
This recipe was very good. I did use green pepper in lieu of the poblano since the Anduille was already spicy. I only gave four stars since the ham hock I used fell apart and left small bones that could have been mistaken for pieces of ham. Of course if I had bitten into a bone it would have been Chef Johns fault somehow
Just like my first taste of RB&R at the Cloister (Treebeards) in downtown Houston 35 years ago Doesnt get any better...
It was the best red beans and rice Ive ever had. A restaurant quality meal for sure. I used two smoked ham hocks, because I had it, and I like to party. Other than that I stuck to the recipe to a T.
Wonderful. Used diced ham in place on ham hock and smoked sausage links sliced.
Followed all ingredients but I used the crockpot instead. I soaked beans overnight and sauteed the sausage and veggies a little bit in the morning but then combined with everything in crock pot for 8 hrs on low. Every few hours I took a potato masher and would mash a few beans to thicken it up. It was soooo good I even made homemade cornbread from another site to go with it. Im already looking forward to leftovers this weekendIMPORTANT NOTE: It uses less broth when you do it this way - I used enough broth to cover everything in the pot, which was less than 2 quarts.
My boys liked this.
I followed the recipe and we loved it. Love Chef Johns recipes.
Most definitely will make again. The only changes I will make is a little less sausage, cut up way too much, and try to get more uniform pieces of it.This truly has become one of my favorites after only making it twice. Thats how good it is.Update: I have made his 5 times already. It gets better each time. It has now made its way into my 30 day rotation of meals.
Flavorful and comforting The only issue I had was with the skin of the pablano pepper- during the cooking process, it separates from the flesh of the pepper pieces and becomes an unpleasant and fibrous texture amongst the otherwise smooth and rich bean base...next time (and there will be a next time) Im broiling or searing the peppers until blistered, and then sweating them, to remove the skin. Overall, excellent recipe.
Hate to dissent from everyone elses opinion, but... this stuff was spicy. A little too spicy. I like spicy food, but in this case, the cayenne and andouille together stole the show- in a bad way. Good thing I didnt add hot sauce as directed Frankly, Im a little surprised no one else commented or complained about the heat. Oh well- like I said, hate leaving the low scoring review, but we (wife and I) were a bit disappointed. Look at me- I had to drink milk from the jug, while I wiped sweat from my brow
Great recipe Mr. Chef. I substituted chicken breast for the ham hock...I just cant do it. I know, the whole purpose of red beans and rice was to use up leftover ham from Cajun Sunday dinner, so I just hope the late Chef Paul wont haunt me.I dont skimp on Andouille though. Our local supermarket has a great store brand version. Spicy and double smoked... perfect for this dish. Its 14 degrees right now, with a wind chill near 0. But the aroma of the Red Beans and Rice on the stove is filling the house. Ever notice that Cajuns, despite being from the deep south, have created some of the greatest cold weather dishes around?PS, for those finding theirs too watery, do the traditional cajun technique and mash some of the beans against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon, then stir. It will be thicker and creamier.
I added a little garlic powder. It is very tasty
Fabulous This is such a wonderful recipe. We love red beans and rice, and Chef Johns recipe was not a disappointment. Great flavor, seasoned just right. Cant wait for colder weather to make it again.
It definitely needs more meat.
Cooked it longer and added some cheddar to melt on top
Changed nothing. Delicious just as it is.
Yummy Soul food, Cajun food, whatever it is, its great I added some paprika to make the rice a pretty yellow colour and Tony Charaches Cajun seasoning because I love it so. As always, a huge fan of yours. I give it five big ones.
This was sooo good Since we dont like too spicy of food I left out the poblano pepper and used smoked chicken sausage instead of andouille. I also used the left over bone from my easter ham. My whole family loved this. I will definitely be making this again and again
I didnt make any changes as to ingredients or method. I used Johnsonville Andouille sausage. This recipe was delicious and very easy to make. My wife, despite her protestations to the contrary, is taste defensive so she prefers routine and bland meals weve been making for thirty years. Even she loved this recipe. Thank you
Delish
Followed the recipe and everyone loved it. I wouldnt change anything.
I just made this and I followed the recipe exactly but after simmering for 3 1/2 hours it was still very watery. Another two hours did the trick. It is SO good Ill be making this again....and again and again
I will definitely make this meal again
I used smoked sausage and switched out the poblanos for jalapeos. Delicious
It was delicious
I used the recipe as listed with the exception of using andouille sausage made from chicken instead of pork. However, there was NOT a difference in the flavor. This is BY FAR the best red beans and rice recipe I have ever made Make no two bones about it, I will definitely make this again
Excellent I cooked in my Crockpot Express....electric pressure cooker.
Quite a tasty recipe. Made it twice. Keep going, Chef John
Beans turned out pretty good and flavorful. Only ingredient I eliminated that I dont like was the sausage. This recipe has been added to my collection.
Made this exactly as written and it did not disappoint. Tatsted even better the next day Perfect dish for large gatherings or just to eat on by yourself for a few days. Thanks Chef
Delicious except my ham hock was very salty and I used a different pepper because I couldnt find poblano peppers.
Chef John is great as always but yall should know you can do this in the Instant Pot from dry beans in an hour and its just as good as soaking and simmering for hours. Follow everything else he does, but just transfer that sausage & mirepoix to the instant pot after sauteeing and add the dry beans, ham hock, liquid up to the bean line and set the instant pot to the beans button for like an hour. Its so much faster and less work, and you end with the creamy texture. I also prefer small red beans to red kidney beans in mine.
Perfect Basic recipe and ingredients allow you to add as desired to make it yours.
Bumped up the hot sauce, but otherwise followed exactly - perfect
This recipe is spot on delicious My family loved it I have little ones so I was light on the cayenne and hot sauce just a little I used a Turkey neck instead of a Ham Hock. Actually had real chicken broth I had frozen from a meal before. The flavors soared Will definitely make this again
I have now made this twice...first time at home as in instructions, but substituted green pepper for the poblano pepper as I didnt have them. Second time I made it while camping using cast iron dutch oven and coals with Poblano. I do prefer the Poblano option as it definitely adds more flavor. As for cooking in the cast iron dutch oven...I was using cheap coals so had some problems keeping a constant temp. But I basically just kept it boiling for the full three hours cooking time. At three hours, the ham hocks were just breaking down so wouldnt sweat the temp thing too much...just keep a steady boil going, It was a great warm up and enjoyed by all campers on a cool day.
0 comments: