Red Beans and Rice with Smoked Ham Hocks

Red Beans and Rice with Smoked Ham Hocks

Steven Pennington

Louisiana-style Red Beans and Rice. how to combine red beans, rice, and smoked ham hocks into the perfect southern dish for any occasion.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 4

Total Time 4 5

Course Dinner, Southern

Cuisine Louisiana, Southern

Servings 10 Servings

Calories 380 kcal

Suggested Equipment

Ingredients

16 oz Kidney Beans
16 oz Small Red Beans
2 Smoked Hamhocks
1 medium Poblano or Bell Pepper (chopped) Or Bell Pepper
2 cups Beef Stock vegetable or chicken stock will work
2 Femur Beef Bones Cooked with the beans, adds a nice presentation with cross-cut femur bones to use for plating.
8 cups Water
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
1 large Onion (chopped) small dice
4 stalks Celery (chopped)
2 Cooked Rice Jasmine rice is classically used

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Instructions

Cooking The Beans

Preparing the two types of beans: first, rinse the beans off under cold water and wash the vegetables.
The vegetables need to be chopped to a small to medium size. They will get cooked down in size with the beans.
Chop the vegetables to a size you enjoy thinking about the finished dish and mouth feel.
Vegetables:
In a small pot, sweat the vegetables with 3 tablespoons of butter and allow the vegetables to release their natural waters.
To add a depth of flavor, cook the vegetables until they have browned nicely, to the point the vegetables begin to start to caramelize.
Also, the browning of the butter is suggested before adding the vegetables. But be careful not to burn the butter. Butter has milk solids in it and they can ruin the dish with the flavor of burnt milk.
To brown the butter: butter over medium heat in a small sauce pot until the butter smells nutty in aroma and becomes amber in color.
Once the vegetables are cooked, then transfer them to a large stock pot and add the 2 types of rinsed beans.
Then add the Hamhocks, Andouille sausage, Beef Bones, minced Garlic, Beef Stock and Water.
2 Cups of Beef or Chicken Stock
8 Cups of Water
1 ½ pounds/ 12oz Andouille sausage (amount shown in image)
Femur Bones - as many as are needed for plating
1+ large Tablespoons of minced Garlic
Tip: Our suggestion is to cook the beans with the ham hocks and the femur bones, then around the mid-cooking point remove half of the beans. Make sure to cover the removed beans with some of the cooking liquid, or risk the beans drying out. To finish, return the beans to the main cooking pot to rewarm before serving.
Cook the beans for 3 to 4 hours on the stovetop partly covered so a small amount of liquid can escape.
If you cook the beans for the entire 4-hours the beans will be very soft. Some people love them this way.
Note: If you're using a bunch of beef femur bones, clean them beforehand. Boil them in a pot of water to remove impurities.

The Consistency

After 2 plus hours, the beans will be soft to the touch. The longer cooking time is for the hammocks to soften and release the meat from the bone.
Think of it like braising a pot roast. Longer is usually better in the way of softness. The beans become a natural thickening agent from releasing the natural starches.
If you would like the dish to be thicker the trick is to smash a few of the beans against the side of the pot. The split beans will mix with the stock and water and thicken. This is a traditional method of thicking red beans and rice.

Rice Cookery

Complete guide to cooking rice on the stovetop, using the Instant Pot, a Rice Cooker the Oven and a Microwave. The link is above the recipe card and in the Note section below.

Notes

Tip: If you're using a bunch of beef femur bones, clean them beforehand. Boil them in a pot of water to remove impurities.

Rice Cooking Guide

Cooking rice can make or break a great Red Beans and Rice recipe

Here is our suggested guide to cooking rice perfectly using the:

Stovetop - Instantpot - Oven - Rice Cooker - Microwave

Keyword Red Beans and Rice Recipe, Southern Red Bean and Rice