3 (15 1/2-ounce) cans red beans, divided
1/2 to 3/4 pound smoked ham hock
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon lard
4 to 5 cups cooked long grain rice, drained
Pour 2 cans of beans with their liquid into a 2-quart pan. Add the smoked ham hock and water. Bring the pan to a simmer on medium heat for an hour, until the meat starts to loosen from the bone. Remove from the heat and cool until the ham hock is cool enough so the meat can be removed from the bone. Place the meat, beans, and liquid in a food processor. To the mixture add the onion powder, garlic salt, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, and lard. Process for only 4 seconds. The beans should be chopped and have a soupy, liquid consistency. Now drain the liquid from the remaining can of beans and add the beans to the food processor. Process just for a second or two—you want these beans to remain almost whole. Pour the bean mixture back into the pan and cook slowly on low heat, stirring often, until ready to serve. Serve the beans over the cooked rice.
I’m a big fan of beans as a side dish, I make a lot of pinto and black beans. I’ve never made red beans and rice from scratch, I’ve always picked up a box Zatarain’s. These beans sound pretty good and easy to make, and they’d be a lot less salty than the prepackaged stuff.
This recipe sound like it would go great with some good sausages.
I am a big fan of Popeye’s Red Beans and rice and have tried many times to reproduce their recipe. I use Goya brand pink beans in the can, either ham base (Better Than Bullion brand) or a piece of ham that I mince in a food processor. For rice I recommend either Jazzmen brand white rice or popcorn rice, both of which have a better flavor than plain white rice.
I always bought Zatarain’s until I tried Goya brand. I like Goya much more. There are no Popeyes restaurants around here so I’m not familiar with theirs. This recipe sounds very good regardless.
happycookr, as a Cajun I can tell you Popeye’s makes the best Red Beans and Rice there is and I’d even put my relatives’ up against their’s. It’s the closest thing to Heaven there is next to pralines, bread pudding with whiskey sauce, and lots of other good stuff from Louisiana. If you want really good red beans, if you can get em, try Camilla Red Beans. I like them even better than Zatarain’s. Bon Appitite Mon Ami. Lassiez Faire Bon Temps.
brucewood, try pecan rice. You might like it better. But try to stick with ham hocks because you can’t get tasso out your way and that’s the only thing other than andoulle that’ll be better.
I really love the Red Beans & Rice recipe…Does anyone know Popeye’s Cajun Gravy recipe??? I REALLY would love to get this one…thanks to everyone who post recipes and suggestions.