New Orleans style red beans and rice

Total 12 hours

Makes 16 servings

This Southern-style red beans and rice recipe takes quite the time commitment but SO worth it.

1 lb

red beans, dried

smoked ham, hock

1 pound

smoked sausage

8 cups

chicken broth

2 cups

green onion, sliced

thinly sliced celery, ribs

1/4 cup

chopped parsley

2 cloves

minced garlic

1 tsp

dried thyme

2 tbsp

cayenne pepper, sauce

1/2 tsp

black pepper

In a pot, cover beans with 10 cups of cold water; let it soak overnight. Add ham hock and smoked sausage to pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Pour out liquid; remove ham and sausage to cool. Pull meat from bone, discarding fat, and removing sausage casing (if necessary). Dice meat and return to pot.
Add all other ingredients to pot. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, cover and let cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, about 2 hours.
Optional Step: For a creamier finished product, transfer 2 cups of cooked beans to blender and blend until smooth. Stir back into pot.
Serve over rice.