Chef John's Red Beans and Rice

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.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 3 hr
• Total Time: 3 hr 30 mins
• Calories: 542 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ¾ cup chopped celery
• 4 cups cooked white rice
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup finely diced onion
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• hot sauce to taste
• 1 smoked ham hock
• 1 pound dry red kidney beans
• 12 ounces andouille sausage, diced
• ¾ cup poblano peppers
• 2 quarts chicken broth, or more as needed
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onion, or to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place beans in a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 8 hours to overnight. Drain and rinse.

Step 2

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.

Step 3

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.

Step 4

Spoon rice into bowls, ladle red beans mixture over rice, and top with green onion.