been wanting to make some for a while.....who has a good recipe?

-I did the math on the woo and that's about 6% by volume. You may be right. Let's go with Worcestershire 'to taste'

B-Small red beans don't break down like large ones so that's why I like the combo with Blue Runner. If using large beans, you're right, don't need them

3-Thank god I don't have to shop at Kroger anymore. Glad you can find popcorn rice though

D-Post some pictures of your Christmas cookies. I want to see how they measure up to Gangsta Snowman

Don't forget.. no matter the recipe.. a pinch of cayenne never hurts.

The recipe from Serious Eats looks legit, I'll totally make that soon. America's Best Test Kitchen did a recipe recently that I watched on youtube that would be worth trying as well. Can't post the link from my work computer.

Yep, the Blue Runner short cut is a good one.

We dice up and ham steak into ours along with sausage. Gives it a little more meat and adds a nice flavor of the ham to round it out.

Will have to try the worschstershire sauce trick.

Garrelli 5000 said:

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Blue Runner Creole Cream Style Red Beans

If you don't want to completely make your own and have access to these, you'll be better off than 95% of what is served in homes and restaurants.

Seriously - these things are so damn perfect as a base.

Edit: of course, Fido already gave away the BR secret

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If I'm being lazy, I go trinity, 2 cans of blue runner, one can of Goya small reds, couple of bay leaves, sausage & smoked ham. Season with SYM, Franks, & Woo

Camellia beans if you can find 'em and throw in some crab boil….

FIDO*98* said:

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Serious Eats is close enough to save me the trouble of typing out my recipe.

Tips and key differences
-I use diced smoked ham from Granzin's instead of pickled pork shoulder
-Use small red beans opposed to large kidney beans
-Can you find good andouille? The HEB brands are garbage. Better to substitute a good Smoked Sausage. Southside market garlic is a good sub
-Where's the Worcestershire sauce Kenji? I usually add about a 1/4c
-Add a can of blue runner red beans to thicken things up
-Don't use chicken stock. I couldn't figure out for the longest time why my RB&R didn't taste quite right. That old myth that you don't use water because it doesn't have flavor got me on this one. Chicken stock threw off the flavor
-Get some Cajun popcorn rice off of Amazon. A little pricier than long grain, but the smell alone makes it worth it

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Tasso?

Can't go wrong with the man Emeril's recipe:

https://www.emerils.com/123569/red-beans-and-rice

Glad I'm not alone on the Blue Runner hack

Garrelli 5000 said:

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Blue Runner Creole Cream Style Red Beans

If you don't want to completely make your own and have access to these, you'll be better off than 95% of what is served in homes and restaurants.

Seriously - these things are so damn perfect as a base. Toss in a bay leaf, ham hock and/or a good smoked sausage that you've pre-sliced and seared in a skillet, and whatever other seasonings you want.

I love the satisfaction of making stuff from scratch, even moreso when it is clearly better than what I can buy at the store or restaurant. But BR's beans are pretty damn tough to beat for the effort.

Edit: of course, Fido already gave away the BR secret

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I religiously add a bay leaf to soups and beans yet I have no idea what, if anything, it does. I've also never once said "you can really taste the bay leaf." I can only assume Big Bay Leaf has a very powerful lobby which has conned us all into using it.

I second small red beans.

I recently used a honey baked ham hock for my red beans and the sweet took over the beans. I won't do that again. Still good, but not the overall desired flavor.

A pinch or two of cayenne is always good.

If your beans are too runny, pull about 10 - 12 beans out of the pot. Mash them into a fine paste. Add some liquid from the pot to the mash and stir. Stir that into the pot and the starch will naturally thicken the beans.

For best results make the beans a day ahead. You probably won't have to thicken and they will just be better.

I pretty much follow the recipe on the bag from Camilla Red Beans. I dice my smoked sausage, remove it and saute the onion, green bell pepper and garlic in the renderings from the sausage. Remove the vegtables and add it to the sausage and hold while I bring the beans and water to boil and then take to simmer. Add the sausage and vegtables and add my seasoning and cover it up. 3 hours later I remove the lid, take cup of the beans out and cream and add back to the pot and let it simmer a bit til it hits the right consistancy. Don't ever really think about it when I cook it just do it....

FIDO*98* said:

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Garrelli 5000 said:

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Blue Runner Creole Cream Style Red Beans

If you don't want to completely make your own and have access to these, you'll be better off than 95% of what is served in homes and restaurants.

Seriously - these things are so damn perfect as a base.

Edit: of course, Fido already gave away the BR secret

---

If I'm being lazy, I go trinity, 2 cans of blue runner, one can of Goya small reds, couple of bay leaves, sausage & smoked ham. Season with SYM, Franks, & Woo

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How long do you let that cook for, whatever Kenji has in the recipe?

This is my go-to, and it's great:

https://www.gumbopages.com/food/red-beans.html

I tried the America's Test Kitchen recipe just for grins and was not happy with the result. The beans were super salty and the flavors were just not on. They are based in the north east, just sayin' ...

What I DID like is the way they did their rice... sauteed in a little butter first, then instead of a 2-1 ratio of water to rice, a 1.5 - 1 ratio. Bring it to a boil, simmer for 15 minutes or so then push it to the back of the stove and let it steam. That's how I'm doing it from now on. Very good textured, fluffy rice.



2 cups long grain white rice, rinsed until clear
One tablespoon butter, saut rice in this
3 cups water
1teaspoon salt
Boil then simmer 18 minutes
Wait 15 minutes, covered, to steam

One other thing - the splash of vinegar at the end to the beans did liven up the flavor, will probably do that from now on in my own recipe.

If you don't include massive chunks of ham leftover from Christmas dinner then you are doing it wrong.

Bruce Almighty said:

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mazag08 said:

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If you don't include massive chunks of ham leftover from Christmas dinner then you are doing it wrong.

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If you're having ham for Christmas dinner, you are doing it wrong.

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It was only one of the meats. Nice try.

Not to side track the thread but to side track the thread ...... since someone brought up America's Test Kitchen, do they have anyone on the the show that's not ..... ?

Rattler12 said:

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Not to side track the thread but to side track the thread ...... since someone brought up America's Test Kitchen, do they have anyone on the the show that's not ..... ?

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...a Yankee?

Bruce Almighty said:

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mazag08 said:

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If you don't include massive chunks of ham leftover from Christmas dinner then you are doing it wrong.

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If you're having ham for Christmas dinner, you are doing it wrong.

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BS.

The gumbopages recipe has been my starting point for the last several years. Good stuff.

Only saw it in emeril's recipe and gumbo pot, but I put thyme in mine.

This a recipe I modify as I go. I hold out the hot sauce and any other head until served so the kids can eat it.

This also has sage which is a little different. I don't know that I usually put that full amount.

Last time I put some beef better than bouillon. Turned out great!

1 pound (450g) red kidney beans
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable oil or lard
1 pound (about 450g) cooked andouille sausage, cut into 1/2-inch disks
1 large onion chopped (about 12 ounces; 340g)
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and Anely chopped (about 8 ounces; 225g)
4 ribs celery, Anely chopped (about 8 ounces; 225g)
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon (3 to 15g) ground cayenne pepper (depending on how hot you like it)
1 teaspoon (about 4g) ground sage
Freshly ground black pepper
1 smoked ham hock (optional)
8 ounces (225g) pickled pork shoulder or rind (optional; see note)
4 sprigs fresh thyme 3 bay leaves
Hot sauce, such as Crystal or Frank's, to taste
Cider vinegar, to taste

Any Red Beans and Rice recipe that starts with kidney beans is trash. In fact, any recipe that uses kidney beans is trash.

AggieFlyboy said:

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Any Red Beans and Rice recipe that starts with kidney beans is trash. In fact, any recipe that uses kidney beans is trash.

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So what kind of beans do you use?

Go to honey baked ham and buy a bone... they usually have plenty of ham left on them!

Perfect for red beans or large white limas (that I prefer to red beans).

Small red beans, they are closer to pinto beans than kidney beans

Camellia or bust.

Shame on me. Pretty sure I don't even read that part of the recipe but point taken.

My mom's chili has kidney beans. Yeah, yeah, not real chili. It does make some decent ground beef, bean, and tomato stew though.