Recipe · Beans

Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients

1 lb dried small red beans (Camellia if you can get them; or kidney beans), rinsed and sorted
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 to 2 green bell peppers, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 to 3 smoked ham hocks (or about 1 lb pickled pork or smoked ham, plus 8 oz smoked sausage, sliced, if you prefer)
4 to 6 cups water (start with 4; add more if the beans look dry)
3 bay leaves
1 tsp salt, or to taste (ham hocks are salty, so go light at first)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne, or to taste
Cooked long-grain white rice, for serving
Hot sauce and French bread, optional

Directions

Soak the beans overnight in plenty of water, then drain. (If you skip the soak, expect a longer cook and check that they soften fully.)
Optional but better: brown the ham hocks on all sides in a little oil; set aside. In the same pan, soften the onion, celery, and bell pepper a few minutes, then stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
Put the beans, vegetables, ham hocks (and sausage if using), bay leaves, pepper, cayenne, and 4 cups water in the slow cooker. Add only a pinch of salt for now.
Cook on high 4 to 5 hours, then on low until the beans are very soft and creamy, or on low the whole time about 8 to 10 hours.
Lift out the hocks. Shred the meat, discard skin, bones, and excess fat, and return the meat to the pot. Mash about half the beans against the side of the cooker so the pot liquor turns creamy. If it is too thin, cook uncovered on high 20 to 30 minutes; if too thick, stir in hot water.
Taste and add salt. Remove the bay leaves. Serve over rice with hot sauce and bread if you like.

Stovetop option

Same ingredients in a heavy pot. After browning and sautéing, simmer covered gently 2 to 3 hours (soaked beans), stirring now and then and adding water as needed, until creamy. Finish as above. A long unattended simmer is safer in the slow cooker.

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