Jan 19 2013
One of my favorite dishes I don’t fix often. No one else in the family except my 91 year old Mother likes beans. My son and daughter in law like beans but without the meat. So if I fix this I eat beans until I am tired of them!
This is the best recipe I have found and the addition of pickled pork makes this great for me. I think the pickled pork makes this more of a Creole dish, not sure. It takes 3 days to pickle the pork in vinegar, onions, garlic and spices. The recipe calls for pork butt; I like to use boneless country style ribs; there is very little waist.
My pork was done pickling and my red beans had soaked overnight; I was ready to do some beans. I used to brown up the smoked sausage and pickled pork; now that I have my smoker I decided to smoke both. I would get a double smoke on the sausage and I added some Cajun seasoning to the pickled pork. I now prefer to not smoke the pickled pork it comes out too dry.
The smoked sausage was from my butcher, Kah Meats.
I got the sausage and pork on my smoker at 10:00 AM on smoke mode average 170 deg. for an hour and a half. I had also put the soaked bean and water in a large pot to boil then simmer while the meat was smoking. I forgot to get a photo of the meat on the smoker. I took the sausage and half the pork off for my soup. The rest of the pork I upped the smoker to 250 deg. to finish cooking. I will vacuum seal and freeze for later.
I let the meat cool while I added all the rest of the ingredients, except the green onions and parsley, to the beans. I added the green onions and parsley the last hour. I cut up the sausage and pork and added, brought all to a boil and simmered for an hour and a half. I cooked some rice in my rice cooker to have with it. It was done by 1:30.
I made up a bowl for my friend and fellow smoker at his carry out to try. I also made up some to take to my butcher at Kah meats. I bought my Traeger 07E from him and get my pellets there. When I bought the smoked sausage told him I was making red beans and rice, he said he hadn’t had any for years. I said I’ll bring you some. When I delivered it he said next time you want to cook for me I’ll give you the meat for free.
I let the beans simmer some more before saving me a large bowl for supper and all in the fridge. I will freeze up some of it.
My wife went to a movie with a friend and then did some shopping; she was eating leftovers for supper.
I had a bowl of beans and a scoop of rice in the middle for my supper along with bread and butter. It hit the spot; I would put the heat level at just above mild.
Pork ready to pickle for 3 days
Mixed up
After 3 days, rinsed
Some ingredients
Ready for the smoker
1 1/2 hours on smoke
Ready to simmer awhile
My Bowl
Smokin Don
Recipe:
Red Beans and Rice with Pickled Pork
1 lb red beans, soaked overnight
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1 med. onion, peeled & chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
7 cloves garlic, chopped fine
½ cup chopped parsley
1 rib celery chopped
½ cup catsup
1 green pepper chopped
2 tsp tobasco, I use Cholula hot sauce
2 bay leaves
1 tsp thyme
Salt & pepper to taste
1 lb. Smoked sausage, sliced
1 lb. pickled pork cut in 1” cubes
Cooked rice
Drain the beans. Put in 6 qt. heavy pot and add 3 qts. Fresh water. Cover & simmer for one hour, or until the beans are tender. Stir & check to make sure beans are covered with water while simmering. Add rest of ingredients, except the rice; add water to cover if needed. Partially cover & simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hrs or until the liquid thickens. The recipe doesn’t say so but I like to brown the smoked sausage & pickled pork a little before adding it to the pot cut the pickled pork a little smaller. Some recipes call for red kidney beans but I like the smaller red beans. Add more tobasco if you like it hotter! Serve over cooked rice.
Note: I smoked the smoked sausage and pickled pork for 1 ½ hours, adding Cajun seasoning to the pickled pork.
Pickled Pork
2 lbs. boneless pork butt cut in 2” cubes
½ cup mustard seed
1 TBS celery seeds
2 TBS tobasco
1 qt white vinegar
1 bay leaf
1 TBS kosher salt
12 pepper corns
6 cloves garlic, cracked
1 pinch of pink salt (optional)
Combine all the ingredients except the pork in a stainless steel pan & boil for 3 min. Cool & place in a refrigerator container ( plastic, glass, or stainless ) add pork. Stir to remove the bubbles. Cover & refrigerate for 3 days. Every since I had red beans & rice with the pickled pork it’s not as good without the pork! I have never tried the pink salt in the pickled pork but plan to soon.
Note: I have used country style ribs, they cut up just right.
