Let's talk beans.

[karlac]

Thank you, I've been wanting to learn Red Beans and Rice, it's one if my favorite meals. Thanks again.
It's looking like I'm going to get my butt kicked (yet again) by beans.

Tip: toughest thing is finding good smoked sausage.
Heavily smoked meats also go good in red beans and rice when cooking (smoked ham hocks, bacon, etc).

If you have an HEB grocery store locally, they generally carry Savoie's andouille (pronounced: awn doo wee) sausage. Not as good as you can get at the old store in Opelousas, but close enough.

Or use any good Texas smoked sausage. Shiner Smoke House sausage is not too bad if you can't get andouille.

You can also add about 2 tsp Colgin liquid smoke to the above recipe, in addition to the smoked sausage, if it doesn't have that smoky flavor.

Go easy on that, though ... a little goes a long way, and you can ruin the whole pot with too much. Sneak up on it.

 

[Vaquero]

Isn't that redundant? Seriously, I use salt pork for seasoning but a standard-size vacuum pack chunk of salt pork seems, to me, to be enough salt for a decent-sized pot of beans. I cut it up and sear it in the pot before adding anything else.

We use the equivalent of a couple of bacon slices. Then salt to taste just before the beans are done.

 

[Pork Butt]

Crock pot, all night. Pick your spices.

 

[baboon]

Pressure cookers crank out good tender beans fast.

 

[TheDan]

I cut it up and sear it in the pot before adding anything else.

This! I always sear whatever meat I'm using in the pot and then once it's all nice and browned up pour some beer or broth into the hot pot to de-glaze and scrape up all that browned flavor on the bottom. Add the veggies (beans, onions, whatever...) and put in the oven at 250° for three or four hours, or however long it takes for everything to get tender.

I like to use enameled cast iron pots for stuff like this. They are only about $25 at Walmart or HEB. Just go get one!

 

[Rebel]

It's looking like I'm going to get my butt kicked (yet again) by beans.

Well?

 

[Skip]

They came out without the usual scorching. Lol
Now that I'll be using the crockpot from now on, I'll work on better flavor.

 

[stdreb27]

So here's the deal. I'm a pretty decent cook, but for the life of me I can NOT cook a pot of beans to save my life. Every single time I end up scorching them or having some undercooked. I follow the directions for either the overnight method, or the quick cook method, and I still ruin them.
I've always used either a stainless steel pot or the thinner blue pot. I'm not sure what it's called, it has a country look (blue and white pattern). I think maybe using the crock pot would be easier, but who knows.
Any secrets. Could use a easy recipe too.

"Character is doing the right thing even when no one is watching"

Mexican pinto beans.


So I take pinto beans. Toss em in pot.

Put 4 times the water. (No matter what, 5 quart pot full up to where it wouldn't boil over)

Salt pepper to taste

Toss in a jalapeño

An onion whole and a few cloves of garlic

HEB sells a 3 pound bag of bacon ends. I semi freeze and cube. In 1 inch squares. I toss a couple of those in.

Bring to boil on high. Lower temp let simmer till soft

Top off water as you go.

Depending on the amount of beans it's a 5-6 hour process.

 

[Skip]

That sounds good, I like everything you listed.