Smoky Red Beans Recipes

OLD FASHIONED BAKED BEANS

Steps:

• Place the dried beans in a pot of water covered by a few inches of water and let soak overnight. Drain the beans, place them back in the pot with fresh water and bring to a boil. Simmer for one hour, then drain, reserving the liquid. See NOTE.
• In a Dutch oven or other oven-proof pot fry the bacon until crispy then add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.Stir in the tomato sauce, molasses, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, salt, pepper and bay leaf.Add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved bean water and the beans.Bring everything to a simmer for a minute or two to heat it up. In the meantime preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Transfer the Dutch oven with the lid on to the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 2 to 3 hours or until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened, removing the lid during the last 20-30 minutes to help the sauce thicken. NOTE: If at any point during the cooking process too much liquid evaporates and the beans get dry, add a little more of the reserved bean water. The beans themselves can vary from batch to batch and you may end up either needing to add more liquid if the beans are too dry or you may need to bake the beans longer with the lid off if there is too much liquid. Adjust as needed.Add more salt the pepper to taste.Serve immediately or let cool completely and refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave.
• SLOW COOKER METHOD: Follow steps 1 and 2 and then pour everything into the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours or until the beans are tender. Open the lid for the last 30 minutes or longer until the sauce has thickened. If the beans are too thick at any point and too much liquid has evaporated, stir in a little extra water.

SMOKEY RED BEANS AND RICE

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add the beans, chicken and beef stock, onions, ham hock, green pepper, garlic, salt, black pepper and cayenne. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 2 hours.
• In a medium saute pan over high heat, add the grapeseed oil. When the oil is hot, add the smoked sausage and brown evenly for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sausage to the pot with the beans. Continue simmering the beans until tender, about 20 minutes more. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve over hot rice.

RED WINE PINTO BEANS WITH SMOKY BACON

Steps:

• In the bottom of a large pot over medium-high heat, brown bacon until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in onion, celery, carrots, garlic and rosemary. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Drain beans and add to pot along with 1 tablespoon salt. Pour in enough water to just cover the beans (about 7 to 8 cups). Bring liquid to a boil; reduce heat and simmer gently until beans are just tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, in a small pot over medium heat, simmer wine until it is reduced to 2/3 cup, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Remove rosemary branches from bean pot and discard them. Pour wine into beans and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 to 20 minutes longer to meld flavors and thicken broth to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan, if desired; add more salt and black or red pepper to taste.

SMOKY BEANS

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 3 tablespoons drippings. Saute onions in reserved drippings until tender. , In a very large bowl, combine the beans, sausages, bacon and onions. Combine the remaining ingredients; stir into bean mixture. , Pour into four greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dishes. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until heated through.

SMOKEY RED BEANS

Steps:

• Soak beans overnight in water to cover plus 2"; drain; place beans in a pot of cold, fresh water to cover plus 2"; add the onions and ham and bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, skimming foam off occasionally.
• Add the salt and continue simmering, uncovered, over low heat for 1 1/2-2 hours more, stirring frequently; season with pepper; cut meat off bones, chop and return to the pot.
• The soup is actually best when refrigerated for a couple of days and then served.
• May be served over rice as a main course.