Ingredients
-
water, to cover the beans
-
3 1/2 lbs ham hocks
-
16 cups water
-
2 1/2 cups celery, finely chopped
-
2 cups green bell peppers, finely chopped
-
5 bay leaves
-
2 teaspoons white pepper
-
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
-
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
-
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
-
1 teaspoon cayenne
-
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
-
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
-
1 lb andouille sausage, cut diagonally into 3/4-inch pieces
-
2 cups onions, finely chopped
-
1 lb dried red kidney beans
Instructions
- Cover the beans with water 2" above beans.
- Let stand overnight.
- Drain just before using.
- Place the ham hocks, 10 cups of the water, celery, onions, bell peppers, bay leaves, and seasonings in a 5.5 qt saucepan or large Dutch oven; stir well.
- Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce heat and simmer until meat is fork tender, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Remove ham hocks from pan and set aside.
- Add the drained beans and 4 cups of the water to the pan; bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasinally.Add the remaining 2 cups of water and simmer 30 minutes, stirring often.
- Stire in the Andouille and continue simmering until the beans start breaking up, about 35 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan fairly often.
- *If the beans start to scorch, do not stir. Immediately remove from heat and change to another pot without scraping any of the scorched beans into the new mixture.
- Add the ham hocks and cook and stir 10 minutes more.
- Serve immediately over hot, white rice.