Chef Paul's Red Bean S and Rice With Ham Hocks

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried red kidney beans
• water, to cover the beans
• 3 1/2 lbs ham hocks
• 16 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups celery, finely chopped
• 2 cups onions, 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

Directions

1. 1

   Cover the beans with water 2" above beans.

2. 2

   Let stand overnight.

3. 3

   Drain just before using.

4. 4

   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.

5. 5

   Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.

6. 6

   Reduce heat and simmer until meat is fork tender, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

7. 7

   Remove ham hocks from pan and set aside.

8. 8

   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.

9. 9

   Stire in the Andouille and continue simmering until the beans start breaking up, about 35 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan fairly often.

10. 10

    *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.

11. 11

    Add the ham hocks and cook and stir 10 minutes more.

12. 12

    Serve immediately over hot, white rice.