Cajun Red Beans and Rice, Cooking with Dad

This tip brought to you by our Dad Guru John Valadez on Sep 10, 2009

There is no denying this plain fact; cooking with Dad is on a Cajun/Creole kick right now. I love the texture, flavors and spice those foods from this region of our great country produces. As the winter moves on I’ll experiment with other ethnicities of food, but for today – it’s Cajun, oh yeah. Cajun Red Beans and Rice is a staple of Louisiana cooking and I’m aiming to do them proud by representing the quality of their food and give them their due justice.

When a recipe calls for pickling an ingredient – like this one does - please do the recommended time allotment; you’ll get the flavor the dish deserves and do the recipe justice. It’s truly a win-win decision. This recipe is from my favorite Chef Alton Brown. Alton does Cajun right and most importantly authentic. Please enjoy the dish.
Cajun Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
For red beans:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil


• 1 medium onion, chopped


• 2 medium green bell peppers, chopped


• 3 stalks celery, chopped


• 2 teaspoons kosher salt


• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


• 5 cloves garlic, minced


• 12 ounces pickled pork, cut into 1-inch pieces, recipe follows


• 3 bay leaves


• 1 teaspoon dried thyme


• 1 teaspoon hot sauce


• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper


• 2 quarts water


• 1 pound red kidney beans, rinsed and picked of debris

For rice:

• 3 cups water


• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter


• 2 cups long-grain rice


• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
Place the vegetable oil in a 7-quart Dutch oven and set over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, salt and pepper to the pot. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions and celery are semi-translucent and the bell peppers are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the pickled pork, bay leaves, thyme, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, water and beans to the pot and increase the heat to high. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture comes to a boil which is approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat slightly to maintain a steady simmer and continue to cook for another 30 to 40 minutes or until the beans are tender and the sauce is thickened to your liking. If you prefer an even creamier texture, mash some of the beans with a potato masher.
Prepare rice during the last 30 minutes of cooking the beans. Place the water into an electric kettle and bring to a boil. While the water is coming to a boil place the butter into a 3-quart saucepan, set over medium heat. Once the butter begins to bubble, add the rice and stir to combine. Add the salt and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Carefully pour the water over the rice and stir to combine. Decrease the heat to the lowest setting, cover, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve the beans over the rice.
Pickled Pork:

• 2 cups water


• 1 cup apple cider vinegar


• 1/4 cup kosher salt


• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed


• 2 tablespoons sugar


• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard seed


• 2 tablespoons hot sauce


• 1 tablespoon celery seed


• 1 bay leaf


• 1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns


• 8 ounces ice


• 1 1/2 pounds fresh boneless pork butt, cut into 2-inch cubes

Combine all of the ingredients except the ice and the pork in a 2-quart non-reactive saucepan, set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and maintain a simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the ice and stir. Place the pork into a 1-gallon zip top bag and add the cooled pickling liquid. Remove as much air as possible; seal the bag and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 days, turning the bag occasionally. Use within 2 weeks or remove from the pork from the brine and freeze.
Yield: about 1 1/2 pounds
I hope you enjoyed this dish as much as I did – Bon Appétit!