HELP my wife cant cook so I cook all the meals no really! I do ask her. One thing I have never mastered is Red beans. I want a big ole pot of Red Beans and cornbread help me learn how to make em!
Thanks
Marty

I soak the beans overnight in a pot of water. The next day I drain the beans and discard soaking water. Then, I take two smoked hamhocks, a white onion, a jalapeno, couple of pieces of garlic, salt, fresh ground black pepper and cook the whole deal until the beans are tender. Add come cumin if you like it a little smokey. I do love beans and cornbread when it starts cooling off.

Good luck.

Sancho has it goin rite there! The only thing I do differnt, is I will use salt pork, when ham hock is not available.
As far as cornbread goes, its hard to beat the mixes they have in the store, just add egg and milk.

You guys are killin' me! Red beans and red potatoes with jalapeno slivers and onions with just a little fresh white corn...mix in a little "Tony's" and lot's of garlic and a few hamhocks...Lord have mercy! I'm startin' to slobber all over myself!!!LOL,LOL!

Cook the taters separate.

Prepare the corn separate.

Mix it up...!

Break out the jalapeno cornbread...

Eat it up!
(I reckon a mighty cold beer would go right well with this too!)Hehehehehe...

Thanks for the post! This is really good stuff!!

I always use small red beans, 2 ham hocks per one pound bag. I don't bother to soak them over night. I always start with a few cloves of chopped garlic and a whole onion chopped in a couple tablespoons of oil. Just until the onions wilt. Add the beans, bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for 2-3 hours.

One little trick I learned is not to season your beans until they are almost done, it makes them tough. Besides you don't really know how much salt will come outta the ham hocks.

For seasoning I use cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, Tony's, a dash or three of Red Hot.

Cornbread

To me there is only one way to make a decent cornbread. Heat a cast iron skillet in the oven for about 10 minutes first with bacon grease in it, the grease should be literally smoking when you add your cornbread mixture. It'll sizzle when you add the batter to the grease so it makes really crispy edges.

I make mine from scratch with yellow cornmeal, flour, sugar, buttermilk and eggs, fresh jalapenos, and a couple tablespoons of bacon grease right into the mix. It's not exactly a heart healthy recipe but it sure tastes great.

Hi! Ladyfish...would you be so kind as to expound on your cornbread recipe...amounts, technique, temp etc. Thanks.

Sure........

Ingredients:

1 cup stone ground yellow cornmeal.

1 cup unbleached white flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 to 3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

Bacon grease



1. Preheat oven to 375. Make sure your oven's accurate, too; it really needs to be up to temperature to get perfect results.

2. In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and sugar. (If baking powder or soda appear at all lumpy, sift them in). Stir well to combine.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, and about 2 tablespoons bacon grease.

4. Put another 2 tablespoons bacon grease into your cast iron skillet. Put the skillet in the overn for about 8-10 minutes before you add your batter, you want it smokint. Tilt the pan to coat the sides of the skillet.

5. Quickly pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and, using a wooden spoon, stir the wet and dry together with as few strokes as possible --- only as many as are needed to combine the two. Don't beat it; don't smooth it out. Scrape the batter into the hot, smokin skillet --- if you've gotten it hot enough it will sizzle as it goes in --- and pop it in the oven immediately.

6. Bake until golden brown on top, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve, hot, cut in wedges.

NOTE: this is not recommended for TFF Biggest Losers :p

Cajun Red Beans & Rice

4 servings
1 lb red beans
1 1/2 lb smoked sausage, sliced
1/2 lb smoked ham shanks
1 large onion chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 t dried thyme, crumbled
1 t ground pepper
1/2 t ground sage
1 bay leaf
Pinch of ground red pepper
Salt
Freshly Cooked Rice

Place beans in Dutch oven and cover generously with water. Let soak for 30 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients to beans except salt and rice. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until beans are tender, adding more water if necessary, about 2 1/2 hours. Add salt to taste. Remove ham bones. Remove about 3 Tablespoons of beans from mixture and mash to a paste. Return bean paste to mixture and stir. Simmer 15 more minutes and then serve hot over the rice.

Man I am going to have to try all of these and especially Lady's cornbread. I loves me sum red beans and rice with cornbread.

When I was a kid we had greens or if was in season, poke salad on the side. Grandma knew when the poke salad was ready to pick.
All cooked in bacon grease.
She cooked the cornbread in the cast iorn skillet in the oven also.
We would usually have a glass of buttermilk to drink.
Fond memories.

wash beans 1# beans (pinto) 1 or 2 tbls of whorshesterhire 1Tsp Salt-black pepper--1/4 cup of ketshup---garlic ---2 tbl brown sugar---1/2 # of smoke bacon ends---ad onions (small) at last -30 minutes of cooking bring to boil for 2 hrs then sinner 4-6 hrs.Keep it simple and slow ,you could win in bbq cookoff-like me

We did it again!...All this jabber 'bout Red Beans and now we've got a pot going! Been cookin' all night (boy! am I tired!LOL)...kinda like makin' moonshine...keep sippin' on 'em, and checkin' on 'em like they was a baby!

(Red Beans'll make ya talk funny ya know!)

Next week we're going start up a pot of venision stew with pasole!

Not red beans but this is a good recipe.


PAPPASITO�S CHARRA BEANS

This recipe was taken from the internet where Pappasito�s Restaurant placed it for their customers use.


1 � pounds of pinto beans, uncooked

� pound bacon pieces, copped fine

� cup garlic, fine chopped

5 tablespoons cilantro, fine chopped

1 cup white onion, fine chopped

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

� gallon cold water

1 � teaspoon salt (we use about half that much)

2 cups Roma tomatoes, chopped


Soak beans in a gallon of cold water for at least 8 hours. Rinse and drain the beans.


In a 6 to 8 quart heavy pot, cook the chopped bacon until well done. Add all but 1 tablespoon of the chopped garlic, 4 tablespoons of the chopped cilantro and the chopped onion. Cook until the onions are transparent. (Now you should have one tablespoon of garlic and cilantro for use later, right?


When the onions are done, add the drained beans, the cumin and the chili powder. Stir over heat and add � gallon cold water. Cook over medium heat stirring frequently to prevent burning on the bottom of the pot. Add salt and cook until tender, about 1 � 1 � hours.


Just before serving, add the remaining garlic, cilantro and tomatoes.

Serve up the best charra beans you have ever had.

heres a quick way to make red beans and rice just had me some last night

1/2 lb of mild sausage cook until brown dont drain off any grease thats left in the pan
2 cans of NEW ORLEANS style red beans do not drain off water
1 tablespoon of grandmas molassas (can be found at wal-mart supercenters)
1 teaspoon of tonys due to salt content or
2 teaspoons of cajun blast (can be found at gander mnt)

make ya some white rice and enjoy
dont forget the cornbread

One hint for cooking red beans is to bring them to a boil with none of your seasonings added, drain completely, add fresh water and finish cooking. It does reduce the amount of gas you will produce after eating them.