New Orleans Red Beans & Rice

This is one of the best red beans & rice recipes I have ever had. It freezes well & is soul satisfying with a chunk of crispy cornbread & so chopped turnip greens on the side. From The Times-Picayune :"C.B. writes, "I had a great recipe for red beans and rice that was submitted by a reader. .¤.¤. He added all the ingredients, including the water, and put it in the refrigerator overnight. Then he cooked it the next day without draining the water. But my TP clipping has gone AWOL. I've searched your archives to no avail." When he gave this recipe to the newspaper in 2003, Jimmy Fahrenholtz said he had spent 25 years perfecting it."

• Ready In: 5 hrs 20 mins
• Serves: 25-35

Ingredients

• 2 1⁄2 lbs  red beans, dried
• 2  onions, chopped (big uns)
• 4  celery ribs, chopped
• 6  bay leaves
• 24  drops Tabasco sauce (other hot sauce OK)
• 1  tablespoon  italian seasoning
• 1  teaspoon  italian seasoning
• 1  tablespoon  creole seasoning
• 1  teaspoon onion powder
• 1  teaspoon garlic powder
• 1  tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1  teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2  teaspoons soy sauce
• 2  teaspoons Kitchen Bouquet
• 20  cups water
• 2 -3  lbs ham, cut up
• 2 -3  lbs sausage, regular (not hot, not mildly hot)

Directions

1. In a very large mixing bowl (or a 12-quart non-reactive pot, or two 6- to 8-quart pots), combine all ingredients except ham and sausage. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
2. When ready to cook, place all in a pot with the ham and sausage. Bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover, and strongly simmer (preferably without skimming), for 1 hour; stir as needed to keep beans from sticking.
3. Reduce heat and slowly simmer, covered, between 2 and 4 hours, or until mixture is very thick and beans are tender. During the slow-simmering process, stir frequently, especially toward end of cooking time, adding more water to pot only if dish seems too dry.
4. About 1 hour before done, periodically mash some of the beans with a potato masher, scraping pan bottom clean after each mashing; try to mash about 40 percent of the beans.
5. Serve immediately over rice or, preferably, let beans cool and refrigerate overnight. Reheat for serving.