Red Beans and Rice

I found Alton Brown's recipe for Red Beans and Rice and it was so yummy that I wanted to post it here so others who may not have found it can try it too. One thing I did change, however, is I didn't put in the pickled pork that his recipe calls for. I simply added ham instead and it turned out great. Cooking the rice this way was new for me, but I think it added much more depth of flavor. I'll be cooking it this way from now on.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 10 mins
• Serves: 8

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 fresh ground black pepper
• 5  garlic cloves, minced
• 12  ounces ham, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3  bay leaves
• 1  teaspoon dried thyme
• 1  teaspoon  hot sauce
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2  quarts water
• 1  lb red kidney beans, rinsed and picked of debris

• For Rice

• 3  cups water
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2  cups long grain rice
• 1⁄2-1  teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

1. Cook on med-high heat the onion, bell pepper, and celery 6-8 minutes in oil until the onions and celery are semi-translucent and the bell pepper is tender.
2. Add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes stirring constantly so as not to burn the garlic.
3. Add the ham, bay leaves, thyme, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, water and beans to the pot and increase heat to high.
4. Stir frequently until mixture comes to a boil.
5. Decrease the heat to low and maintain a simmer.
6. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
7. Uncover, increase the heat slightly to maintain the simmer and cook for another 30-40 minutes or until the beans are tender and the sauce is thickened.
8. You can mash some of the beans with a potato masher if you like a creamier texture.
9. During the last 30 minutes of cooking the beans, prepare the rice.
10. To do this, bring 3 cups of water to a boil in one pot.
11. While boiling the water, in another pot melt the butter over medium heat.
12. Add the rice and stir to combine with butter.
13. Add the salt and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
14. Carefully pour boiling water over the rice and stir.
15. Decrease heat to lowest setting, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes.
16. Serve the beans over the rice and enjoy!