best red beans and rice everrrr

alright y'all, there is a lot of love and time that you must dedicate to this well worth it meal. it's not hard by any means, just be prepared to stay at home for a few hours while making it. i'm sure you could make this in the crockpot but i haven't tried it yet. as with most of my meals, this is kid friendly! i hope you enjoy this one as much as we do!

|| i n g r e d i e n t s ||

1-2 lbs smoked andouille sausage, sliced

1/2 lb bacon, roughly chopped

1-2 large smoked ham hocks

1 yellow onion, diced

1 shallot, roughly diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

3 celery stalks, diced

1 1/2 lbs red kidney beans, soaked overnight-drained&rinsed

1/4 C olive oil

1 bay leaf

1 T paprika

1 T Tabasco

1 T pink himalayan salt -PLUS-1t kosher salt

2 t sugar

2 qt (or 8 C) of chicken stock

1 bunch scallions, sliced

FOR THE RICE

1/2 C canola oil

1 yellow onion, diced

1 shallot, roughly diced

1 bay leaf

2 t kosher salt

1/4 C unsalted butter, softened

2 cups uncooked jasmine rice

3 C chicken broth

|| i n s t r u c t i o n s ||

over medium heat, add olive oil and bacon to a heavy bottomed dutch oven. while cooking, stir often, until the fat drippings are rendered. about 7-10 minutes. add in the onion, shallot, celery and green bell pepper. continue to stir often while cooking, about 5-7 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not over cooked. add in the bay leaf, paprika and hot sauce. pour in the ham hock(s), beans and cover everything with the chicken stock. bring the mixture to a boil, still stirring constantly, and skim off the foam that comes to the surface. after that, reduce heat to low. cover and simmer for about 3-4 hours, stirring once or twice an hour. with about an hour left, remove the ham hock(s) and remove bone and cut off the meat from the fat and add it back into the bean mixture. discard the bay leaf and add in the salt and sugar. while that continues to cook, begin making the rice. in a saucepan, over med-high heat add oil. once heated- add onion, shallot, butter, bay leaf and salt until onions are soft and translucent. add in the rice, stir everything very well, then add in the chicken broth and bring it to a boil. reduce to low, cover and cook for about 15 minutes. y'all, love on this rice and stir it about every minute so it doesn't stick! now onto the smoked andouille sausage. in a pan over med-high heat, add in two or three tablespoons of olive oil. once heated, add sausage and cook until browned. set aside-you could add this into the bean mixture but this particular type of sausage is spicy so to make this kid friendly, i just cook it separately and add to individual bowls. ok, we're in the home stretch here. add rice, bean mixture, sausage and more tabasco (if you want an extra of a kick!) into a bowl, top with scallions and enjoy!