Weekend Cooking: White Beans and Rice
A Louisiana staple, cooked all day.
Back in September, I shared this recipe as my daughter had named it: Three Little Pigs White Beans and Rice.
One of the things I learned kind of early on in south Louisiana is that the inclusion of ham hocks or neck bones during the cooking of the beans is a must. It adds an exceptional level of flavor you wouldn’t get otherwise.
Another is the insistence that the best consistency and flavor comes from a cast iron dutch oven. However, any pot will do (allegedly just not as well). You can also do this in a slow cooker, which will bring out a lot of good flavor, but I think some of it gets lost going from the sauteeing pan/pot to the slow cooker.
Until recently, I did it pretty much as the recipes I borrowed from suggested, but then I switched to using pork belly. Originally, I just cooked the pork belly in the pot and rendered the fat there to create the drippings I need in the beginning. What I like to do now is smoke the pork belly first, and use the rendered fat that has the flavor of good barbecue smoke to flavor the rest of the pot. The pork belly is cooked and its fat rendered, then it is saved until halfway into the long cook of the beans, where I cut it into smaller chunks and toss it into the pot. That’s the third “pig,” pairing with the sausage and the ham hock, all of it smoked.
If you don’t want a recipe that requires several hours to cook, my buddy Erick Erickson has a much faster recipe you can use that also works very well.
“Three Little Pigs” White Beans and Rice
1 lb. dried navy beans
2 lb. pork belly, cubed
1 lb. smoked ham hock or neck bone
1 package smoked sausage
1 c. chopped onions
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped bell pepper
1/4 c. minced garlic
1 c. chopped green onions
2 fresh bay leaves
64 oz. chicken stock or water
Some recipes tell you to soak your beans overnight. This isn’t mandatory and, frankly, I don’t do it. However, if you choose to, that will cut your cooking time down by a good bit. Soak overnight in cold water to soften up the beans.
Put your cast iron dutch oven over medium-high heat and render as much of the fat out as you can. Alternatively, set your air fryer to 370 degrees and cook the pork belly in there, as that will go a little faster. When the pork is cooked, transfer the fat to the dutch oven.
Add the trinity (onions, bell pepper, celery) to the pot and let it cook in the pork fat until soft. When you see the onion start to brown just a little bit, add the garlic and green onion and stir to release the aromatics.
Slice the sausage and add it to the pot, stirring it well until it warms through (about 2-3 minutes).
Add the beans, then the chicken stock. The liquid should cover the beans by a couple of inches. If it does not, add some more stock or water until it does. The beans will absorb a lot, and the cook will naturally reduce the liquid, too.
Bring to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally. When it hits the boil, turn the heat to low and stir for a couple more minutes. Then, add the reserved pork belly and the bay leaves, then put the lid over the beans and let it cook for two hours.
At this point, the beans should be soft enough to serve. Use your spoon to mash some against the side of the pot and then stir, making the mixture creamier. If you want, cook longer. It will develop more flavor. The pork belly and ham hocks will just fall apart at the slightest touch. If the liquids reduce too much, add water to thin it back out.
When your desired consistency and flavors are reached, serve over rice. Add hot sauce or Cajun seasoning just before eating.
This is absolutely doable with red beans (like kidney beans), too. The recipes are largely interchangeable.