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Print Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Beans
Southern
Servings: 4

Equipment

  • cast iron skillet, dutch oven, or stew pot
  • collander

Ingredients

  • 1 large can (or 2 small) red kidney beans
  • 1 lb. ham steak
  • 2 to 3 slices bacon, chopped
  • 1 to 2 cups chicken stock
  • ½ cup onions, diced
  • ¼ cup 1 stalk celery, diced
  • ½ green pepper, diced (¼ cup)
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 tsp. parsley
  • ½ tsp. thyme
  • ½ tsp. oregano
  • ⅛ tsp. ground cumin
  • ⅛ tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Splash of cider vinegar
  • ¼ tsp. sugar
  • 1 cup long grain white rice

Instructions 

Prep

  • Brown bacon in the bean pot, then remove it from the fat and set it aside on a paper towel.
  • In a separate cast iron skillet, sear the ham steak on both sides until it's nice and brown.

Sauté

  • Add the onions, celery, and peppers (trinity) to the skillet and sauté until tender.
  • Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
  • Add herbs and tomato paste, then stir until toasted.
  • Add beans, including liquid, and stir.
  • Add cumin and pepper flakes and stir.
  • Cover with chicken stock and add bay leaves.
  • Add diced ham.
  • Bring the pot of beans to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
  • Stir occasionally and adjust seasoning to taste.

Finish

  • Once beans are simmering, put on 4 cups of water to boil.
  • When water is boiling, add 1 cup of rice.
  • Boil rice like pasta for 15 minutes, then strain in a mesh colander.
  • When rice is ready and the juice in the beans is reduced to a nice gravy, return the browned bacon to the beans.
  • Add the splash of cider vinegar and ¼ tsp. sugar and stir.
  • Serve the beans on top of the rice in equal portions (2 spoonfuls of each).