If you're American, to include Canadian, then you must love Popeye's Red Beans and Rice. Well, the
rice is the easy part. The hard part is the Red Beans.

Here's a tip: Forget the directions on the bag.

I like the Goya small red beans. Rinse and sort the beans - get the chunks of dirt out. Then put the
beans, the whole pound, in about two quarts of chicken broth. Add an onion, chopped, and a few
cloves of garlic, also chopped. Add some chili powder and a bunch of paprika - the smoked kind.

Then - add two or three smoked ham hocks. Let it all start boiling, turn 'em down, and let 'em
simmer for a while. Be careful the beans don't stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Stir them
every so often. Add more broth as necessary.

After two or three hours, the beans will become tender, and the ham hocks will also be tender. Test
them with a fork. The meat should easily come out, but don't take it out yet.

Take the hocks out of the beans, strip the bones of all the skin, meat, fat, and everything else.
Throw the bones in the trash, or give 'em to the dog, and put everything else in a blender. Scoop
out about a cup of beans and juice and put it in the blender also. Blend the beans and ham hock meat
until pureed. Then pour back into the bean pot. This will thicken up the 'soup' a little. If you
like it thicker, do the blender bit again.

You will be amazed at the flavor the ham hocks give the beans.

Note: It's best to do the ham hock in the blender bit when the lady of the house is not looking.
Some will turn up their noses.

They are not 'connoisseurs' of red beans and rice.

In article ,
says...

If you're American, to include Canadian, then you must love Popeye's Red Beans and Rice. Well, the
rice is the easy part. The hard part is the Red Beans.

Here's a tip: Forget the directions on the bag.

I like the Goya small red beans. Rinse and sort the beans - get the chunks of dirt out. Then put the
beans, the whole pound, in about two quarts of chicken broth. Add an onion, chopped, and a few
cloves of garlic, also chopped. Add some chili powder and a bunch of paprika - the smoked kind.

Then - add two or three smoked ham hocks. Let it all start boiling, turn 'em down, and let 'em
simmer for a while. Be careful the beans don't stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Stir them
every so often. Add more broth as necessary.

After two or three hours, the beans will become tender, and the ham hocks will also be tender. Test
them with a fork. The meat should easily come out, but don't take it out yet.

Take the hocks out of the beans, strip the bones of all the skin, meat, fat, and everything else.
Throw the bones in the trash, or give 'em to the dog, and put everything else in a blender. Scoop
out about a cup of beans and juice and put it in the blender also. Blend the beans and ham hock meat
until pureed. Then pour back into the bean pot. This will thicken up the 'soup' a little. If you
like it thicker, do the blender bit again.

You will be amazed at the flavor the ham hocks give the beans.

Note: It's best to do the ham hock in the blender bit when the lady of the house is not looking.
Some will turn up their noses.

They are not 'connoisseurs' of red beans and rice.

I always use ham hocks in my red beans.