Slow-Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Steps

1. Put the beans in a large bowl, cover with 3 inches of cold water and soak overnight.
   ⏱ Soak beans: 8 hr
2. Drain and rinse the beans.
3. Put the beans in a large pot, cover with fresh water by 2 inches and bring to a full

   boil (how to boil)

   Boil Heat liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. 1. Use a pot big enough that the water fills it no more than three quarters.2. Cover it to boil faster, over high heat.3. Salt pasta or vegetable water once it boils.4. Add the food, stir, and bring it back to a boil before you start timing. Done when: A rolling boil keeps bubbling hard even when you stir. Safety: Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove, and drain pasta into a colander in the sink, pouring away from you. Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first.How to boil water for pasta and vegetables: mistakes to avoid

   over high heat.
4. Boil hard, uncovered. This step matters: raw kidney beans contain a natural toxin, and a slow cooker alone may not get hot enough to destroy it.
   ⏱ Boil beans: 10 min
5. Drain the beans in a colander and put them in a 6-quart slow cooker.
6. Add the sausage, onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, ham hock, broth, water, bay leaves, thyme, smoked paprika, cayenne and black pepper. Stir.
7. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours (or HIGH for 5 to 6 hours), until the beans are very soft and break apart easily.
   ⏱ Slow cook (LOW): 8 hr
8. Remove the bay leaves and ham hock. Pull any meat off the hock,

   chop (how to chop)

   Chop Cut food into bite-size pieces that don't have to match exactly. 1. Cut a flat side on round food and lay it on that side so it can't roll.2. Slice the food into strips about as wide as the pieces you want.3. Turn the strips and cut across them.4. Rock the knife over any big pieces until they are about the same size. Done when: The pieces are close enough in size to cook in the same time, about ½ inch unless the recipe says otherwise. Safety: Keep the fingertips of your guiding hand curled under, knuckles toward the blade, and set the board on a damp towel so it can't slide.How to chop vegetables and herbs: mistakes to avoid

   it and return it to the pot.
9. Use the back of a spoon to mash about a cup of beans against the side of the cooker, then stir. This makes the sauce creamy.
10. Stir in the salt, cover and cook on HIGH to thicken a little more.
    ⏱ Thicken (HIGH): 20 min
11. Taste and adjust the salt and cayenne. Serve over rice with green onions and hot sauce.

Tap an underlined word for how to do it, or see all techniques.

Tips

• Salt the beans at the end. Old beans or very salty broth can keep them from softening.
• If your beans are still firm after 9 hours, they may be old. Switch to HIGH and give them another hour.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months. It thickens as it sits; loosen with water when reheating.

Make ahead

Even better the next day. Make it a day ahead and reheat on the stove.

Cook once, eat twice: Double it (16 servings instead of 8), eat half and freeze the other half. It keeps 3 months frozen, by the storage note above. Print a freezer label · More freezer meals

How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage. In season: bell peppers (July to October).