We met Fred Roberts at the Louisiana Roadfood Festival (more to come on that) and he said he made the best red beans around, to which I immediately responded, “that’s a pretty tough claim to make!” He promised to send it to us and within a few hours we received the recipe by email.   I knew it was a winner just by looking at it…any recipe that starts off with “smoked turkey leg” is alright by me!

Fred’s Red Beans & Rice

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1 Smoked turkey leg (or wing) or ham hock

1 Pound Smoked Sausage

1 Pound Camellia red beans

1 Onion; chopped

1 Bell pepper; chopped

2 Celery stalks, chopped

1 Tablespoon Paprika

3 Bay leaves

1-1/2 Teaspoon Thyme; dried

1 teaspoon Sage

2 Garlic cloves; crushed

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon Oregano; dried

2 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce

1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

2 teaspoon Parsley (but it’s better with about ½ cup fresh chopped parsley)

Salt to taste

Cooked rice

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Cover the beans by about an inch with water and allow to stand overnight in a big pot. (or place the beans in water and bring to a boil, remove from heat and let stand at least 2 hours). Some people like to drain the beans, but I don’t. Make sure beans are covered by about an inch of water, then bring beans to a boil.

Meanwhile, sauté the onion, garlic, celery, and bell pepper and add to the beans. Brown the sausage and add it to the beans also.

Replenish the water, if needed, just covering the beans. Add the turkey leg, Bay leaves, thyme, sage, oregano, salt, and pepper.

Cook on low heat for about 2 to 3 hours. Stir occasionally and add additional water as needed.

Mash a cup of the beans to make a paste, if you need to, and return to the pot. Remove the bay leaves. Add the hot sauce, paprika, parsley, and cayenne.

The beans should be tender as they simmer for about another 1 or 2 hours. Serve over the rice.

Some people like to go through taking the ham from the hocks, but I just leave them in there if I use ham hocks.

Enjoy – Fred Roberts