While many swear by Andouille sausage, and others opt for ham hocks or tasso, there are many overlooked smoky, meaty ingredients that impart deep flavor to a pot of beans. From pig tails, rib tips, and pork necks, to smoked turkey necks and turkey legs, these under-used seasoning meats — with their skin, tendons, ligaments, collagen, and fat — infuse flavor, body, and incredible richness into a pot of beans.

Eating “nose-to-tail” is a philosophy that encourages using all parts of an animal, so as not to waste anything. And since Cajuns in particular and Southerners, in general, are known for being resourceful, thrifty, and not letting anything go to waste – delicious pieces and parts that might otherwise be ignored or thrown out are often used to perfectly season red beans and increase nutrition.

Red Beans with Smoked Turkey Legs

Game Meats

With a similar spirit of thrift and resourcefulness, hunters use game meats in as many different homemade dishes as possible – including when seasoning big pots of beans. From venison and rabbit to duck and more, there are many game meats that offer wonderful complexity to beans. Recipes like Rabbit and Cannellini Stew and K-Paul’s Famous Butter Beans ‘That Make You Crazy’ feature the best of game meat flavor.

So why not get creative with your next batch of beans? Try lesser-known pig tails or turkey necks for seasoning meat, or turn to a game meat favorite like venison. Your taste buds (and your wallet) with thank you.

Another Southern Tradition

When it comes enjoying a big steaming bowl of creamy red beans and rice, there are those who subscribe to the “more is more” philosophy. For example, in addition to the smoked sausage or ham hock or pickled pork that adds meaty flavor to red beans, many enjoy the additional meaty southern tradition of fried chicken alongside their beans. There’s just something about the creaminess of the beans combined with the crunchiness of the fried chicken that makes it a winning taste sensation.

A Favorite Combination at Restaurants and More

In fact, fried chicken is probably the most common treat paired with red beans and rice at favorite eateries, with the ubiquitous combo found at chains like Popeyes, as well as at mom and pop restaurants in New Orleans like Café Reconcile, Dunbar’s, and Willie Mae’s Scotch House. Interestingly, though it’s not on the public-facing menu, fried chicken and red beans & rice is one of the most popular secret suppers served to staff at upscale Galatoire’s. And according to Chef Anthony Scanio of Delmonico, “Of course, red beans and rice are a staple at New Orleans get-togethers; surely, fried chicken…is more than likely to be part of the pot luck.” Even Lolis Eric Elie, a New Orleans master storyteller, journalist, documentary filmmaker, and cookbook author, declares, “I love red beans and fried chicken as a combination.”

Finally, when asked “What’s the secret to your red beans?”, one loyal fan put it this way:

“Pickled meat, garlic, bay leaf, onions, and let them simmer on top of the stove! Serve over rice with a little hot sauce, fried chicken, and fresh French bread!”
Daphine J.

Red bean lovers are nothing if not opinionated about the ingredients they must have on hand to make their beloved red beans. But what about the mandatory accompaniments to a bowl of red beans and rice – such as the bread used to sop up all that goodness? Some insist on squares of homemade cornbread with their red beans and rice, while others prefer a light, airy, and crusty French bread made by local New Orleans’ purveyors such as Leidenheimer’s or Reising’s. And still others are happy with either or both on their plate.

When it comes to New Orleans restaurants, Joey K’s serves their red beans and rice with a basket of sliced French bread and butter, while Willie Mae’s serves their red beans with cornbread muffins. No matter your personal preference, all we know is that the tradition of breaking bread with family and friends is one that we can all get behind.

Try our favorite Buttermilk Cornbread recipe:

And read what red bean fans have to say about the issue:

“Lots of love, and killer cornbread on the side!!!”
– Bobby S.

“Serve over rice with a little hot sauce, fried Chicken, and fresh French bread!”
– Daphine J.

Smoked sausage is a bedrock red beans essential, and many folks wouldn’t make a pot of red beans without it. But while there’s always the popular Andouille, another local favorite is green onion smoked sausage. Flecked with bits of freshly chopped green onions, this variety of sausage offers a little bit of color and a whole lot of flavor to a pot of red beans. And it’s available from Louisiana brands like Manda and Richard’s.

Just as with other varieties of smoked sausage, most fans slice and brown green onion smoked sausage in a few glugs of oil, leaving the perfect amount of fat in the pot for cooking the trinity and infusing those aromatic vegetables with smoky green onion flavor. The texture, aroma and taste of green onion smoked sausage is a natural addition to a pot of creamy red beans, and a personal preference for many.

Check out quotes from fans who love making their red beans with green onion smoked sausage:

“Camellias..lots of onions..bay leaf..fry ground green onion sausage Patton’s Sausage and Smoked Cajun Sausage drain S&P cook slowly mash 2 cups creamy.”
Bonnie M.

“Some good smoked green onion sausages, smoked Tasso, smoked ham hocks, onion, Bell pepper, Tony’s seasoning. Slow cook for hours!!!!! I forgot.. GARLIC!!!”
Tonya M.

“Tasso, smoked green onion sausage, onions, little bell pepper, garlic. Chicken broth. Cook on high then turn down. I cook all day. Thick and creamy.”
Janet B.

Red Bean Essentials: Pickled Pork

Southerners love the richness that seasoning meats like pickled pork add to pot of red beans. Before refrigeration, preserving foods was a challenge, and every culture developed some version of pickling or preserving in a salty brine or vinegar. Herbs and spices, such as mustard seed, garlic, cinnamon or cloves, were often added. Pickled pork, a.k.a. pickle meat, was born of this process, providing seasoning while also preserving shelf life. And because it adds such unique flavor, the practice of including pickled pork is still beloved today – whether you’re cooking red beans or other iconic Southern dishes like butter beans or stewed vegetables.

Pickled pork is rendered supremely tender from its brine and can be relied upon to break down and saturate the other ingredients in the pot with its delicious flavors. So when you cook with it, you’ll want to hold off on adding salt before tasting the cooked beans — because the salt released from the pickle meat should be plenty to season the pot. It also adds a tang or vinegary taste that many fans love.

At most Louisiana grocery stores, pickled pork is readily available in hunks, smaller chunks, or slices from brands such as Richard’s and Savoie’s — both of which call themselves “Cajun” — and Vaucresson’s, which claims Creole as its heritage. No matter the brand, the aromatics and spices used in the brining process are all about the same. If pickle meat is unavailable where you are, you can buy it online, or easily make it yourself with a pork shoulder roast and seasonings.

Check out our recipe for Pickled Pork.

Try a few Red Beans & Rice recipes that feature pickled pork:

New Orleans-Style Red Beans & Rice

Barry Begault’s Slow Cooker Family Red Beans

See how some cooks use it alongside other ingredients to get the best-tasting red beans around:

“Andouille, diced pickled pork, garlic, Tony’s, and a really good blend of other seasonings.”
Liz X.

“Bacon grease-sauté onions-pickled pork, Tasso, little roux, ham base, low and slow till they cream, green onion tops at the end!”
Jimmy Y.

“Pickled meat, garlic, bay leaf, onions and let them simmer on top of the stove! Serve over rice with a little hot sauce, fried chicken, and fresh French bread!”
Daphine J.

“Soak and rinse them. Put them in the crockpot with some onions, garlic, celery, boiled pickled meat, kitchen bouquet, and brown gravy powder.”
Adia H.

“I use hickory smoked bacon! The grease from the bacon will make the beans creamy and flavorful!! But I can’t forget the smoke sausage, pickled meat, and ham hocks!!!”
David H.

When it comes to cooking homemade red beans a little more quickly and with less hands-on time involved, buying pre-chopped trinity is one way to go. But, if you’re looking to save time shopping and chopping, or maybe you don’t have the produce on hand that you need at the moment – a dehydrated seasoning base like Zydeco Chop Chop can replace the trinity. That’s why it’s great to have in your back pocket and as a staple in your spice cabinet.

Zydeco Chop Chop and other similar seasoning blends are made up of a combination of dehydrated vegetables including onion, red and green bell pepper, celery, green onion and parsley flakes. So in essence, you’re getting the trinity in dehydrated form, already blended and ready to help you cook up a pot of red beans that’s full of flavor. Zydeco Chop Chop is gluten-free with no salt added, easy to store, and stays fresh for up to 3 years.

Some home cooks like to rehydrate the dehydrated seasoning blend quickly before adding it to the pot by mixing it with water or oil, and using it to replace fresh vegetables. Others like to generously sprinkle it right from the container into the pot, throughout the cooking process. And then there are fans who like to use both fresh vegetables and Zydeco Chop Chop together, to give their red beans a little somethin’ extra. There’s just no wrong way to use it.

Try these red beans & rice recipes featuring Zydeco Chop Chop:

Zydeco Chop Chop Red Beans & Rice

This stovetop recipe uses Zydeco Chop Chop to replace the trinity.

Pantry Red Beans & Rice

This faster Instant Pot recipe relies solely on pantry staples you already have on hand.

An Old Tradition

Like so many delicious Southern culinary traditions, the use of ham hocks came about as a result of hard times. While the wealthy viewed knobby, gelatinous ham hocks as undesirable, laborers in the fields and cities gladly used the marrow-rich bones to flavor and enhance beans, greens and broths. Hocks were, and still are, cured with salt and smoked — serving to enhance flavor while preserving shelf life. And the beloved practice of including a ham hock in a pot of simmering red beans is a must for many today.

Inexpensive, Collagen-Rich, Meaty Flavor

Over the years, Southerners have come to a universal appreciation for the rich, porky flavor that ham hocks impart at a thrifty cost. In fact, cooking red beans with a ham hock truly offers multiple advantages. First off, ham hocks are collagen-rich, so when slow cooked with beans and liquid, the collagen and fat slowly dissolve, adding a silky texture along with rich, smoky flavor. Ham hocks also add a wonderful saltiness, so be sure to wait till your beans have finished cooking before adjusting salt to taste. Usually sold in pairs that are pre-weighed and wrapped near your grocery’s butcher case, ham hocks are inexpensive, allowing you to add meaty flavor to your beans for less. And finally, at the end of cooking, you’ll want to remove the ham hock, pull it apart, chop up the tasty little pockets of meat by the bone, and add that meat back to your red beans – because those wonderfully tasty bits will make your red beans even more delicious.

Here are some of our favorite red bean recipes that feature ham hocks:

Emily’s Red Beans and Rice

New Orleans-Style Red Beans & Rice

And check out quotes from those who wouldn’t think of cooking red beans without them:

“Smoked ham hocks and sausage, bell peppers, onions and garlic! Oh yeah!”
Aimee M.

“Boil the smoked ham hocks first to make a smoky broth, and use that broth for the beans.”
Southern L.

“A Chisesi ham hock and a healthy dose of Tabasco.”
Randy S.

“Soak overnight. Salt, garlic and a great big smoked ham hock. Bring to good boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 2 hours or until beans are soft texture.”
Kathy F.

When it comes to adding smoky flavor, richness, and delicious fat to the base of your red beans, many cooks say there’s nothing better than bacon. A popular method involves chopping and cooking bacon in a cast-iron pot or Dutch oven over low-to-medium heat until the fat has slowly melted out of the meat, and the bacon becomes crisp.

A Little Goes A Long Way

The flavor that even a small amount of bacon imparts to red beans is noteworthy, so a little can go a long way. Which is why many people use bacon grease as a base, cooking the trinity in it until translucent, and then adding beans, stock and any other meats they may be using.

The Magic of Bacon Grease and Crispy Bacon

Many Southern cooks are so enamored with bacon grease that they’ll often cook a whole pound of bacon just to store the resulting grease, using it later to add a rich smokiness to red beans as well as other favorite dishes, such as greens and cornbread. If you’re making a big batch to store it, be sure to let the bacon grease cool first, then pour it through a strainer and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Of course, the resulting crisp bacon is a treat and full of flavor as well. Many leave it in the bottom of the pot along with the bacon grease to add even more meatiness to their red beans, while others remove it and drain it, adding it back to the pot when the beans have finished cooking – or crumbling it atop individual servings.

Keep in mind that bacon is cured and salty, so when using it in your red beans, be careful not to over-salt the pot. You can always add salt at the end of cooking, tasting and adding more if needed.

Here are some of our favorite red beans & rice recipes that feature bacon:

Camellia’s Classic Small Red Beans and Rice

Devin’s Feed the Krewe Red Beans

Devin’s “Feed the Krewe” Red Beans

At the base of many Cajun and Creole favorites is a simple foundation of gently sautéed vegetables. In fact, it’s step one in rustic, family-style recipes for gumbo, étouffée, jambalaya, and of course, red beans and rice.

The three essential vegetables in this foundation are onions, celery and green bell pepper, and because Louisiana is predominantly Catholic, the Holy Trinity, or the Trinity for short, took hold as its moniker. In fact, Chef Paul Prudhomme was the celebrity chef who popularized not only Cajun cuisine, but the use of the Trinity as well. Now, from home cooks to chefs, everyone agrees that deliciousness flows from this universal starter, providing a savory base for other ingredients to build upon.

The ratio is traditionally three parts onions to two parts celery to one part bell pepper, but some prefer equal amounts of each, and others take a shortcut by using a container of pre-chopped Trinity readily available in grocery stores. For those who cook red beans religiously every week, chopping the Trinity and sautéing it in butter, oil, or fat leftover from browning sausage or seasoning meat, creates an aroma and basis that practically ensures red bean success.

The heat from sautéing breaks down the flavorful vegetables, releasing their trapped liquids onto the hot surface of the skillet or dutch oven. An intense flavor develops as the water evaporates, leaving behind residual sugars that caramelize the vegetables until a desirable richness is achieved. Similar to the idea behind French mirepoix and Spanish & Latin American sofrito, the Holy Trinity supports and improves the dishes it’s used in, and red beans and rice is no exception.

A delicious fat for your red beans

Fat is a key component in making red beans creamy and flavorful. And if you love cooking red beans, you probably have a favorite kind of fat that adds the dimension, flavor and creaminess you can’t live without. For many, it’s butter — with its rich, creamy dairy flavor, it feels good in your mouth and makes other flavors taste better, too.

Butter acts as a creamy flavor carrier

Real butter is made from milk fat and has a delicious, smooth texture. Interestingly, it has a melting temperature of 98.6° F, which happens to be the temperature inside your mouth. And it works well as a flavor carrier for spices and other ingredients; for example, when you begin the process of making red beans by sautéing the trinity in butter, all the flavor from the onions, celery and bell pepper will be carried by the butter into the rest of the dish – complementing and enhancing the flavor of the beans.

Another way to experience the creamy mouth-feel of butter in your red beans is to add it at the very end of the bean cooking process, as a finisher. By adding butter at this point, you’re increasing the buttery flavor and ensuring wonderful creaminess, right before serving the beans. In fact, red beans & rice fans have spoken when it comes to their secret ingredients, and quite a few swear by the addition of butter – throughout the cooking process, as well as at the end. The exact amount varies from cook to cook, but when in doubt, you can’t go wrong by adding a little more. Like they say, everything tastes better with butter.

Try one of our favorite red bean recipes that features butter. These fans love it:

“The woman who taught me to make red beans when I lived in New Orleans added a whole stick of butter…delish!”
Karen K.

“I use a little file and a little butter.” Harvey H.

“A stick of butter….and making a roux first.”
James S.

“Garlic and butter.” Patrick S.

“A ham hock from heavenly ham or one of those ham stores
and half stick butter per pound!”
Maria C.

“A stick or 2 of butter.”
Michael B.

“Add about a tablespoon of butter just before serving.”
Ruth H.

Crab Boil: Traditionally Used to Flavor Seafood

Crab boil is a spice mixture that’s traditionally used to flavor crabs and other shellfish when boiling seafood. And since Louisiana-style crab boil tends to be spicier than in other parts of the country, it’s not surprising that it often contains a fiery combination of cayenne pepper, salt, bay leaves, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, allspice, dill seed, black peppercorns and crushed red pepper. It’s found in two forms: 1) dry spices, usually housed within a mesh or cheesecloth bag that gets thrown into the seafood boiling pot to steep, and 2) a liquid concentrate that can be added directly to the water.

Boosts Flavor & Spice in All Kinds of Dishes

The real magic is in the liquid concentrate that’s made with spice extractives like essential oils (the aromatic components of a spice, normally extracted by steam distillation). Why? Because the liquid concentrate can be used to boost the flavor in all kinds of delicious dishes. And in South Louisiana, that means going well beyond boiled seafood. Many add a splash to their red beans (as well as to their rice-cooking water) for spicy, delicious flavor. But you’ll also find that folks add it to egg wash before frying seafood, as well as to gumbos, etouffées, and potato salad (again, to the water they boil their potatoes in). And some even go so far as to add it to melted butter used to roast potatoes and other vegetables.

Try a Few Drops in Your Red Beans

It’s potent stuff, but because you can literally use it drop by drop, you can control the level of spiciness and flavor it imparts. Haven’t tried it yet? Give it a go in your next batch of red beans and rice; you’ll be glad you did. Just remember, a little goes a long way, so be judicious. And enjoy.

A Spice-Aisle Staple for Vegetarians

Liquid smoke is a spice-aisle staple among vegetarian bean lovers, and they swear by its ability to add great smoky flavor to vegetarian red beans & rice. While smoked meat purists might not approve, liquid smoke fans claim it’s a meatless shortcut to savory, woodsy flavor. It provides the flavor of smoke without using smoked meats or cooking food over an open flame. Of course, you can use it to add extra smoky flavor — even if your dish also includes smoked meat.

So what exactly is liquid smoke? It’s literally wood smoke that has been condensed into a liquid form. Invented by Ernest H. Wright in 1895, it’s the result of running smoke from burning hickory wood through a condenser, and collecting the droplets. At the time, it was an inexpensive alternative to the common practice of smoking meat, and it was used more as a preservative than a flavoring agent, due to its natural antimicrobial properties.

A Great Way to Add Smoky Flavor

With the widespread appeal of summer campfires and backyard barbecues that came along in the 1950s and 60s, as well as the acceptance of flavoring condiments such as ketchup and barbecue sauce, liquid smoke gained popularity. Now, it’s marketed as a great way to quickly add smoky flavor to your favorite foods. And as you might expect, it’s popular as an ingredient in the production of barbecue-style meats, smoky bacon and smoked cheeses.

Most brands of liquid smoke are made the same, all-natural way that Wright did it way back when. Nowadays, you’ll sometimes find additional ingredients such as molasses, salt or vinegar.

A Little Goes A Long Way

The most important thing to know about using liquid smoke is that a little goes a long way — whether a dish is vegetarian or not. Dash it sparingly into chili, stews, soups and slow cooker dishes. Try adding a few drops to your red beans, and taste as you go. The flavor is intense, and you don’t want to overpower your dish. When tightly sealed and stored in a cool, dark place, it should maintain its flavor and aroma. So the next time you want to go for that special savory flavor, reach for the liquid smoke.

Rice is an essential but often-overlooked co-star of Louisiana’s most famous and distinctive dishes: gumbo, étouffée, jambalaya, dirty rice, rice and gravy, and — yes — red beans and rice. And when you’re choosing the rice that will complement your cooking, there’s no reason to settle for run-of-the-mill varieties when something as delicious as popcorn rice is available.

Savor the Hints of Nuts and Popcorn

Popcorn rice — a Louisiana-bred long-grain specialty variety of aromatic rice — is a sure-fire way to make your red beans even tastier. Popcorn rice delivers just what you’d expect from the name: a uniquely strong, nutty, toasty, popcorn-like aroma that is comparable to basmati rice.

The prominent extra flavor and fragrance in popcorn rice come from natural biochemicals that rice farmers purposefully cultivate, chiefly one called 2-acetyl 1-pyroline (or 2AP) that delivers the special aroma. You’ve heard of artisan cheeses, beers, and sausages; well, popcorn rice is an artisan grain.

Better Ingredients, Better Beans

The preparation of popcorn rice is generally no different from other varieties of white rice, though you should refer to your package’s label for specific instructions. To preserve its flavor, store popcorn rice in a cool, dry place or even freeze it.

Your red beans and rice won’t be any worse off if you don’t use popcorn rice, but as with anything you cook, the better ingredients you use, the tastier your final product will be. Using popcorn rice (or other aromatic types such as pecan rice and jasmine rice) is simply another way to up your kitchen game with a higher-quality flavor component that will never be accused of blandness.

It’s a simple truism in cooking that chicken stock makes everything taste better, and that includes your red beans and rice.

Why settle for using just water in your beans when this stock can add hints of chicken along with the delicious essences of an array of aromatic vegetables, herbs, and spices?

The Secret to the Stock: Bones

In chicken stock, it’s the bird’s bones that infuse the water with that extra-special flavor and mouthfeel, thanks to the gelatin that’s released during the simmering process. (Chicken stock is different from chicken broth in that the latter uses more meat than bones.)

Use as much chicken stock as you want in your beans. Even just a little should improve the overall taste of the final product. Or you can go all out and use stock entirely in the place of water.

Another great option: Use chicken stock, not water, as the liquid base for your rice.

And if it’s a truism that chicken stock makes everything better, then, naturally, homemade chicken stock trumps chicken stock out of a can or carton, or in a bouillon cube or powdered form.

Making Your Own Stock Is Simple

Whenever you have a whole chicken as a main meal, get into the habit of throwing the carcass — bones, skin, leftover meat, and all — into a stock pot or Dutch oven, then bring it to a boil along with some aromatic vegetables (such as onion, celery, carrots, garlic, leeks); herbs and spices (such as parsley, bay leaf, thyme, cloves, pepper, or anything that would go in a classic bouquet garni); along with, of course, water or even wine. The options are endless, and cookbooks are full of stock recipes. However, you probably don’t want to add salt to your stock-in-process because your chicken carcass, presumably, already contains sodium.

Let the stock simmer for several hours and then strain it, removing the fat and other particles along with the carcass. Store the broth in containers in your refrigerator or freezer to be used when needed. Obviously, freezing stock will make it last longer.

Stocks Come in Every Flavor

Stocks also can be made in similar fashion out of leftover seafood, fish, beef, veal, duck, game, or other meats for use in gumbos and other dishes. And if you’re a vegetarian, just leave out the meat and sauté your aromatic vegetables before starting the stock-making process.

If you don’t have the time or the inclination to make your own stock, try the premade products. Using a commercial version is better than using no stock at all. And in recent years, high-quality organic versions have become available, some marketed by celebrity chefs.

Red beans and rice already is the quintessential meal of south Louisiana. Adding chicken stock will add even more flavor dimensions that can only improve your final dish.