Red Beans and Rice - dutch oven necessary?

[hamsandwich]

I'm cooking a ton of red beans for a Lundi Gras party on Monday, enough that I'll need to cook two batches. It's not my first time, but I've always used a dutch oven. Unfortunately, I only have one dutch oven and the timing is such that I don't have time to completely cook one, transfer it, and then cook another batch in the same pot.

Will I mess the beans up if I cook one batch in a regular pot? How necessary is it for them to be in a heavy dutch oven?

[roro1831]

I've never used a dutch oven and my beans come out just fine.

[N.O.Food]

not necessary.

[Hungry Celeste]

Of course you don't need a dutch oven. Heck, you can make decent red beans in a slow cooker.

[hamsandwich]

Hey! I have a slow cooker. Sounds fantastic, then I can go pick up my king cakes. Same recipe or do I need to make adjustments?

[carol land]

The slow cooker will make the beans watery. You can always mash up a cup of beans to thicken the sauce.

[edible complex]

or add a can of blue runners

[Hungry Celeste]

Or hit 'em with a potato masher, which is what I do when I cook beans atop the stove. Some folks don't like mushed-up/broken beans, but I like the "slurry" texture just fine.

[hazelhurst]

"cheating" with Blue Runner is always fine with me but I usually mash some on the side of the pot. This was a Major Issue in an Earth Shaking Argument up on Camp Street about thirty years ago when someone--Richard and Rima Colins I think---came out with a Standard of perfection that involved judging RB&R by your "bean definition." A friend had a Thoth party every year and she always made red beans. They were excellent but she professed to be ashamed because her Bean Defintion was not good. It was all ludicrous and we had a good time with it. And she always had a can of Blue Runner around, next to the bags of Camellia beans(of course).

The Pickapeppa hint is a good idea--some folks put in shredded tasso to get the smoke, I like Best Stop andouille in mine. A friend puts sage in hers (!) Da woist dat can happen is dat dey gets boint.

[roro1831]

I just mash some with a spoon in a coffee cup and put back in the pot. I love the creamy texture, not a fan of whole beans.

[mrsfury]

I smash them on the pot during cooking. I'm going to give y'all my secret ingredient. Before you cover the beans with water add 1/2 a bottle of Abita Amber (per 1 lb of beans).

[Samuel Smith]

What to do with the remaining beer??? What's a guy to do...

[kchurchill5]

If you can't figure that one out ... I'll be glad to help :)

[underworld gourmet]

You can use a dutch oven, and old tin pot(the choice of my grandma, famous for her cooking) a slow cooker ( I do it oft this way; run some of the bean thru the food processor for a marvelouis c reaminess) or for that matter that would fit your situation, unless I misread it, do one batch the night beforeand refirgerate--they are usually better the night after, having had chance for the flavors to blend. What seasoning meat do you use? And by the way, I've had good success putting some pickapeppa sauce in the beans--gives it a marvelouis smoky flavor, which I prefer to the mere heat of Tabasco.

[edible complex]

"which I prefer to the mere heat of Tabasco"
or the overwhelming vinegarization of anything splashed w/Tabasco.

[carol land]

Crystal hot sauce has a better flavor than Tabasco.

[Davwud]

I add sriracha or sambal.

Ham, I see you seem set on the slow cooker but could you not borrow a DO from someone??

DT

[hamsandwich]

Thanks for all the advice! Problem solved: borrowing a HUGE dutch oven from a friend. BTW, I throw in a couple ham hocks and sausage.

[Hungry Celeste]

Next time, go for the pickled pork. "pickle meat" is magic in beans, pure magic.

[roro1831]

Oh how I miss pickle meat. No one up here has it.

[Hungry Celeste]

Cher, order yourself some from cajungrocer.com: http://www.cajungrocer.com/richards-p...

[Clarkafella]

I'm not familiar with "pickle meat", but have had some really good results with hogshead cheese- like it better in beans than on crackers!

[Davwud]

Me too.

DT

[edible complex]

I just read somewhere today about taking out the seasoning meat and replacing it with newly cooked sausage, ham or whatever when serving, so that the meat keeps its flavor, since the flavor will be cooked out of the seasoning meat.

for a great recipe:
http://www.therivershacktavern.com/RE...

[kchurchill5]

I've used both, equal results. Shouldn't be any problem.

[Bill Hunt]

Too late to help, and mostly a mirror of what has been said, but my wife always does the dried red beans in a pressure cooker. She adds a few cans (depends on the total amount needed) of Blue Runner, then goes to "town" with her seasonings and sausages. I've eaten red beans and rice for over 50 years, and hers are always in the top 5 of all time.

Though she has a full compliments of pots, I think her only dutch-oven is a cast-iron one designed for a camp fire.

Enjoy,

Hunt