Instructions

• 1 The night before, rinse the beans under cold running water and then place beans in a large pot. Cover with cold water and let soak overnight.
• 2 In the morning, drain the beans. Add the chopped onion, pepper, celery, garlic, House Essence, bay leaves, and ham hocks in the pot. Cover with fresh water about 3 inches above the beans.
• 3 Turn on the heat to high and cover the pot with a lid, leaving about a 1-inch opening to let the steam out. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• 4 After a hour and a half, stir in the Tobasco sauce, salt, and chopped sausage. Simmer slowly for another hour, stirring often at this point.
• 5 When the beans are done, the liquid should have gotten very thick like a gravy and the beans will almost look mashed. Remove the ham hock and bay leaves and turn off the heat. Cover the pot again while you prepare the rice.
• 6 To make the rice, boil the rice, water and salt together. Cover and reduce heat to low. SImmer, covered, for 30 minutes. FLuff the rice with a fork when done and serve topped with the red beans and tobasco sauce on side.