Red Beans and Rice Didn't Miss Her!

"To the beanpole dames in the magazine
You ain't it Miss Thang!
Give me a sista, I can't resist her
Red beans and rice didn't miss her!" -Sir Mix-A-Lot

I will freely admit I am one of those dorks who knows all the lyrics to "Baby Got Back." This can be somewhat problematic, seeing as how I am married to a Louisiana boy who loves his red beans and rice. I don't know what it is about this dish, but it makes me want to bust out my dance moves (which are even worse than my attempts at singing) whenever I see red beans and rice at one of our favorite restaurants in Shreveport. All silliness aside, it's taken me awhile to get the hang of this recipe, but I'm finally satisfied enough with the results to post the (slightly altered) recipe on my food blog. I found the original recipe on All Recipes, and while I don't deviate too far from the ingredients, I've added and eliminated a few, as well as the cooking method. Honestly though, everyone has a different way of making this dish, and you just have to find what works best for you. I will post my suggestions after each step.
Source: All Recipes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dried red beans, soaked overnight
• 10 cups water (I think 8 is more than enough)
• 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced into rounds
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)
• 8 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning, or to taste
• 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped (I used two bay leaves instead)
• 1 ham hock (I omitted; I prefer the andouille sausage alone)
• 4 cups cooked rice

Directions:

1. Soak the beans overnight; drain in the morning before adding to the pot.

2. Place the beans and water into a slow cooker. (My slow cooker isn't big enough for this recipe, so I just use a large pot on the stovetop).

3. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage in the skillet; remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and transfer to the slow cooker. Reserve drippings.

4. Add onion, green pepper, jalapeno pepper and garlic to the drippings; cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes. 

5. Transfer everything from the skillet to the slow cooker. 

6. Season the mixture with pepper and Creole seasoning.

7. Add the fresh basil leaves and ham hock. (I omitted the ham hock and used bay leaves).

8. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours, or until beans are tender. If the bean mixture seems too watery, take the lid off the slow cooker and set heat to High to cook until they reach a creamy texture.It should look like this: