Red Beans, My Way -or- Bogalousa Louisiana Style

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Red kidney beans (I use Camellia brand beans)
• 1 large Yellow onion
• 1 large Bell pepper seeded and diced
• 3 Bay Leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon Dried thyme (1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme)
• 2 cloves Garlic minced
• Kosher salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon Black Pepper freshly ground
• 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning or to taste
• 1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
• Hot pepper sauce (Crystal is best), to taste
• 4 quarts Cold water
• 2 pounds Smoked ham hocks or shanks (hocks have more fat & flavor, shanks have more meat)
• 1 large Onion cut up
• 1 large Bell pepper cut up
• 3 stalks Celery cut up
• small handful Black peppercorns
• 3 Bay Leaves

Instructions

1. To make the Ham Stock:
2. Place all your ingredients in a large stock pot and pour your water over everything. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 3 hours. Occasionally skim the fat and protein scum off the top. After 3 hours pour through a fine sieve into a large pot and skim off the excess fat. Reserve the liquid and pick through the ham bones for any meat youd like to reserve, you may toss the rest. You may use this immediately for your red beans or refrigerate it for later use. Refrigerating the stock will also allow you to get any extra fat you may have missed by skimming.
3. To make the Red Beans:
4. Soak beans overnight in a large pot and use enough water to ensure the beans remain covered in water. Rinse beans and pick through them for rocks and dirt. Put beans back into pot along with ham stock. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Continue to simmer for one hour. After the beans have simmered for one hour, add vegetables, ham (picked from the ham shanks you can throw the bones in there, too. Just be sure to pick them out when the beans are done.), bay leaves, and seasonings. Bring back up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 2 more hours or until beans have become tender and made their own thick sauce. Stir occasionally to prevent bottom from scorching. Adjust seasoning as you go. You may need to smash about a cup of the beans along the side of the pot and stir that in to make a thicker sauce, sometimes if the beans are not so fresh they wont cream up as well thats why you need to get Camellia beans, if you can find them.
5. Serve over hot white rice, use at least one cup cooked rice per serving.