Ribs, red beans and rice
Serves: 6
Prep time: 1 hr 15 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Danielle Wood
Ribs, red beans and rice
Recipe by Sarah Cook
Red beans are traditionally served on Monday nights, after the beans were set to soak overnight on Sunday, and they could bubble away while chores and laundry were being done during the day. Combining two Southern classics works perfectly here, where pork ribs also benefit from the low-and-slow approach. If you’re a baker, a loaf of buttery cornbread would be a great accompaniment.
Serves: 6
Prep time: 1 hr 15 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
570Kcal
Fat
27gr
Saturates
6gr
Carbs
32gr
Sugars
8gr
Fibre
3gr
Protein
38gr
Salt
1.9gr
Sarah Cook
Sarah, a former food editor, has now been writing and styling recipes for over 10 years. Born in NZ, to Irish-English immigrants, and married to a Polish-Scot, her food is as diverse as her family, with a particular passion for baking mash-ups.
Sarah Cook
Sarah, a former food editor, has now been writing and styling recipes for over 10 years. Born in NZ, to Irish-English immigrants, and married to a Polish-Scot, her food is as diverse as her family, with a particular passion for baking mash-ups.
Ingredients
- 250g dried pinto beans
- 1.25kg pork ribs
- 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp smoked or regular sea salt flakes
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, thickly sliced
- 160g smoked bacon lardons
- 3 celery stalks, roughly diced
- 2 green peppers (or 1 red and 1 green), roughly diced
- 5 garlic cloves, sliced
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp dried sage (or oregano or thyme)
- 2 tsp paprika
- 800ml hot chicken stock* (made using 1 stock pot or cube)
- 400g long grain rice
- 20g parsley, finely chopped
- hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco or Frank’s, to serve
Step by step
Get ahead
Marinate the ribs up to 48 hours ahead and soak the beans the night before. The flavours in this dish get better and better, so it could also be completely cooked the day before then just reheated to serve.
- The night before, soak the beans and marinate the ribs. Put the beans into a large pan and enough add cold water to cover by 6cm. Mix 2 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning, the smoked sea salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a paste. Grind in some black pepper then rub over the ribs, cover and chill overnight.
- Next day, preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7. Toss the onions and 1 tablespoon of oil in a very large, deep roasting tin. Sit the ribs on top and roast for 40 minutes, flipping the ribs after 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, put the bacon lardons into a dry frying pan and cook over a medium-low heat until golden. Drain the soaked beans.
- Reduce the oven to 160°C, fan 140°C, gas 3 and lift the ribs out to a plate for now. Stir the drained beans into the onions along with the bacon, celery, chopped peppers, garlic, bay leaves, dried herbs, 1 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning, paprika and hot chicken stock. Season and mix everything together well. Nestle the ribs down amongst the veg and beans so they sit in the stock. Cover the whole tin tightly with a double layer of foil and bake for 2 ½ hours.
