Making red beans is a labor of love. It’s not just a matter of throwing some ingredients in a pot. Just like with gumbo and jambalaya, the secret of a good pool of beans lies in building up the flavor.
Pickled pork is the key ingredient to a homestyle red bean flavor.
What is pickled pork?
It is simply a pork shoulder preserved in a salty brine containing sugar, vinegar, seasoning, and sugar. Pickling pork was first done days before refrigeration. Pickling pork is a great way to protect it from the heat and humidity of New Orleans and prolong its life.
If you’ve never had pickled meat, it won’t add a pickle taste to your beans. There’s no dill here. But it will give them a vinegar flavor you can’t find anywhere else.
Pickled pork adds a depth of flavor and seasoning to any dish. Why did it take me so long to give it a try? Pickled pork is good with red beans, white beans, or even smothered steamed cabbage.
WHERE TO GET PICKLED PORK?
Pickled pork is a staple of New Orleans Creole cooking and Cajun cuisine. You can buy pre-packaged pickled meat in almost any southern Louisiana supermarket. Savoie’s and Richard’s are two of the most popular brands. CajunGrocer.com is a great place to order pickled pork if you live outside of Southern Louisiana.
Can you make pickled pork at home?
It would help if you had the pickled pork flavor to get authentic red beans and seasoned rice. Ordering online is expensive, not because of the product but the shipping costs. If you are like me, and can’t drive to New Orleans or southern Louisiana (even though I’d do it in a heartbeat), then the only option is to make this at home.
How can I create the pickled pork flavor in my kitchen? Camellia Beans. On their website, they have a wonderful recipe called 7-Day Pickled Pork.
There are two bonus ingredients in this recipe. I want to make sure you know about them before we begin.
1 Making homemade pickled pork can be much easier than you might think.
2 The final price is reasonable because you will end up with 4 pounds of pickled meat for only $15 to $20 worth of ingredients. Compare this price with the cost of a 1-pound package purchased online, shipping costs, and the time it takes to receive the package.
The Process of Making Pickled Pork
The entire process, as I mentioned above, is straightforward. You’re cutting the meat into 1 to 2 inches cubes, coating it with a rub, and letting it sit. You then make a brine and allow it to cool. You combine the coated meat with the brine and let them sit for one week. After seven days, drain the brine and then separate the pork pickles into 1-pound bags.
HOW TO MAKE PICKLED POULT AT HOME
You start with the pork shoulder. I usually use a Boneless Pork Shoulder Butt Roast that weighs around 4 pounds. After all, I will have four 1-pound bags that can be used for four different meals.
First, trim the pork shoulder of any excess fat. Cut the pork into 1- to 2-inch pieces. It’s a tedious process and the longest step you’ll have to complete ( Waiting and watching in the fridge as the pork slowly pickles up for seven days is not an option. ).
