Ray's World Famous
Sunday Bean Pot

Please read the entire recipe before attempting to start. The ingredient list seems long, but that's because you have to decide for yourself from several different categories. Afterward, the actual "how-to" part is pretty simple.

What Goes Into It

Staple Ingredients:

• 2 cups BeanMix (click to see what's in it)
• 1 or 2 cups Creole Seasoning Mix (click to see what's in it)

Base Liquid Ingredients (Select ONE)

• 6 cups Water
• 6 cups Favorite Stock (beef, chicken, fish, turkey, vegetable, "whatever") (DO NOT used canned stock or broth -- they contain too much salt and will alter your own flavorings) (I almost always use just water for my base liquid)

Base Meat Ingredients (Select ONLY TWO)

• 1 pound smoked sausage, any flavor, hot or mild, 1/2-inch slices
• 1 pound crawfish tails, precooked
• 1 pound ground beef, browned thoroughly, drained
• 1 pound beef stewing meat, diced and browned thoroughly, drained
• 1 pound pork roast, precooked, diced
• 1 pound ham, cooked and chunked
• 1 pound any other meat that holds up well in water-based meals

Base Vegetables
(Select either Group A or Group B)

Group A

• 3 large carrots, sliced
• 3 large celery stalks, sliced
• 1 medium turnip, diced
• 1 LARGE onion, cut into large chunks
• 1 large potato, 1-inch cubes

Group B (select ONLY ONE)

• 1 pound bag frozen gumbo mix (corn, okra, etc.)
• 1 pound bag frozen vegetable soup mix (carrots, celery, onion, etc.)
• 1 pound bag frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn)

Flavoring Liquids (Select as many as you want, but be careful about strange combinations)

• 1 16-oz beer of choice (don't add cola with this)
• 1 12-oz can cola (don't add beer with this)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup worstershire sauce
• 1/4 cup barbecue sause
• 1/4 Tabasco sauce
• Any other flavorings to taste

A word of caution about packaged condiments like thick barbecue sauces ... they contain sugars that make the bean pot burn easily at the bottom if you aren't careful!!!)

How To Put It Together

1. Soak beans overnight or at least 8 hours
2. Drain
3. Put beans in 8-quart (or larger) stock pot
4. Add Creole Seasoning and Base Liquids, making sure to cover with liquid entirly.
5. Bring to boil; cover, simmer 1-2 hours, just until beans are tender. Add additional base liquid as necessary to ensure free boiling room; stir occasionally.
6. After beans are just barely tender, add Meat, make sure there is plenty of base liquid; simmer covered another hour; stir occasionally.
7. Then add Vegetables and Flavoring Liquids, Salt and Pepper to taste; add other spices as you wish; simmer covered 30-45 minutes.
8. Serve over a bed of rice. I usually lay a bed of rice in a large soup plate, top it with 2 slices of American Cheese, and then two full ladles of BeanPot, top with butter, salt and pepper to taste, and a light sprinkle of grated Parmesan Cheese. This can also be ladled over crumbled Ray's World Famous Cast Iron Corn Bread