Red Beans and Rice Like Popeye's

Anyone making this dish can sub just one slice of bacon cut in small strips rendered but not crisp, and USE ABOUT 2 LARGE MEATY ham hocks or 3 small hocks, this WILL infuse all that smokey flavor without Overkill and not taste artificial at all!! If you don't have ham hocks ( which are 1 st choice in getting this like Popeyes, plus has great super tender meat that falls off bone to put back in dish,) use 1/2 tsp ONLY of liquid smoke, it's powerful stuff and you only need a small amount to get that flavor in the sauce, also hocks give this dish that GRAVY like consistently w/o adding lard to it.. as well as 1 slice of thick cut bacon... I make a very similar version and HAM HOCKS ARE KEY ingredient must cook long and slow to render remove cool, remove meat add meat remove skin/ fat left on hocks and return bone to beans to simmer to the end..Other seasoning submitted will work well plus bay leaf..I hope this helps with this recipe BECAUSE these beans are excellent..ALSO POPEYES RICE IS MED GRAIN CONVERTED RICE, OR rice similar to rice used in Mexican dishes... REGULAR long grain rice isn't what Popeyes uses...But that's totally personal..I use whatever I have , long grain, med grain etc.. and it's still great. But if you want rice same as Popeyes use converted white rice! Also Popeyes doesn't use chiles , using a Frank's red original or Texas Pete etc...Is how you get the heat ( Frank's is less bitter IMO)

Excellent recipe! I used a mixture of canned beans I had on hand. Threw in an 14 oz. can of tomato sauce with meatloaf spices and a can of original rotel tomatoes and subbed the sausage with some boneless thick pork chops left over from another night. I added the chunked pork chop meat 2 hours before it was done. I guess with the changes I made it is not a clone of Popeyes red beans and rice but it was none the less very tasty! Thanks so much :)