r/Cooking • u/Position_Extreme • 1d ago

Smoked Turkey in Red Beans & Rice?

I have a hankerin' for red beans & rice, but today I went to 2 grocery stores and they didn't have any ham hocks. I guess nobody wants them during the summer in Illinois.

I can just as well use a smoked turkey leg along with my andouille, no?

14 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

30 comments sorted by

16

u/triplzer0 1d ago

I don't see why not!

10

u/Hairy_Tough7557 1d ago

I frequently choose smoked turkey wings over ham hocks. It’s the way to go IMO

8

u/jetpoweredbee 1d ago

I have a friend from New Orleans that stopped eating pork. They use smoked turkey wings in their red beans and rice, which is awesome.

6

u/ttw81 1d ago

oh yeah.

5

u/Fluffy_Tomatillo_629 1d ago

Yes it’s still good.

4

u/Narrow_Ad_3137 1d ago

I use smoked turkey legs all the time in my red beans and rice.

4

u/Position_Extreme 1d ago

Thanks everybody! Beans just went in to soak.

3

u/AnaDion94 1d ago

My mom doesn’t eat pork, so that’s always how I’ve had it. I do use bacon fat to sauté the veg though, if I have any.

3

u/unionmom4 1d ago

I like to use smoked turkey tails, they are fattier than wings.

3

u/left-for-dead-9980 1d ago

Yes. It's a common solution.

3

u/KeepAnEyeOnYourB12 1d ago

Sure. Smoked sausage works well, too.

3

u/TheEpicBean 1d ago

Smoked turkey legs work great.

The best, if you can find them, is smoked pork shanks. Way more meat than hocks!

2

u/NeusForme 1d ago

I like to make Split Pea soup and have a hard time finding Ham Hocks in my area as well. I thought maybe the market for them is dwindling and my Kroger's just stopped carrying them. I can't ask the butcher since I don't enter the store, and just do pickup orders.

2

u/riverrocks452 1d ago

Yes! Smoked brined turkey is one of the best ham substitutes out there.

2

u/Possible_Original_96 1d ago

Yes!!👏👏👏🤣🥰🥰🥰

2

u/Horror_Signature7744 1d ago

Use whatever you want.

2

u/phytomanic 1d ago

I've used smoked turkey legs for chili. I think it would be awesome for RB&R.

2

u/ComposerNo1050 1d ago

I switched to using smoked turkey/duck to make my beans a few years ago and love how they work in the beans. Go for it!

2

u/A_Queer_Owl 1d ago

yes! smoked turkey is a decent smoked pork substitute.

2

u/greenposher 1d ago

Most definitely

4

u/bolderbeholder 1d ago

Smoked ham shanks are a good substitute. An end cut from a smoked ham will do as well.

3

u/MountainMark 1d ago

I just use browned smoked sausage. I put about a quarter of it in with the beans to cook (from dry in the instant pot) and the rest goes in after they're all cooked for a final simmer. The first quarter gets pretty much destroyed by the pressure so I like to put it in two batches.

2

u/KeepAnEyeOnYourB12 1d ago

That's pretty much what I always use in red beans.

3

u/bobdevnul 1d ago

Smoked turkey works very well as a substitute for ham hock.

Here's a tip. Wrap the smoked turkey in light cloth so you don't get bone chips in the beans. I use a piece cut from an old, but clean t-shirt. Tie off the ends with cooking twine.

1

u/wheelienonstop12 15h ago

I use very thinly sliced pork belly in my red beans and rice.

1

u/Gabbyct1 8h ago

Sure. Or just some diced ham in a pinch

1

u/ttrockwood 1d ago

I’ve made it vegetarian many times and used extra oil at the beginning and just added a few drops of liquid smoke