Real Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

- Cover the beans with water 2 inches over beans and soak overnight. Or, bring beans to a boil for one minute, remove from heat, and soak for at least an hour. Drain beans and rinse.

- Put the beans back in the pot and cover them with water 2 inches above level of beans. Put over high heat to begin cooking while you prepare the other ingredients.

- You’re going to want to chop the garlic, onion, celery, and bell pepper very finely, and the fastest and best way to do this is in a food processor. I throw the 4 peeled cloves of garlic in first, and then add the onion, quartered, and pulse until finely chopped. Add this to the pot on the stove, and then do the same thing with the celery and bell peppers, adding each to the beans. Add the remaining ingredients, except the rice.

- When the beans reach a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring every now and then, until they are completely tender and falling apart. This can take anywhere from 2 to 3 hours, depending upon the age of your beans. (Add more water as necessary to keep them hydrated.) When they are completely tender, add more salt to taste, and check the seasonings. Add any additional spices you want, and cook for at least 10 more minutes, until sauce is thick and beans are disintegrating. Remove the bay leaves, and serve over rice.

- Check over the beans and discard any debris. Rinse them well and put them in the Instant Pot and add water until 2 inches above the beans. Put the top on, make sure the valve is set to Pressure, and select the pressure cooking setting. Set the time to 0. (This will allow the pot to come to pressure and then turn off. If your pot doesn't allow this, set it to 1 minute.) Once the pot has finished cooking, allow the pressure to come down naturally for 20 minutes and then carefully open the valve to release the pressure.

- Carefully drain the beans and put them back into the pot. Add 4 cups of water and using the Sauté setting on Medium, begin heating the water while you prepare the vegetables.

- You’re going to want to chop the garlic, onion, celery, and bell pepper very finely, and the fastest and best way to do this is in a food processor. I throw the 4 peeled cloves of garlic in first, and then add the onion, quartered, and pulse until finely chopped. Add this to the pot on the stove, and then do the same thing with the celery and bell peppers, adding each to the beans. Add the remaining ingredients, except the smoke flavoring and rice.

- Cancel the sauté setting, put the lid on the pot, and make sure the valve is set to Pressure. Use the high pressure setting and set it for 10 minutes. When the 10 minutes are up, carefully turn the valve to release the pressure.

- Make sure all the beans are tender; if they're definitely not done, you need to return them to pressure for a minute or two. Usually the beans will be well-done at this stage and just need to cook uncovered for a while to soften up and boil off some of the liquid. Use the sauté setting on low to cook the beans, stirring every few minutes, scraping the bottom well, until the liquid has thickened to a gravy consistency. How long will depend on your beans and how much extra liquid you had. (If something strange has happened and you have too little liquid, do add some.)

- When the liquid is thick and the beans are mostly falling apart, check the seasoning and add the Liquid Smoke or smoked salt and additional salt and other seasonings to taste. Remove the bay leaves and serve with rice.