I still wish I was Southern (but really).

So… Within my friend group it’s no secret that I love Popeye’s (but really, it’s the best fast-food fried chicken that you can get) and one of the reasons why I love Popeye’s is their red beans and rice.

But I thought I could do one better.

Ingredients:

• ½ pound of Pork ribs
• 1 Cup red Beans
• 1 Cup long grain rice
• ½ red bell pepper
• ½ onion
• a few stalks of celery
• ¼ can of tomato sauce 
• Italian Seasoning
• 3 cloves of garlic
• Salt and Pepper

Side note I: If I was doing this the right way, I would be using ham hocks. But I couldn’t justify buying the extraordinary quantity that each package of ham hocks was in. I just don’t need that much. So I decided to use ribs instead since they still have bones (which is where the yummiest meat is on almost all animals) and a decent amount of fat that will lend flavor to the final product.

1) Chop up garlic and the holy trinity.
Side note II: I really should rename this since I always use the trinity in conjunction with garlic. The holy quad?

2) In a skillet cook the holy quad until vegetables are sweating and give off a beautiful smell (hence the vegetables being called aromatics). 

3) Add the pork pieces and brown off all of the edges.

4) In a pot take some oil (I used some butter) to toast the rice.

5) Add the holy quad and browned off pork.

6) Add red beans.

7) Add as much boiling water as needed to cook the rice through. Consistently stir.

8) Add tomato sauce and a generous helping of Italian seasoning as well as salt and pepper.

9) Once cooked, let simmer to allow flavors to develop.

10) Serve.

Cost breakdown:

• ½ lb of pork spare rib: $2.11/2= $1.05
• 1 cup red beans: $0.97/3= $0.32
• 1 cup long grain rice: $0.57
• ½ red bell pepper: $0.25/2= $0.12
• ½ onion: $0.20/2= $0.10
• Celery: $0.89/4= $0.22
• ¼ can tomato sauce: $0.99/2= $0.25
• Garlic: $0.03x3= $0.09

Total: $1.05+$0.32+$0.57+$0.12+$0.10+$0.22+$0.25+$0.09=$2.72
Cost per serving: $2.72/4? 5? 6? I’m not sure how much this should have served but I ate this for about three days straight. This will serve a lot of people. Or last a long time. Trust me.