Charleston Red Rice

Ingredients

• 2 cups long-grain white rice, preferably Carolina Gold
• 6 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
• 12 oz smoked sausage, sliced into coins
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Before you cook

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold water until the water runs mostly clear, then drain it well.
• Chop the bacon and slice the sausage into 1/4-inch coins.
• Dice the onion, bell pepper, and celery to roughly the same size.

Steps

1. Cook the chopped bacon in an ovenproof Dutch oven over medium heat for 7 minutes until crisp.
2. Lift the bacon out with a slotted spoon and set it aside.
3. Brown the sausage coins in the bacon fat for 5 minutes, then move them to the bacon plate.
4. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery to the fat and cook for 8 minutes until soft.
5. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
6. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until it darkens.
7. Add the drained rice and stir for 3 minutes until the grains are coated and slightly toasted.
8. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth.
9. Stir in the salt, black pepper, paprika, cayenne, hot sauce, and sugar.
10. Return the bacon and sausage to the pot and bring everything to a boil.
11. Cover the pot tightly and slide it into the oven.
12. Bake for 45 minutes without lifting the lid.
13. Uncover and fluff the rice with a fork, then let it sit 10 minutes before serving.