Cajun Red Beans & Rice with Smoked Pork

This was Cajun red beans and rice with smoked pork.

I am happy to say au revoir to the last block of our smoked pork finally. The smoked pork was great. We have enjoyed it in several ways including Tacos. Its deep smoky flavor turns ordinary meals to exclusive as always like this one. I adapted a recipe of authentic Louisiana red beans and rice online that have been receiving many good reviews for the authenticity. I made some changes, though. A big change was replacing andouille sausages with the final smoked pork. Well, pork is pork. I don't know how much weight the pork was but it was enough to make meals for two of us twice. I didn't have cajun spice mix. Commercial cajun spice mixes usually contain mainly dried onion, garlic, paprika, and black pepper, plus some other herbs or spices like cumin, coriander, oregano, and etc. According to wiki, authentic cajun spice doesn't seem to have a specific definition after all. So, I just tossed some spices and herbs into the pot, carefully not making the dish incline to Indian curry or Mexican. My goal was Cajun!

For herbs, I used fresh thyme, oregano, sage, basil and parsley from our garden. We appreciate any chance to enjoy our fresh herbs during summer. I also add some white wine, replaced water with chicken broth and adjusted the amount. I used about three to four cups of broth, I think. I didn't have long grain rice, so I used Japanese short rice. The result was wonderful. Very tasty. J finished his bowl so quickly! It tasted close to gumbo. I think I reached my goal.