Place beans in a pot of salted cold water (add a few tablespoon of kosher salt and let dissolve) and cover. Set aside at room temperature overnight. Drain and rinse

Mix spices together in a small bowl or ramekin.

In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove sausage to a napkin covered bowl and let drain.

Add onion, bell pepper, and celery to the pot cooking in the rendered sausage grease. Add additional vegetable oil if needed.

Season as you go with salt, pepper and paprika cooking and stirring, until vegetables have softened, about 4-5 minutes.

Add garlic and cook, stirring for about a minute.

Add more seasoning mix. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add cooked sausage, beans, smoked meat, sage, thyme, oregano, bay leaves and enough water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil and reduce to a bare simmer. Cover and cook until beans are completely tender about 3 hours. Check every ½ hour after the first two hours for tenderness. After an hour of cooking add more seasoning

Remove ham hocks and let cool enough to handle. Pull the meat off the bone and chop into smaller pieces. Add back to the beans and mix well.

Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has thickened and turned creamy, about 30 minutes.

If beans start to look dry before they’re done, then add water and continue simmering. Discard bay leaves and thyme stems. Serve red beans over steamed white rice.