Put all ingredients (except rice) in your crockpot. Add (about) 6 cups of water, enough to cover contents with about half an inch of water.
Stir well, cover, and cook on high 8 hours or low 10 hours.
About an hour before serving, use a potato masher to mash some of the beans, stir, and cook an hour longer.
Before serving, taste beans and add extra seasoning to taste.
Remove bay leaves, and serve beans in bowls over the cooked rice.
Notes
How do you thicken red beans and rice? Mashing some of the beans towards the end of cooking will do that. You can also remove some of the liquid and mix with a little cornstarch. Return that back to the pot and cook on high heat for 15 minutes.
What to serve with red beans and rice? Go with some collard greens, (try this one from The Seasoned Mom) or cornbread!
Use ham steaks, or smoked ham in place of the smoked pork chops.