Ham Hocks and Beans

There's nothing more Southern then a pot of beans that has been simmered until tender and creamy, flavored with smoked ham hocks. There's also nothing more controversial than how to cook your beans.  Soak vs Quick-soak vs Don't Soak.......Change water vs Cook in soaking liquid.......Salt at the beginning vs Salt at the end.........Cook covered vs Cook uncovered; and on and on. It's hard to ruin beans; just don't hard boil them to death.

Do what works best for you. It's important for you to figure out what works best for you with your equipment, altitude, schedule, etc. 




Simple ingredients can produce a tasty, stick-to-your-ribs meal.  There are Great Northern beans, smoked ham shanks (ham hocks are good too), onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. I don't know if my beans are ever exactly the same each time I make them; all depends on what flavoring meat, aromatics, and herbs you have on hand. Sometimes I don't use anything but Bay leaves.

Here's my quick-soak method.  Place 1 pound of rinsed, dried Great Northern beans in a large pot of water; enough to cover the beans.  Bring to a boil then remove from heat, cover and let soak for 1 hour.

 

 While the beans are soaking chop up your onion, dice the garlic and make a bouquet garni of 1 sprig fresh thyme and 2 bay leaves. For this recipe I chose to wrap my bouquet garni in cheese cloth so I don't have bits of thyme floating around in my beans.  I just want the flavor.

After the soaking period add the ham shanks or hocks, onion, garlic, and bouquet garni to the pot .  If necessary, add enough boiling water to cover beans.  Bring to a boil then simmer, uncovered, until beans are tender.  Check after 1 hour.  Add additional boiling water if necessary to keep beans covered.  Beans should be done in an hour to an hour and a half.

I salt at the end of cooking for a couple of reasons:  1) I agree, from experience, that salting at the beginning toughens the skin of the bean and it takes longer to cook; and 2) you never know just how salty your hocks will be.

Serve with cornbread.  It's the law.



Ham Hocks and Beans
Serves

Ingredients:
1 pound dried Great Northern beans
8 cups water
1 large yellow onion
1 large clove garlic
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 bay leaves

1 pound smoked ham hocks or ham shanks
Extra water, if necessary
Kosher salt, to taste

Method:
Rinse beans and place in 5 quart pot.  Cover with water and bring to a boil.  Remove pot from heat, cover and let soak for one hour.

While the beans are soaking, chop the onion and garlic and set aside.  In a small square of cheese cloth wrap up the thyme and bay leaf and tie with kitchen twine.

Add the onion, garlic, bouquet garni, and ham hocks to pot of beans. If necessary, add enough boiling water to cover beans.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until tender.  Check at 1 hour and add any additional liquid to keep beans covered (be sure to boil water prior to adding to pot).

Remove hocks or shanks.  When cool, remove meat and return to pot.  Serve with hot cornbread.

OTHER COMBOS THAT I'D MAKE AGAIN:

• Great Northerns and a smoked turkey leg no one ate at Thanksgiving. Who really eats the turkey leg anyway?

Black-Eyed Peas and Ham

Happy New Year !!!!!  I wish for all of you a prosperous and blessed year to come! 

New Year's day in our household always means black-eyed peas and ham to bring luck through the upcoming year.  Here is my basic, go-to recipe.

I start with dried black-eyed peas, cover with water and soak them overnight.

In a large Dutch oven fry two to three slices of thick bacon that have been diced.  I find that bacon is much easier to chop or dice if it has been placed in the freezer for awhile.  Fry until crisp and remove the bacon from the pot and drain on paper towels.  You can add the bacon back to the pot later but I usually snack on them and eat them all.

 Sauté chopped onion and garlic for a couple of minutes.

 Add water, black-eyed peas (that have been drained and rinsed), the bay leaf and ham hock.

Bring to a boil then turn down heat to a simmer.  After about 20 minutes add the cubed ham.  Continue simmering until beans are tender.  Remove ham hock, allow to cool, remove meat from bone and add back to beans.


Black-eyed Peas and Ham
 Yields 6-8 Servings

Ingredients:
1 package (one pound) dried black-eyed peas
2-3 slices thick smoked bacon
1 yellow onion
1 clove garlic
8 cups water divided
smoked ham hock
1 bay leaf
1/2" thick slice of ham (approx. 3/4 lb)
2 cubes Knorr beef bouillon

Mise en place:

• place beans in a large mixing bowl and cover with water and soak 4 hours or overnight
• chop bacon
• chop onion
• mince garlic
• cube ham

Method:
In a large Dutch oven fry bacon pieces until crisp.  Remove bacon bits to drain on paper towel.  Remove all but 2 Tbsp. of the bacon fat.  Sauté onion and garlic in bacon fat for several minutes.  Add 1 cup water and bring to brisk boil.  Boil for a minute or two and scrape up fond from the bacon.  Add rest of the water. 

Drain and rinse black-eyed peas and add to pot.  Add ham hock and bay leaf.  Bring to boil, scraping off any foam that may appear.  Lower heat and simmer.  After 20 minutes add cubed ham and bouillon cubes.  Continue simmering until beans are tender but not mushy; about 20 minutes more.

Remove bay leaf and ham hock.  Remove meat from hock and return to pot.  Serve with corn bread.

"Drunken" Pintos

It's been a couple of weeks since I've shared a recipe over at I Heart Cooking Clubs and it's high time I get back in the saddle!  This week's theme in the Rick Bayless series is "Holy Frijoles!". 

It's hard to eat Mexican food without a side of beans in some form or fashion.  I love a good bowl of charro beans and this version comes with a little kick of tequila, which is what makes them frijoles borrachos, or drunk beans.  This recipe from Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen has such a tasty broth flavored with cilantro and bacon.

You can used two 16-ounce cans of pinto beans or 8 ounces of dry pintos.  I used dry because I always have them in the pantry.  I'm soaking the dry beans overnight here. It will cut down on cooking time.  Soaking's not mandatory; simply a preference.

Give them a good rinse and pick them over to remove any stones that may be hiding amongst them.




You can used 1/2 cup cubed pork shoulder (about 2 ounces) to cook in the beans.  I opted to use extra bacon for my flavoring.  Buy a thick, smoked bacon such as an applewood bacon.  You'll be glad if you choose a quality bacon.

Another note on the bacon.  When you have to cut bacon, it makes it much easier if you put the bacon in the freezer for awhile to firm it up.





Once the beans are thoroughly tender they'll get flavored with sautéed onions and chiles.  I don't use fresh chiles to add heat to the beans because Lovey can't handle the spiciness.

That's why this is my friend.  I just squirt this into my bowl of beans and I get instant heat.  I realize it's not the same as letting fresh serranos or jalapeños simmer in the broth but a girl's gotta do what she's gotta do.
This is an easy recipe and what's really nice is you can prepare these several days ahead of time and then put the finishing touch of tequila and cilantro in just prior to serving.




An interesting variation that Rick suggests is to make these more rustic by simmering the beans with a 2- to 3-ounce piece of beef jerky.  Simply cook it with the beans, then take it out, tear it into short shreds and return to the pot.



"Drunken" Pintos with Cilantro and Bacon
Adapted from Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen
Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish

Ingredients:
8 ounces (about 1-1/4 cups) dry pinto beans
water, about 5 cups (I used half water, half beef broth)
8 thick slices bacon, divided
1 small white onion
hot fresh green chile to taste (2 serranos or 1 jalapeño)
salt, about 3/4 tsp
1-1/2 Tbsp. tequila
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Mise en place:

• rinse & pick over beans and put into a 4 - 5 quart Dutch oven
• measure out water and/or broth
• cut bacon into 1/2-inch piecesdice onion into 1/4-inch pieces
• stem, seed and slice chiles
• roughly chop cilantro
• measure out tequila

Method:
Add the water and/or broth to the beans in the Dutch oven, remove any beans that float, then add 1/2 of the chopped bacon.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low, and very gently simmer, partially covered, until the beans are thoroughly tender, about 2 hours.  Gently stir the beans regularly and add water as necessary to keep the liquid a generous 1/2 inch above the level of the beans.

In a medium-size skillet, fry the remaining bacon, stirring regularly, until crisp, about 10 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to drain on paper towels, leaving behind as much of the drippings as possible.  Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the drippings and return the pan to medium heat.  Add the onion and chiles and fry until deep golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Scrape the onion mixture into the beans, then taste and season it all with salt.  Continue simmering, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes to blend the flavors.  If you are preparing ahead of time, prepare to this point.

If the beans seem quite soupy, boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the consistency of a nice, brothy bean soup.  (An alternative here is to puree 1/4 of the beans in a food processor or blender, returning them to the pot to thicken the broth).

Just before serving, stir in the tequila and cilantro, then serve in warm bowls topped with the crumbled bacon.

I have shared this recipe at IHCC