Ham Hocks and Beans
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup chopped white onion
3 garlic cloves Minced.
5-6 cups chicken broth Use enough to fully cover the beans.
1 pound bag dried pinto beans Rinsed
1 – 1 1/2 pounds ham hocks Fully cooked and typically smoked. See notes for substitutions.
1 teaspoon Creole Seasoning
1 bay leaf
Instructions
Fill a Dutch oven or soup pot with water (enough to cover the pinto beans) and place it on the stove to boil. Once the water has boiled, remove it from the heat and add the pinto beans. Allow the beans to soak for 1 hour and then drain. Alternatively, you can soak the beans overnight.
Place a Dutch oven or soup pot on medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
When hot, add the onions and garlic. Saute until translucent and fragrant.
Add in the chicken broth, pinto beans, ham hock, Creole seasoning, and bay leaf. Stir.
Place the lid on the pot and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook for 1 1/2-3 hours until the beans are soft. You can test if they are done by grabbing one bean out of the pot and mashing it with a spoon or fork. Mine usually take 2 hours to reach my desired texture.
Open up the pot and remove the bay leaf and ham hock. If you like meat in your beans, use 2 forks and shred the meat from the ham hock and return it to the pot. Taste repeatedly and add salt and pepper to taste if needed.
Cool before serving. I like to use a slotted spoon to serve.
Notes
Not soaking the beans in advance will likely add a couple of hours to your cook time.
Rinse the beans first to remove any surface dirt.
Decide how you like your beans. Do you like them firm, soft, or mushy? Check in on the beans frequently while they cook. They will typically need anywhere from 1 1/2 hours – 3 hours depending on your texture preference. I like to cook mine for 2 hours. I like for them to be soft, but not mushy.
You can use smoked turkey a leftover ham bone, salt pork, country ham, or even bacon.
You can double the recipe and use the same amount of ham hock or opt for one slightly larger. The cook time will remain the same.
You can substitute Creole seasoning for whatever flavor or spice blend you like.
Canned beans don’t take long to cook. You may want to cook your ham hock in broth for a couple of hours separately, and then add the canned beans to that pot.
