Ham Hocks and Black Eyed Peas with Cornbread are a family tradition on New Year’s Day. My brother and I were told (as Ma’am and her brothers were told and probably generations before were told) that you will earn a dollar in the coming year for every black eyed pea you eat on New Year’s Day. I keep trying but, so far my piggy bank isn’t busting. Ha ha!
Traditional Stove Top Method:
Ma’am and I were discussing the different ways to make this yesterday, because my family likes to talk about food and cooking. As she states in her original recipe, she prefers to use ham shanks when she can find them because they have more meat than the hocks.
The stove top method takes 4-5 hours or more if you make the stock and chill it to remove the fat.
Slow Cooker
I usually use the ham bone leftover from my Christmas dinner and throw all of the ingredients below in the slow cooker and let it cook for 6-8 hours on low.
Pressure Cooker
The pressure cooker method takes about 1 to 1 1/2 hours total. Most of that is bringing the stock to pressure initially twice and waiting for the pressure to release the pressure naturally.
You could throw all of the ingredients in at once, like the slow cooker method, but I like the extra flavor from the longer cooking of the stock.
Ham Hocks and Black Eyed Peas with cornbread: a Southern classic. #blackeyedpeas #southernfoodClick To TweetNo matter how you cook the beans, traditionally this should be served with cornbread baked in a cast iron skillet.
Ham Hocks and Black Eyed Peas are a New Year's Day tradition in the Southern US. Easy pressure cooker instructions.
- 1 pound dry black eyed peas frozen or canned may also be used
- 1 Medium chopped onions save the peel!
- 2 bay leaves
- 4-4 1/2 pound ham hocks shanks or ham bone with some meat still on it may also be used
- 6 cups water
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 1 cup chopped green pepper optional
- 1 cup chopped celery optional
- Soak dried black eyed peas overnight per package directions (or follow package directions for quick soak). Drain and rinse.
The no soak method: you can cook dry beans in the pressure cooker if you want to skip the soaking stage. Read the important note in step 6. - If using canned, drain and rinse.
- If using frozen, leave on counter to come to room temperature or step 4 will take longer to come to pressure.
- Put ham bones, onion peel and bay leaves in a pressure cooker with 6 cups of water. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes and let steam release naturally (20-30 minutes).
With a slotted spoon, remove ham bones, leaves and peel from liquid. Discard leaves and peel. Set bones aside to cool.
Add remaining ingredients to pressure cooker. Bring back to high pressure and cook for 10 minutes. Do a quick release of the steam. If beans are not as soft as you'd like, add some more water and finishing cooking on high heat.
NO SOAK METHOD: If you did not presoak the dried beans, turn the cooker off and wait another 10 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure.
- Remove meat from bones and chop, add to beans and serve with cornbread.
NOTE! Pressure cooking times are not exact. Variations can be expected because of altitude, type of pressure cooker used, starting temperature of ingredients, etc.
However you chose to celebrate the New Year, I hope it is a happy and healthy one!
Until next year, happy eating!
~Audrey
If only we made ham…
I used can beans and did not think about cutting water so I have a soup. So if using canned beans I would cut water by a lot. Will drain and reserve some liquid and try and salvage this.
In the pressure cooker water doesn’t cook off like it does on the stove. I will update the recipe. thanks for pointing it out.
What water? There is no liquid in the recipe.
I actually had the 6 cups of water listed in step 4, but I have added it to the ingredient list as well per your suggestion.
Great post. I used this recipe as a guide to cook black eyed peas for the first time using my new pressure cooker. I used fresh peas, ultimately cooking 44oz of peas for 11 minutes total.
I hope they came out well for you.
I am 71 years young and like you, I grew up with the tradition of eating black eyed peas on New Year’s day with the ham bone saved from Thanksgiving and/or Christmas. Always in a pressure cooker. Simple is best. not much salt as the ham takes care of that, chopped onion and garlic and the ole secret ingredient, Lipton powder onion soup mix, ha. Makes anything taste great. I use the overnight method, soaking with a teaspoon of baking soda, then throw that away. Old wives tales say that that cuts down on the gas issue. fresh water, garlic, onion, soup powder, and ham bone and pressure for 20 minutes. Of course serve with cornbread, but cornbread without sugar. God Bless our old folks that carried this tradition. My Mom would tell me an old friend had said that black eyed peas was actually cow feed, not fit for humans; but he must not have cooked them the way my Mother did, ha.
Oh sweet cake like cornbread is blasphemy to my mother ha ha!
Audrey,
I am going to visit my parents (95 and 93) for Christmas and I would love to make this for them but I will be long gone before the 1st. What is you opinion about freezing these yummy black eyed peas? Thank you for your time and I wish you a very happy holiday! Marti in Tampa
I always make too much and end up freezing the leftovers in a zip to lock freezer bag. Just be sure to leave room for expansion when it freezes. Then just let it defrost overnight in the fridge and heat it up (maybe add water if it seems a little thick).
Thank you so much! They will be thrilled to have these “good luck” black eyed peas?
This looks really tasty! I don’t think I’ve ever tried cornbread, will have to give it a go. 🙂
Cornbread is probably more of a North American thing now that I think about it. Most of us, particularly in the Southern part of the US grow up on it.
My mom use to make this growing up. Loved it. I just got a pressure cooker for Christmas. I will have to make this.
I love my pressure cooker!
I grew up with this as my meal every New Year’s Day! I thought it was just a southern thing… #FridayFrivolity
Grandma was from Texas, which isn’t the South because “Texas is Texas” according to them, ha ha!