I’ve been thinking a lot lately about revisiting some of the foods I ate a lot during my childhood. The most recent trip down memory lane led me to a big pot of pinto beans.
Yes, of course, I currently eat beans as a part of my diet, but I haven’t cooked them the same way my family does . . . ever? (One of my favorite meals growing up was a bowl of pinto beans and cornbread with a little pickle relish on top.) And let’s face it, beans are delicious, healthy, and cheap. What more could you be looking for in a food item?
One big reason I haven’t made beans not from a can is that it requires the forethought to soak dried beans overnight. [Update: I’ve since learned that you don’t actually need to soak beans. However, many believe that doing so makes them less gassy.]
Sounds easy enough, right? Well, one lesson I learned is that you want to cover the dry beans with A LOT of water. It makes sense now that I type it, but I neglected to consider the fact that the beans will actually absorb some of the liquid as they sit. Needless to say, I discovered that some of my beans were no longer submerged when I pulled them from the refrigerator the next day. (To try to remedy this, I added more water and let them continue to sit for a couple of hours before cooking.)
Aside from the small soaking snafu, the rest of the cooking process is a breeze. Throw the beans in a pot along with an onion, smoked ham hocks (the key ingredient), a couple of bay leaves (optional), some liquid (I used a combo of chicken stock and water), and you’re good to go.
I’m not entirely convinced that the bay leaves do a whole lot, but people much smarter than I say that they do, so I tend to include them anyway.
The resulting recipe is my take on this Southern classic. Admittedly, I just wanted the onion to flavor the beans and planned to remove it, but the halved bulbs ended up practically melting into the cooking liquid, full of flavor from the smoked ham hock (and bay leaves).
One other note is that anything more than a gentle simmer causes during cooking some of the beans to break down, adding body to the liquid. I prefer it this way, but this is certainly not what I was taught in culinary school.
When they’re done the beans should have an almost creamy texture. As a last step, you’ll want to pick the meat from the bones of the ham hock to mix in with the luscious beans and get the most out of its delicious flavor.
PINTO BEANS WITH HAM HOCKS RECIPE
Pinto beans with smoked ham hocks are a Southern classic. You could eat a bowl of these by themselves and be satisfied, but they also make a great side dish.
INGREDIENTS
- One 1-pound 11-ounce package pinto beans, picked through and soaked in lots of water overnight (optional)
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1 quart water
- 1 onion, halved or roughly chopped
- 2 halves smoked ham hock (about 3/4 pound total)
- 2 bay leaves (optional)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder, plus more to taste
- Salt, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add the soaked beans, chicken stock, water, onion, ham hocks, and bay leaves (if using) to a large stock pot.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are nice and tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Season with pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Serve.
NOTES
This recipe used the entire package of beans I purchased and makes a large quantity, but can be scaled for smaller amounts.