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Southern Hoppin John with Black Eyed Peas

Southern Hoppin John with black-eyed peas simmers with bacon, vegetables, and a smoked ham hock, then comes together with tender long-grain rice. The peas stay intact while the rice absorbs their savory cooking liquid.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 31 minutes
Soaking 8 hours
Total Time 9 hours 51 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Southern
Calories: 590
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cook the peas
  • 1 lb black-eyed peas dried, sorted, rinsed, and soaked overnight
  • 4 slices bacon thick-cut, chopped
  • 1 yellow onion medium, finely chopped
  • 1 celery rib, finely chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper small, finely chopped
  • 1 ham hock smoked, about 1 pound
  • 6 cups water plus more as needed
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
Cook the rice
  • 1 cup long-grain white rice rinsed

Equipment

  • 1 6-quart Dutch oven
  • 1 2-quart saucepan

Method
 

Cook the peas
  1. Soak the sorted, rinsed black-eyed peas overnight.
  2. Drain and rinse the soaked black-eyed peas.
  3. In a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon for 6–8 minutes until crisp.
  4. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and leave the drippings in the pot.
  5. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper to the pot and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
  6. Stir in the peas, ham hock, 6 cups water, salt, black pepper, and bay leaf, adding more water if needed to cover the peas by about 1 inch.
  7. Bring the mixture to a boil.
  8. Cover and simmer gently for 45–60 minutes, until the peas are tender but still hold their shape.
  9. Remove the ham hock and bay leaf, transfer the peas to a bowl, and keep them covered.
  10. Pull the meat from the ham hock and discard the bone and skin.
  11. Measure 2 cups of the cooking liquid, topping it up with hot water if needed.
Cook the rice
  1. In a 2-quart saucepan, bring the 2 cups cooking liquid and rice to a boil.
  2. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes.
  3. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
Assemble and serve
  1. Gently fold the rice, peas, and shredded ham together.
  2. Crumble the reserved bacon over the top and serve.

Notes

For intact peas, simmer gently and check for tenderness near the end of the cooking time. Refrigerate leftovers for 3–4 days or freeze them. For a pork-free variation, use smoked turkey in place of the bacon and ham hock.