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Home » Southern Comfort Food » Slow Cooked Hoppin’ John

Slow Cooked Hoppin’ John

December 30, 2017 by Melissa 12 Comments

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A New Year's Day tradition made in a slow cooker #slowcookedhoppinjohn #hoppinjohn #crockpothoppinjohn #blackeyedpeas #newyearsday #southernfood #southernrecipes #collardgreens #ricerecipes

Hoppin’ John, also known as Carolina Peas and Rice, is part of a beloved Southern tradition of eating black eyed peas with rice, collard greens and cornbread on New Years Day. It’s symbolic of wealth, health and prosperity for the new year. This Slow Cooked Hoppin’ John makes preparation easy and allows the cook to relax and make the most of the day.

Slow Cooked Hoppin John

Slow Cooked Hoppin’ John

Hoppin’ John is a mouthwatering crockpot filled with down home comfort consisting of black eyed peas cooked with diced onion, bell pepper, diced tomatoes, ham hock or ham and flavorful seasonings. It’s not only a tasty meal to enjoy on New Years Day but, any day of the year. There are many theories as to how Hoppin’ John got it’s name though none of which are confirmed or written in stone. It’s a humble but, delicious dish, believed to have been introduced to Southern tables using field peas by African Americans working the plantations in the South. There’s some evidence that it has some Caribbean influence, as well. Very popular in the Carolina’s and beyond it’s primarily a dish of field peas cooked with pork, ham hock, or spicy sausage that’s served with rice.

 

Slow Cooked Hoppin John

Variations of Hoppin’ John

I’ve seen this dish presented by cooks in a few different ways. Some prepare the black eyed peas and then add rice to the same pot.

  • Some cooks will add cooked collards to the black eyed peas and rice and mix it all together.
  • Others serve Hoppin’ John ladled over rice with collard greens and cornbread on the side.
  • There’s often a bottle of hot sauce nearby for those who like to sprinkle a little on top.
  • I like to serve it with the rice and collard greens on the side and allow those eating it to decide if they want to mix it altogether or eat separately.

To me, it doesn’t matter how you serve Hoppin’ John, just savor every scrumptious bite of this unforgettable meal. You may also like to add these Cajun Collard Greens with Bacon to your meal.

 

Slow Cooked Hoppin John

 

Slow Cooked Hoppin John

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

  • 6 Quart Oval Slow Cooker
  • Soup Bowls
  • Bamboo Cutting Board
  • Insulated Slow Cooker Carrier


Slow Cooked Hoppin John
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5 from 2 votes

Slow Cooked Hoppin' John

Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time5 hrs
Total Time5 hrs 10 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy-hoppin-john, hoppin-john-recipes, slow-cooked-hoppin-john
Servings: 10 servings
Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

  • 1 lb dry black eyed peas rinsed and picked over
  • 1 12 oz ham hock or ham bone with meat
  • 1 medium sweet onion diced
  • 1 small green bell pepper OR poblano pepper seeded and diced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2-1 tsp seasoned salt adjust more or less to your taste
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies (Or plain diced tomatoes)
  • 1 tsp lemon pepper
  • Cooked rice for serving
  • Cooked Collard Greens optional (See Cook's note)
  • Hot sauce optional

Instructions

  • Prior to cooking: Rinse and scrub ham hock. Place into a pot and cover completely with water. Place on the stovetop and bring to boil. Boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and drain. Rinse thoroughly under cold water. Follow recipe for adding to slow cooker.
  • To prepare: Pour peas into bottom of slow cooker insert. Center the ham hock in the peas.
  • Add the onion, pepper, bay leaves, thyme. red pepper flakes,1/2 tsp seasoned salt, and garlic.
  • Pour chicken broth over all. Place the lid on securely. Cook on high for 3 hours.
  • After 3 hours, remove ham hock and pull meat from bone. Discard bone.
  • Return meat to the slow cooker with tomatoes and lemon pepper. Taste and adjust salt to your taste, if needed. Mix well.
  • Cover and cook for an additional 1-2 hours or until the peas are tender.
  • Serve with rice, collard greens and cornbread with hot sauce, if desired.

Notes

The ham adds a great deal of seasoning and salt to the entire dish. If desired, you may wait to add salt after the Hoppin' John has cooked for the initial 3 hours, then adjust to your taste.
To add rice and collards to the pot: After cooking the Hoppin' John, add 2 cups cooked long grain rice and 1 (16-oz) package frozen chopped collard greens cooked per the package directions. Mix both in at the end of cooking just before serving. Season only lightly with salt when preparing both.
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

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Filed Under: Holiday, Main Dish, Slow Cooker, Southern Comfort Food, Vegetables Tagged With: black eyed peas, Carolina peas and rice, crockpot black eyed peas, hoppin' john, New Years Day, slow cooked, Slow Cooked Hoppin John, Southern field peas

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about melissa

ABOUT MELISSA

Hi, thanks for stopping by to visit my website My name is Melissa! I’m a busy Mom, author, recipe developer, photographer, food writer and blogger. I’m passionate about creating delicious dishes to share with family and friends! Read more...

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Comments

  1. Laura Dodson says

    January 1, 2021 at 9:03 pm

    5 stars
    This was so delicious!

    Reply
    • Melissa says

      January 2, 2021 at 9:39 am

      Thanks so much!

      Reply
  2. Meredith says

    January 1, 2021 at 1:26 am

    Do we soak the black eyed peas overnight?

    Reply
    • Melissa says

      January 1, 2021 at 9:31 am

      You can, if you want. It’s typically not necessary when slow cooking or, it would be in the recipe.

      Reply
  3. Amanda says

    December 31, 2019 at 10:51 am

    If using a meaty hambone would we still boil in water or would we just peal off leftover ham? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Melissa says

      December 31, 2019 at 2:33 pm

      No need to do the same as a ham hock, just add it to the slow cooker. Yum!

      Reply
    • Lindsey says

      January 1, 2020 at 12:28 pm

      Making today! Just curious what the purpose of boiling the ham hock is? I’ve never done that before…should I be doing this with all recipes?

      Reply
      • Melissa says

        January 1, 2020 at 12:42 pm

        It’s basically a way to draw some of the salt out.

  4. Gumbo says

    January 1, 2019 at 8:18 am

    5 stars
    No Salt?

    Reply
    • Melissa says

      January 1, 2019 at 8:43 am

      The ham has plenty of salt that cooks into the black eyed peas. Please feel free to adjust to your taste.

      Reply
  5. KalynsKItchen says

    December 30, 2017 at 10:46 pm

    Thanks for including me. If I wasn’t in Mexico I’d be making something with black-eyed peas for sure!

    Reply
    • Melissa says

      December 30, 2017 at 11:09 pm

      Enjoy your trip Kalyn, it’s my pleasure!

      Reply

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about

hello,my name is Melissa and I'm the Creator of Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen. Cooking, baking, developing recipes and kitchen tips is my passion. I love sharing my dishes and connecting with people through the food that I create.

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