Slow Cooked Hoppin' John
Servings 10 servings
Calories 295kcal
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 medium bay leaves
- 1 large sprig fresh thyme
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2-1 tsp seasoned salt adjust more or less to your taste
- 2 medium garlic cloves minced
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth or chicken stock
- 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies Or plain diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp lemon pepper or black pepper
- Cooked white rice, collard greens and hot sauce for serving
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.
- Prepare: Pour black-eyed peas into bottom of slow cooker insert. Center the ham hock in the peas.
- Add the onion, green pepper, bay leaves, thyme. red pepper flakes,1/2 tsp seasoned salt, and minced garlic.
- Pour chicken broth over all. Lock the lid in place. Cook on high for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours, remove ham hock and pull meat from bone. Discard bone and any skin.
- Return shredded meat to the slow cooker with the canned tomatoes and lemon pepper (or black 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 cooked white rice, collard greens and cornbread and hot sauce, if desired.
- To Add Rice and Collards to the Pot: After cooking the Hoppin' John, add 2 cups cooked long grain white rice and 1 (16-oz) package frozen chopped collard greens cooked per the package directions. Stir both in at the end of slow cooking and just before serving. Season only lightly with salt when preparing both.
- Cook's Note: The ham hock adds a great deal of seasoning and salt to the entire dish. If desired, you can wait to add salt after the Hoppin' John has cooked for the initial 3 hours, then taste and adjust the amount to your taste.
Notes
- Meat - You can also season black eyed peas with smoked turkey legs, andouille sausage or bacon.
- Salt - The ham hock adds a great deal of seasoning and salt to the entire dish. If desired, you can wait to add salt after the Hoppin' John has cooked for the initial 3 hours, then taste and adjust the amount to your taste. You can also replace the seasoned salt with creole seasoning.
- Spice - You can adjust the amount of spice in this dish by increasing the amount of red pepper flakes or omitting them altogether.
- Garlic - You can use 1 teaspoon of garlic powder or granulated garlic in place of fresh garlic.
- Canned Tomatoes - You can use plain diced tomatoes or fire roasted tomatoes.
- Hot Sauce - For those who want a little extra heat, serve hoppin' john with hot sauce nearby for those who like to sprinkle a little on top.
- Serving Options - There are many ways to enjoy this simple fare. Some cooks will add cooked collards to the black eyed peas and rice and mix it all together. While others may prefer to serve Hoppin' John ladled over rice with collard greens and cornbread on the side. I've done it both ways, and typically like to serve it with the white rice and collard greens on the side and allow those eating it to decide if they want to mix it altogether or eat them separately. It's completely up to you!
- Side Dish Option - You may also like to add these Cajun Collard Greens with Bacon or Southern Collard Greens to your meal.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 926mg | Potassium: 687mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 136IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 4mg