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–+ servings
Close up photo of cooked black-eyed peas topped with chopped green onions as a garnish

Savory Southern Style Black Eyed Peas Recipe

Elicit Folio
My Southern-style black-eyed pea recipe below has a savory, smoky flavor infused through ham hocks or smoked turkey, paired with aromatic vegetables and simple bold seasonings.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American, Southern
Servings 8
Calories 236 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 16 oz Black Eyed Peas fresh or soaked for 8 hours
  • 2 Ham Hocks you may substitute with smoked neck bones or another smoked meat
  • 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/3 cup Onion finely chopped
  • 3 dashes Liquid Hickory Smoke
  • 2 tbsp Butter
  • Water
  • Salt & Pepper to Taste
  • 3 stalks Green Onion (Optional Garnish) diced

Instructions
 

  • To a pot, add 2 ham hocks. Fill the pot with enough water to just barely cover the top of the ham hocks. Place on the oven over medium heat. Add 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder. Allow ingredients to simmer to form a smoky broth for about 30 minutes. Do not allow broth to boil.
  • As broth comes up to simmer, take a separate small sauté pan, melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat, and sauté 1/3 cup of finely diced onion until soft. Turn off heat and set sautéd onions aside.
  • After 30 minutes of broth simmering, add 16 oz of fresh black-eyed peas or dried black eyed peas that have soaked overnight. Do not add dried black-eyed peas straight from the bag that have not been cleaned and soaked. Pour cleaned black eyed peas into broth, add onion butter mixture, 3 dashes of liquid hickory smoke and allow black eyed peas to slowly cook over low medium heat for 2 - 3 hours. Cover pot with lid.
  • I recommend stirring, adding salt halfway and towards the end of the cooking process to ensure you do not over-salt the black-eyed peas. The sodium within the smoked meat will already add a salt-like flavor. Allowing peas to simmer low and slow will also allow them to thicken on their own to form a gravy like texture. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving. Garnish with chopped green onions and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 236kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 16gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 282mgPotassium: 343mgFiber: 4gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 141IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 2mg
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