Description
Southern Pinto Beans with Ham Hocks and Cornbread brings comfort straight from grandma’s kitchen to your dinner table, delivering hearty Southern flavors that warm your soul with each delicious spoonful.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 lbs ham hocks
- 1 lb pinto beans
Supporting Ingredients:
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 medium onion
- 1 stalk celery
- ½ green bell pepper
Seasoning and Liquid Ingredients:
- 32 ounces chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 vegetable bouillon cube
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Cornbread:
- 1 package cornbread mix or recipe ingredients
Pickled Onions:
- 1 onion
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Rinse 2 lbs ham hocks under cold water. Place them in a large stockpot with 8 cups water at high heat until boiling reaches 212°F.
- Reduce heat to low, allowing ham hocks to simmer gently at 185°F for 2 hours until meat becomes extremely tender.
- Add 1 lb rinsed pinto beans, 32 oz chicken broth, 3 minced garlic cloves, 1 tbsp butter, and chopped vegetables (1 medium onion, 1 stalk celery, ½ green bell pepper).
- Sprinkle ½ tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, ½ tsp black pepper, 1 tsp dried parsley, and 1 tsp dried thyme over the mixture. Crumble 1 vegetable bouillon cube into the pot.
- Maintain a low simmer at 190°F for 2.5 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent beans from sticking to the bottom.
- Check bean tenderness after 2 hours. They should be soft but not disintegrating when pressed between your fingers.
- Remove ham hocks, shred meat from bones, and return meat back into the bean mixture.
- Prepare cornbread according to your preferred recipe, baking at 400°F for approximately 20-25 minutes.
- While cornbread bakes, quickly pickle sliced onions by combining equal parts vinegar and water with a pinch of sugar and salt.
- Let pickled onions sit for minimum 30 minutes before serving alongside beans and cornbread.
Notes
- Soak the pinto beans overnight to reduce cooking time and improve digestibility, which helps break down complex sugars that cause gas.
- Select ham hocks with plenty of meat attached for a richer, more flavorful dish that provides extra protein and depth.
- Check the beans periodically during cooking and add more liquid if needed to prevent sticking or burning, keeping the consistency creamy and smooth.
- For a gluten-free version, use cornbread made with alternative flour like almond or corn flour, and ensure all seasonings are certified gluten-free.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
- Category: Ham
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Southern American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 315 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 580 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 9 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg