That’s it, my friends! I hope you enjoy your Hoppin’ John! The dish is called “Hoppin’ John”, known more locally as Carolina Peas and Rice in North and South Carolina, and I’m sure you’re going to love it. It is often served on New Year, offering up good fortune to all. It’s good luck to serve black eyed peas on new years day, but I love them anytime. I’ve seen many versions of this recipe, but Hoppin’ John essentially breaks down to the following ingredients - Black-eyed peas, rice and pork. Traditionally, hoppin john is made by slowly cooking the rice and beans together with broth and the pork for flavoring, but you’ll often see newer versions of the dish made by cooking the beans alone and serving them over the rice. It’s really up to you how you want to prepare it, though prepare yourself for the purists to argue that you can’t cook the rice and beans separately. I’ve made this both ways and I love them both, so however you want to do it! They soften up and become creamy when cooked, and they’re very flavorful. Pork is traditional, and you’ll see variations from chef to chef, from region to region, so plan accordingly. I used smoked ham in my recipe, with ham that I smoked at home in my smoker, but consider adding sliced bacon, pork belly, and/or andouille sausage. Historians mostly believe the name is a variation of “pois pigeons”, which is French for “dried peas”. Let’s talk about how to make Hoppin John, shall we? Cook down the onions, green peppers and celery until they are nicely softened. Add in a bit of garlic and smoked ham (or whatever pork you’re using), and heat them through. Simmer the beans for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, or until the peas are tender and nicely softened, but not mushy. We don’t want no mushy beans! It is very often served with collard greens for the New Year, the green symbolizing wealth and prosperity, and the black eyed peas representing coins. We can all use a bit of luck for the New Year, so be sure to serve this up! Any greens will work. Consider Swiss chard, kale, mustard greens, etc. Tomatoes. I’ve made hoppin’ john with diced tomatoes and loved it. Give that version a try. Cheese. Some people like to include cheese. Just a bit sprinkled over the top. The Beans. You CAN use canned or frozen black-eyed peas for this recipe instead of dried. Just follow the recipe and simmer until they are nice and soft. You’ll get more flavor from starting with dried beans because the simmering time, and hence flavor building time, is longer. Slow Cooker Hoppin’ John. You can make Hoppin’ John in a slow cooker as well. To do so, cook down the vegetables in the pan first, then add them to your slow cooker or crock pot along with the remaining ingredients. Cook them on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8-10 hours, or until the beans are softened but not mushy. Soaking can reduce cooking time and softening of the beans. However, if you drain the beans, you may be losing some of the nutrients from the beans that have leached into the water. Soaking does help to soften the tough bean skins. I like to add about 3 tablespoons of salt to the water for more of a brine when soaking, which helps soften the beans and adds a bit more flavor and creamy bean interiors. Also, some people report experiencing bad gas from unsoaked beans, so consider and decide accordingly. Cooking time for soaked beans is about 1 hour, to soften them up. For a quick soak method, add the rinsed beans to a pot with 6 cups of water, then bring to a quick boil. Boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat. Cover and soak for 1 hour. Be careful not to oversoak the beans, or they can split. You can freeze leftovers in freezer containers for 3 months or longer. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! – Mike H. NOTE: This recipe was updated on 12/20/23 to include new information and video. It was originally published on 10/29/2018.
