Southern Stewed Pinto Beans with Smoked Ham Hock

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A pot of dried pintos simmered low with a smoked ham hock, onion and a bay leaf until the beans go creamy and the broth turns into its own silky pot liquor. A one-hour quick-soak replaces the overnight bowl on the counter, so this can start after lunch and still be on the table for dinner. Built to be spooned over cornbread, with a little vinegar-onion sharpness on top.

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried pinto beans
• 1 smoked ham hock (about 1 lb), or 2 smoked turkey wings
• 4 oz slab bacon or salt pork, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (optional, for extra richness)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 cups water, plus more as needed

• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp light brown sugar

• 1/2 small white onion, finely diced
• hot pepper vinegar or hot sauce
• skillet cornbread, for serving

• 2 tbsp bacon drippings or vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg

Instructions

1. Pour the dried beans onto a sheet pan and sort through them, discarding any small stones, grit or shriveled beans. Rinse in a colander under cold water.
2. Quick-soak: put the beans in a large Dutch oven, cover with 2 inches of water, and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Boil hard for 2 minutes, cover, and let stand off the heat for 1 hour. Drain and rinse. (This does in an hour what an overnight soak does, and it helps the beans cook evenly.)
3. While the beans soak, if using bacon or salt pork, render it in the same Dutch oven (wiped dry) over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until the fat has melted out and the cubes are browned. Add the diced yellow onion and cook 5 minutes, stirring, until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. If you're skipping the pork belly, just cook the onion in 1 tablespoon oil.
4. Add the drained beans, the ham hock, bay leaf, 8 cups water, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, black pepper, smoked paprika and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then reduce to the barest simmer — you want a few lazy bubbles, not a churn.
5. Cover partially, leaving a 1-inch gap, and simmer 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes and scraping the bottom so nothing catches. Keep the beans just covered with liquid, adding hot water 1/2 cup at a time if the level drops below them. The beans are done when they mash easily against the side of the pot with no chalkiness in the center.
6. Lift out the ham hock onto a plate and let it cool 10 minutes. Pull the meat from the bone, discarding skin, fat and gristle, chop it coarsely, and stir it back into the pot. Fish out and discard the bay leaf.
7. Thicken the pot liquor: scoop out 1 cup of beans, mash them to a paste with a fork, and stir them back in. Simmer uncovered 10 more minutes until the broth coats a spoon.
8. Stir in the cider vinegar and brown sugar, then taste hard and adjust — smoked pork varies wildly in saltiness, so you may need up to another teaspoon of salt, or none at all. Add more black pepper if it tastes flat.
9. If making the cornbread, heat the oven to 425°F with a 10-inch cast-iron skillet inside and the drippings added to it. Whisk cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl; whisk buttermilk and egg in another. Combine with a few strokes, pour the hot fat from the skillet into the batter, stir once, then pour the batter into the hot skillet. Bake 20 to 22 minutes, until the top is golden and set. Rest 5 minutes before cutting.
10. Ladle the beans into bowls with plenty of their liquor, top with raw diced white onion and a splash of pepper vinegar, and serve with wedges of hot cornbread for crumbling in.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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