Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas with Ham Hock and Collards

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A whole Sunday pot of peas on a weeknight: no soaking, no babysitting. Dried black-eyed peas, a smoked ham hock and a mound of collards go into the pressure cooker together, and 35 minutes later the peas are creamy, the greens are silky, and the hock falls off the bone into a smoky pot likker. Cider vinegar and hot sauce go in at the end to wake it all up.

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and picked over
• 1 smoked ham hock (about 1 to 1 1/4 lb)
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 lb collard greens, stems removed, leaves cut into ribbons

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp hot sauce, plus more for serving

Instructions

1. Rinse the black-eyed peas in a colander and pick out any grit or shriveled peas; there is no need to soak them. Strip the collard leaves off their stems and cut the leaves into 1-inch ribbons (a big pile is correct — they collapse).
2. Put the onion, garlic, peas, chicken broth, smoked paprika and salt into a 6-quart Instant Pot and stir once. Nestle the ham hock into the center so it is mostly submerged, then pile the collards on top. Do not stir them in and do not add the vinegar or hot sauce yet — acid keeps the pea skins tough.
3. Lock the lid, set the valve to Sealing, and cook on Pressure Cook / Manual at high pressure for 35 minutes. It will take about 12 to 15 minutes to come up to pressure before the timer starts.
4. When the timer beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes, then move the valve to Venting to release any remaining steam. Open the lid away from your face.
5. Lift the ham hock onto a plate with tongs. Pull the meat from the bone with two forks, discarding skin, fat and bone, then stir the shredded meat back into the pot along with the collards, which will now be tender and dark.
6. Stir in the cider vinegar and hot sauce, taste and add more salt if it needs it, and let the pot sit uncovered on Keep Warm for 5 minutes to thicken slightly. Ladle into bowls with plenty of the broth and pass extra hot sauce at the table.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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