Soak 1 pound of black-eyed peas in cold water overnight.  Drain the following morning and rinse off black-eyed peas with fresh cold water.  Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed stock pot (7 quart minimum) over medium heat and sear ham hock on all sides; remove from pot and set aside.  Add onions, celery, garlic, bell peppers and sauté about 5 minutes.

Add the black-eyed peas, ham hock, chicken broth, thyme, Wild Bill’ Meat Rub, Louisiana Hot sauce, salt, black pepper and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low and simmer 60 minutes.  Strain one cup of the black-eyed peas mixture from pot,  mash or puree and add back to the pot, mixing well and continue to simmer another 30 minutes until black-eyed peas are tender and "gravy" thickened some.  Remove ham hocks and shred any usable meat from the bones and add meat back to the pot discarding ham hocks.  Remove bay leaf and adjust seasonings as needed. 

Serve with a side of Collard Greens, Macaroni and Cheese and Baked or Fried Corn Bread for a traditional North Carolina New Year “good luck” meal.  Serve over a bed of cooked rice for a more authentic Cajun dish.  Garnish with chopped green onions or scallions if desired.

YIELD:  4 to 8 generous servings

Below pixs of Hoppin' John served over a bed of yellow rice:

NOTES:  This Hoppin' John had an outstanding flavor and texture with a little heat kick.  All the flavors married together wonderfully and the black-eyed peas were not overcooked aka mushy, however for slightly al dente, reduce the simmering time to one hour total!  The ham hocks are for seasoning mostly but one of them did have a little lean meat on it of which I shredded it off the bone and added it back to the pot.  It normally takes a couple hours or more at a boil to have the meat falling off the ham hocks but in this case your blacked-eyed peas would be over cooked and mushy.  If desired, you could boil the ham hocks ahead of time and get any usable meat from them but the flavor enhancement to the chicken stock/broth from the ham hocks is the main reason for using them.  You could use hog side meat, hog jowls, beef or pork neck bones or smoked turkey wings instead of the ham hocks if desired.  However, it will be hard to surpass the flavor provided by the usage of ham hocks.

You can also add your cooked rice to the Hoppin' John prior to serving but I prefer to add the Hoppin' John over a bed of rice.

Click on thumbnail sequence pixs for a larger screen view below:

Our Moms and my Grandma Coley usually prepared Black-Eyed Peas, Collard Greens and Cornbread for the New Year’s Dinner aka Lunch meal and the tradition continues on but this year my bride wanted Salmon patties, mashed potatoes and Pinto beans instead of which we enjoyed a late lunch of the same.  Growing up, my Mom and Grandma Coley did not add any of the veggies and seasonings that would render this Cajun style of Hoppin’ John aka Black-Eyed Peas. This recipe is a compilation of various internet recipes and our own family Traditional black-eyed peas recipe with ham hocks.

Web published by Bill aka Mickey Porter 01-01-13 with pixs added on 01-05-13.

LEAVING ON A SPIRITUAL NOTE

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please take this moment to accept him by Faith into your Life, whereby Salvation will be attained.   

Ephesians 2:8 - 2:9 8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Open this link about faith in the King James Bible.