Old-Fashioned Southern Pinto Beans
Southern pinto beans simmered with a smoky ham hock, onion, and simple seasonings until tender, creamy, and full of rich flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 pound pinto beans
- 3 tbsp kosher salt for brining liquid
- 1 ham hock
- 1 med onion, cut in half
- 3 tsp Better than Bouillon chicken base (or other bouillon)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, optional
Instructions
- Sort and soak the beans: Pick through the beans and remove any debris or damaged beans. Place them in a large bowl and cover with water. Stir in the kosher salt to create a light brine. Soak for 8 - 12 hours
- Drain the beans and rinse them well under cold water to remove the brine.
- Optional Step: Start the ham hock early by placing the ham hock in the same pot in which you will be cooking your beans, put enough water in to just cover it, simmer for an hour or an hour and a half.
- Add the rinsed beans, onion halves, bay leaf, bouillon, and black pepper to the pot with the ham hock.
- Bring back to a gentle simmer. Cover the pot with the lid slightly cracked and cook until the beans are tender and creamy, about 1 to 1½ hours, stirring occasionally.
- Once the beans are tender, remove the ham hock. If there is meat on the bone, shred it and return it to the pot. Or you can simply remove it if you used it only for flavor.
- Taste the beans and adjust seasoning if needed. Because the ham hock releases salt as it cooks, it’s best to check the seasoning at the end before adding any additional salt.
- Right before serving, you can stir in1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar if desired. You won’t taste the vinegar, it simply brightens the flavor and balances the richness of the beans.
- If you like your pot liquor to be a little thicker you can remove about 1/2 cup and mash them up well and then add them back to the pot.
- Serve hot with cornbread and a little hot sauce for those who like spice.