brown beans prepared in the South.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 4 hrs |
| Additional Time: | 1 day |
| Total Time: | 1 day 4 hrs 10 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pinto beans
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 cups reduced-salt chicken broth
- 1 ¾ pounds ham hock
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Pick over the beans, rinse them, and place them in a large bowl with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and enough water to cover by 3 or 4 inches. Allow the beans to soak overnight.
- The next day, drain and rinse the beans, and place them in a large pot. Stir in the chicken broth, ham hock, black pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Simmer the beans over low heat for 4 hours, adding water occasionally if needed to keep the soupy consistency. Remove the ham hock before serving.
- About an hour before serving, if the beans aren’t as soft as you like, turn up the heat to a slow boil and use a lid, unless you want to thicken the sauce. Stir frequently until beans are soft, then return to a low simmer.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 478 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 36 g |
| Cholesterol | 72 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 9 g |
| Protein | 32 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Sodium | 320 mg |
| Sugars | 2 g |
| Fat | 22 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I made it last week and it was a huge success. I have the beans soaking now. For the winter season, this has become an addition to my traditional Sunday dinner. Love it and thanks for posting the real deal.
These were great. Like others, I added garlic and onion powders. Unlike others, but as I do with all my “from scratch” bean recipes, I added a few tablespoons of sugar (2-3). This really creates a richer broth. Another suggestion, if you don’t have all night to soak the beans, cook 35-50 minutes in a pressure cooker.
Delicious! Just like Mom cooked as we were growing up!
I cooked these in the crock pot all day and they were delicious. I loved using the chicken stock to cook them. It gave them a little more taste than just water. To thicken them up a bit, I added a little cornstarch mixed with water about 5 minutes before serving.
I didn’t have a ham hock, so I used ham broth that I had frozen from my Christmas ham with added water to cover the beans and added pieces of a fried pork chop. Didn’t need any salt. It was delicious.
The whole family thought it was great. Thank-you.
Very good. Just like mom used to make. Added 3 cloves garlic and cooked for 10 hr on low in crock pot. I did not have low-sodium broth. It definitely had enough saltiness. Next time I will omit the 1/2 t salt in soaking unless I have low sodium broth.
These were delicious; great comfort food. Not sure if I misread the recipe: I interpreted the ham hock quantity as one and three quarters pounds of ham hock (that was 3 pieces in the package I got). That made it a little salty, though not inedible by any means. I think in the future I’ll either go with one hock or increase the quantity of beans, etc.
These were so yummy! I only added 6 cups of chicken broth and replaced the last two with water and I’m glad I did. I think 8 cups would have been too much. Mine only took about 3 hours to cook. Maybe just a tad salty so be careful with adding additional salt. Served with real southern cornbread from this website and it was a wonderful meal!!
This was amazing….. I did change some things… be sure to read reviews… I added garlic powder, small chopped onion and 6 cups broth & 2 cups water. Added a touch of seasoned salt, paprika, chili seasoning….etc on the spices. I cooked mine in a slow cooker on high for 4 to 5 hours then switched into a pan then let it simmer on the stove for another hour on med-high uncovered to let it thicken. Will be making again VERY SOON! Thanks for sharing!
I soaked mine overnight but put everything in the crockpot on low all day long (10 hours). I used a ham bone from a potluck from work I had put in the freezer. I added a little more garlic and onion (plus onion and garlic powders) and let it run. We served this soup with tortillas and it was a huge hit with all three kids (plus us adults). Thanks!
Great – just like my grandma used to make!!
This is a great and simple recipe. My mom used to make it better than I can, thanks for posting it! I made this with the left over ham bone from Christmas dinner and it turned out great. Cornbread on the side is a must.
Pretty good! I think I used too much salt though, for my taste anyway, so if you are not a salt lover I would recommend cutting that down a bit. Otherwise, this was a great recipe!
Brown Beans aka Pinto Beans They have been around here in the south from the beginning. A more healthy approach to cooking them is simply add olive oil. Cook in a slow cooker all day.I use to add fat back, or ham bones there isn’t any need. Beans,freshly chopped onions on top with a hunk of corn bread. You’ve got dinner.
My folks made this 60 year ago. The ham bone is the real plus as it cooks. They added onion, celery and carrots. It is magnificent fresh and re-heated. Bread and butter on the side and lots of tobasco and seasoning salt.
This is a great dish. Add a tablespoon of garlic powder or dried ground garlic in step 2. We also serve it with medudo mix spices on the side for those who wish to spice it up a bit. Warmed corn tortillas are also good for an alternative to cornbread. This meal will leave you in a feeling of euphoria, and you will want to take a nice nap afterwards.