Southern Pinto Beans Recipe

Ingredients:

- 16 oz bag of dried pinto beans

- 4 cups chicken stock

- 4 cups of water

- 1 onion, roughly chopped

- 2 ham hocks (about a pound)

- 2 bay leaves

- 1 tsp black pepper (maybe a little more)

- 1 tsp garlic powder

- 1 tsp onion powder

- Salt to taste (wait and taste after cooking and add if needed because the pork can add enough salt)

- About a half a package of thick cut smoked ham, cut into 1 inch pieces (Optional if you like more meat in your beans)

The night before, sort and rinse your beans (removing any rocks or shriveled up, weird looking beans). Then in a big pot or bowl, add your beans and cover with water (at least a couple inches higher than the beans), cover and soak overnight/ until you're ready to cook them.

The next day, dump out your excess water and rinse your beans again. Then add them to a big stock pot.

Add all ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil,  reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid, stirring occasionally. Cook until beans are tender, about 1.5-2 hours. 

Remove ham hocks and cut the meat off the bone (I cut the fat off too but this is personal preference) and return to the pot.