- 1 bottle beer
- 1 bag black eyed peas
- 2 cups cubed smoked ham (generous cups)
- 1 onion
- 8 slices Wright's® thick cut applewood smoked bacon
- 6-8 large cloves of garlic
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon McCormick® Ground Peppercorn Medley
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or chipotle chili pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 cups water
Directions:
Rinse, pick over, and soak black eyed peas in the bottle of beer for eight hours. You might need to add some water if the container you use means they are not covered or if they soak up so much beer they become exposed on top.
Mince onions and garlic and set aside. Measure out brown sugar, salt, both peppers, and thyme and set aside. Cube the ham into small pieces and set aside.
Sliver the bacon slices into quarter inch strips and cook in a large stock pot. Scoop them out, let them dry on paper towel, and set aside.
Sliver the bacon slices into quarter inch strips and cook in a large stock pot. Scoop them out, let them dry on paper towel, and set aside.
In the bacon drippings, cook the minced onions until they become translucent. Then, add in the garlic and sauté until browned. Add butter, peppercorn medley, cayenne pepper, salt, thyme, and brown sugar and simmer until the butter is melted and everything is mixed together. Then add the cubed ham and bacon pieces. Stir thoroughly and simmer a few minutes.
Drain and rinse black eyed peas. Add water, bay leaf, and black eyed peas to the pot and cover. Simmer for 1 and 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove cover and simmer an additional 30 minutes to reduce down the liquid.
Myrtle's Note: I thought I had settled on a recipe when I was searching for one and remembered the beer. But when I actually looked up the recipe, I realized I had combined several in my mind. Since I can be a picky eater (no onions for this gal), I picked the ingredients I liked best and used them.
Yield: 8
Medley recipe ingredients adapted from:
