Hoppin John

About This Recipe

Hoppin' John is the Carolina Lowcountry's iconic rice-and-peas dish: black-eyed peas (traditionally smaller Sea Island red peas) simmered with smoked pork, then cooked together with long-grain rice so every grain absorbs the smoky, peppery potlikker. It is a direct descendant of West African rice-and-bean cookery, perfected by enslaved Gullah Geechee cooks in the rice country around Charleston. Eaten on New Year's Day with collard greens and cornbread, it promises luck and prosperity, but it deserves a place at the table year-round. The goal is distinct, seasoned grains and creamy peas — a pilau, not a porridge.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 cupdried black-eyed peas(soaked overnight; or Sea Island red peas)
• 1 largesmoked ham hock
• 4 stripsthick-cut bacon(diced)
• 1 mediumyellow onion(diced)
• 2 stalkscelery(diced)
• 2 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 cuplong-grain white rice(rinsed until water runs clear; Carolina Gold if available)
• 2 cupspea potlikker (reserved cooking liquid)
• 1bay leaf
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 0.5 tspkosher salt
• 4scallions(sliced, for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare

   Soak the black-eyed peas for 4 hours or overnight, then drain. Dice onion and celery, mince garlic, and rinse the rice until the water runs nearly clear to remove excess starch.

   Rinsing the rice is the difference between a fluffy pilau and a gummy pot.

2. 2

   Cook

   Simmer the peas with a smoked ham hock, bay leaf, and water to cover by 2 inches for about 1 hour, until just tender. Reserve the cooking liquid; it becomes the flavor base for the rice.

3. 3

   Combine

   In a heavy pot, render bacon and sweat the onion, celery, and garlic for 5 minutes. Add rice, stir to coat, then add the peas and 2 cups of the reserved potlikker. Cover and simmer on low for 18 to 20 minutes.

4. 4

   Serve

   Rest the covered pot off heat for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork and fold in the shredded hock meat. Season with salt, black pepper, and hot sauce, and serve with sliced scallions.

   Do not lift the lid during the rest; the steam finishes the grains evenly.

Variations

• •

  Sea Island red peas: the heirloom Gullah original, with a nuttier, deeper flavor.

• •

  Smoked turkey version: swap the hock for a smoked turkey wing for a lighter pot.

• •

  Vegetarian Hoppin' John: use smoked paprika, olive oil, and vegetable stock with a kombu strip for depth.

• •

  Tomato-tinged: stir a cup of diced tomatoes in with the rice for a rosier Lowcountry variant.

Storage

Refrigerate for up to 4 days in an airtight container; sprinkle with a little water before reheating so the rice steams loose. Freezes well for 2 months in portioned containers.

Frequently Asked Questions