Black Eyed Peas are one of the few beans that I cant regularly get in a can for whatever reason. Since that’s the case, I had to find a good way to cook these and didn’t want to spend all day on it. Thanks to my friend Danielle Z. for providing her expertise in nailing down the recipe, the following is a delicious and simple way to make these lovely beans for the fam.
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Why I Love This Recipe:
This recipe features my favorite flavors; the cajun “holy trinity” and bacon! The holy trinity (onion, bell pepper, and celery) adds a deeply satisfying flavor to any dish and doesn’t disappoint here. The taste is hard to nail down, but there is a reason I use it in so many dishes. Combine that with the smokiness of the bacon and you’re in business for a truly satisfying dish.
Ingredients & Equipment
Ingredients for Black-eyed Beans
- Black-Eyed Peas: Nothing special about these, just dried beans in a bag. The good part is you’re going to use the whole bag, which I love doing.
- Bacon: I always defer to regular thickness, hickory-smoked bacon since it’s usually the most cost-effective. We are adding it as a flavoring so the quality of the cuts isn’t as critical as eating it for breakfast.
- Onion, Celery, Bell Pepper: I use a yellow onion for everything, and this is no exception. Green peppers work well here, as I have found they retain their flavor more during cooking.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic for that best flavor, but I never have any on hand. I use that big jar of already minced garlic, and it works just fine.
Equipment
- Instant Pot: This recipe uses the pressure cooking feature to speed up the meal considerably. I recommend an 8 Quart or bigger Instant Pot since I almost always have enough room to feed my family of 4.
- Cutting Board: You’ll be chopping vegetables for a bit, so having a quality cutting board is a nice addition for this recipe.
- Chef’s Knife: My go-to for chopping most things, invest here near the beginning of setting up your kitchen to really improve your overall cooking journey. Works great for making quick work of the onion and bacon.
- Paring Knife: The Chef’s Knife can be a bit unwieldy for the green pepper, so I recommend a paring knife to make green pepper prep quicker. Not necessary, but nice to have.
- Strainer: This is optional, but I wanted my beans out of the bean broth at the end.
Preparation
Soaking the Beans (Optional!)
You can soak the beans ahead of time if you choose. Just soak them in a bunch of water and make sure they stay submerged by adding more water if necessary. I soaked them for 4 hours and it was perfect, but longer should work if you submerge them before work. Just make sure to use an abundance of water.
Cooking the Beans
- Fry that Bacon. Set your instant pot to saute and lay the bacon in once it’s hot. I like crispy bacon for the increased flavor and better texture, especially since we will be cooking it again with the beans. Once finished, remove it to a paper towel to soak off the excess grease and let it cool.
- Saute the vegetables. In the bacon fat, saute your onion for 3 minutes. Pour in a splash of water and scrape up the “brown bits” from the bacon, it adds that lovely flavor to the onions. At 3 minutes, toss in your bell pepper and celery and saute until everything is nice and soft, about 10 minutes. For the final minute, stir in the garlic. Garlic burns easily and is terrible one burnt, that’s why I save it for last.
- Stir in the chicken stock, tabasco sauce, and bay leaves, then scrape up any additional brown bits. These are umami incarnate and should be incorporated into the food whenever possible.
- Drain the beans and add them to the pot along with the bacon. I usually cut my bacon into small pieces with kitchen scissors.
- Set your instant pot to pressure cook for 30 minutes (high pressure). Once it’s finished, naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes and then set the valve to vent and release manually. Don’t get impatient, this waiting step is critical for good texture in your beans and veggies.
- Strain the beans from the broth and serve hot. You can save the lovely bean broth to make a different soup and it adds an amazing layer of smokey bean flavor to the next soup you make.
Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Cutting Board
- Chef's Knife
- Slotted Spoon
- Collander
Ingredients
- 1 lb Dry Black Eyed Peas Rinsed
- ½ lb Bacon
- 1 Yellow Onion Diced
- 1 rib Celery Diced
- 1 Bell Pepper Seeded, Diced
- 2 cloves Garlic Diced (or 1t minced)
- 8 cups Chicken Broth or Stock
- 1 Tbsp Tobasco Sauce Chipolte preferred
- 2 Bay Leaves Whole
Instructions
Soak your beans
- Soak the beans in cold water for 4 hours prior to cooking them. Check them every so often, and if they emerge from the water, add more.
Saute bacon and vegetables
- Saute the bacon in the instant pot until crispy, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Saute the onions for 3 minutes in the bacon grease, then add bell pepper and celery. Saute until tender and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic (1t minced) for the last minute.
- Add 1 cup chicken stock and stir into the cooked veggies, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the remaining stock and bay leaves (2).
- Drain the water from the beans and add them to the pot. Cut the bacon into small pieces and add to the pot as well.
- Place the lid and cook for 30 minutes at high pressure. Allow the pressure to dissipate for 10 minutes, and then release manually.
- Strain the beans from the broth and serve hot.
Notes
- Simmer again before serving and give it a stir for a creamier end result.
- If you skip the soaking step, pressure cook for 90 minutes.
- For vegetarians: Use butter to cook the vegetables and vegetable stock for cooking the beans.
- For vegans: Use oil to cook the vegetables and vegetable stock for the beans.
- Naturally a gluten free dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Need to Soak Black Eyed Peas Before Cooking Them?
Traditionally, you would soak the dried black-eyed peas for 8+ hours in cold water, allowing the water to rehydrate the dried peas. The pressure cooker in this recipe forces the water into the bean and makes the soaking process optional. For a firmer bean, I have found that a combination of 4 hours of soaking and then 30 minutes of pressure cooking lends to a firm but cooked black-eyed pea.
What Meat Is Used to Season Black Eyed Peas?
Salt pork is the traditional flavoring for black-eyed peas, but any cured meat will flavor your peas nicely. Bacon, ham hock, ham steak, sausage, even prosciutto will add a layer of salty, meaty flavor.
How Do I Make This Dish Vegetarian/Vegan?
To make this a vegetarian dish, sub out the meat. Bacon bits may be substituted for the bacon flavor, or a few drops of liquid smoke in the beginning should go a long way to adding smokiness. Smoked paprika or cumin would also add that flavor as well. For Vegan preparation, sub out the meat as above, and substitute oil for the butter as needed.
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