Cooking black-eyed peas on the stovetop

1. Rinse the black-eyed peas in a strainer, eliminating any discolored peas as well as any small stones that may be present.
2. Use a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot, pour in the rinsed black-eyed peas, and soak using two techniques. Cover with 2 inches of water for a quick soak. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 2 minutes. Alternatively, cover the peas with 2 inches of water and soak overnight. Allow to soak overnight in the stockpot, uncovered. To remove black-eyed peas from the soaking water, pour them through a colander after soaking.
3. Return the peas to the stockpot and cook them over medium-low heat.
4. Fill the stockpot with enough water to submerge the black-eyed peas plus an extra 2 inches.
5. If using, add the ham bone, bacon, or salt pork. Use two tablespoons of olive oil to make the recipe vegetarian or vegan.
6. Bring black-eyed peas to a moderate simmer and cook, stirring periodically and adding water as required, until they become fork-tender; this should take about two hours.
7. Remove the ham bone and discard it; this will leave chunks of ham in the black-eyed peas that would have simmered into the peas. Remove and discard the bacon or salt pork if used. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking black-eyed peas in an Instant Pot

1. Fill the Instant Pot with water to cover the rinsed black-eyed peas by about 2 inches.
2. If using, add the ham bone, bacon, or salt pork. Use two tablespoons of olive oil to make your recipe vegetarian or vegan.
3. Cook for 25 minutes at high pressure in the Instant Pot with the cover on. Allow another 20 minutes for the pressure to release naturally.
4. Remove and discard the ham bone, leaving chunks of ham in the black-eyed peas that would have cooked into the peas. Remove and discard the bacon or salt pork if used.

This recipe describes two great ways to cook black-eyed peas for delicious results. If you’d like to see more recipe ideas to try, we recommend this video recipe for some great ideas.