My mama made this pinto beans recipe all the time because it was easy, flavorful and cheap boos! The smoked ham hock adds flavor to the broth while the beans get super tender from simmering. This is straight up Southern old school eating with no frills, just soul.
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Pinto Beans Ingredients
- Pinto beans: Make sure you wash and sort through the dried beans. You will find twigs, rocks, and debris, and you don’t want to eat them.
- Chicken stock: While old schoolers like my mama used to just use water, I find that you can create a richer broth by using chicken stock.
- Onion: White, yellow, or sweet onion will work.
- Smoked ham hock: You can find these in the meat section at most grocery stores. Very important: make sure they are smoked and super meaty! If you aren’t a fan, just substitute with a smoked turkey leg, which is equally as good. If you don’t want meat at all, you can use 1 tablespoon of liquid smoke. I find the hocks are more flavorful and smoky but if you have a leftover ham bone, don’t let it go to waste and use it to flavor your pinto beans.
- Herbs and spices: All you need are bay leaves, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt to season these perfectly.
How to make Pinto Beans
Southern Pinto Bean Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (11 ounce) package pinto beans picked through and soaked in lots of water overnight
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1 quart water
- 1 onion halved or roughly chopped
- 2 halves smoked ham hock (about ¾ pound total)
- 2 bay leaves optional
- 1 tsp black pepper plus more to taste
- 1 tsp garlic powder plus more to taste
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Add the soaked beans, chicken stock, water, onion, ham hocks, and bay leaves (if using) to a large stock pot.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are nice and tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Season with pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Cook just above a simmer for a creamier texture. Keeping that heat low adds more body to the liquid that results in creaminess as the beans break down.
- Newer Beans are Best: Beans are shelf stable but the longer they sit around the longer they take to cook.
- Don’t forget to pick the meat: After cooking, you can pick the meat from the bones and stir into the beans. That’s good eatin boos!
- Soak your beans. It’s important for more even cooking and also better for digestion.
Serving Suggestions
- Cornbread: Ain’t nothing like sopping up your beans with some hot water cornbread or even sweet potato cornbread for a sweet twist.
- Rice: I love ladling homemade pinto beans over simple steamed rice or for even more flavor, Mexican rice or Jollof rice.
- Classic Southern Mains: Make some old school chicken gizzards or fried chicken or some delish smothered pork chops. And don’t forget a pot of mustard greens to get some down-home veggies in the mix.
- Southern dessert: Finish everything off with some peach cobbler or cream cheese pound cake.
Recipe help
I personally prefer soaking mine overnight or for at least 8-12 hours. This will shorten the cook time and make them easier to digest. Of course if you forget (been there, done that plenty), you can quick soak them.
If you forget to soak them overnight, you can use the quick soak method. Just pour boiling water over your beans and let them sit for an hour. The beans will absorb some of the liquid and plump up as they sit. Just note they may need to cook slightly longer than beans soaked overnight.
Yep for sure boos. My mama took this shortcut plenty of times. I won’t lie, you will lose a bit of flavor and creaminess with this method however. To make southern-style pinto beans in a crock pot, add all of the ingredients to the pot and stir until fully combined. Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until the ham is tender and falling apart.
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I cook a big ole pot of beans nearly every week during the winter. I cook mine in a crock pot and have never soaked my beans (if any kind) but need to be sure and check about an hour or two to make sure and add water because they soak it up! I always serve it with some sweet cornbread and fried potatoes and onions!! That’s just good eatin!!
Sounds amazung!
I have never soaked my beans either and have always used a crockpot as well as my parents and grandparents. You nailed it with the cornbread and fried potatoes. It’s my favorite comfort food meal! I also grew up with adding pepperocinis cut up in each bowl. Adds a little heat and each person can decide the heat!
Thank you! I just cooked the beans using the entire recipe and they came out beautifully. I was hesitant to put the onions in but I did and the flavor they left in the beans are heavenly. Thank you for the recipe and many more to come.
I won 1st place with this recipe !!!! We have a bbq cook off in our neighborhood and beans are one of the categories. All three judges ranked my beans the best. Thank you, but for now I’m keeping this recipe a secret.
Thank you!! This was really really good. No onions or bay leaf (wasn’t ready for all that yet). Ran out of garlic powder so I just used a little real garlic. Used everything else and this was perfect!!! What I did was mashed a little bit of the beans and after a little while turned it up and put the lid on completely and it was nice and thick. Appreciate you!
This should be a controlled substance! THE best pinto beans I’ve ever had, and now I can make them anytime I want. Sometimes ham hocks can be extra-smokey/salty. I soaked mine for about an hour in cold water, changing water halfway through. Other than that, did not change a think. Boy, is this a keeper.
Beans beans the wonderful fruit, the more you eat the more you toot. The more you toot the better you’ll feel, have some beans for your next meal !!
Lmao I was literally singing this as I put on my pot of beans just now
I made these for my family and they loved them. I have made pinto beans for 30 years and my husband said that these pinto beans were the best he ever had. I have to admit, they are. They have so much flavor and even better the next day. I am remaking them again and I can’t wait to eat them. So delicious!!
Great recipe. Thanks it’s been over 30 years since the last great pinto beens. I scaled back for just two people, two cups of dried beens. Soaked over night. Pair boiled for twenty minutes twice. 3/4 once ham hock cut off as much meat from bone, 3/4 tsp sea salt 3/4 tsp garlic salt, 3/4 tsp pepper, 3/4 tsp brown sugar.32 oz chicken stock, 16 oz of water, mixed all ingredients with beans, bring to a boil, turn down and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.Perfect.
First time making these. Flavor was good but so much liquid:( I followed recipe. I had to extract 1/2 the liquid:(
Take it from this granny, always cook your beans without soaking them. You get a fuller flavor – I’ve cooked soaked beans and there is NO comparison. Yes, it takes longer, but my rule of “low and slow” yields the best beans you’ve ever put in your mouth.