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Beans and Cornbread

Pinto beans seasoned with ham hock and skillet fried cornbread

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 lb dried pinto beans
  • 1 ham hock
  • 1 qt chicken stock – get the recipe HERE
  • 1 qt water
  • 1 small yellow onion – diced
  • 4 garlic cloves – minced
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 11/2 tsp sea salt – to taste
  • (1) 8.5 oz box corn muffin mix
  • 2 TBL sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 TBL buttered shortening – melted
  • 2/3 cup whole milk
  • Salted butter – for serving with cornbread by itself
  • 1 more yellow onion – thickly sliced

Instructions

  1. Rinse, then cover the beans with water and soak overnight
  2. Drain, then combine the beans with water, chicken stock, garlic, pepper, salt, onion and ham hock in a big pot
  3. Cover and simmer for 2 hours or a little more until the beans are tender and the ham is falling off the bone
  4. Pick the ham off the bone, taste and adjust the salt and pepper if necessary
  5. Remove from the heat, cool, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Re-heat to serve
  6. Whisk your cornbread muffin mix with the egg, shortening, sugar and milk. Do not use extra milk or it will be too thin
  7. Pour a quarter cup into a hot, lightly buttered cast iron skillet on low-medium heat and fry until golden brown and almost crisp on the edges – about a minute on the first side until it has bubbles on top and another 30 seconds after you carefully turn it over. Repeat until you use all the batter
  8. I serve the beans over 2-3 pieces of cornbread with sliced onion and salted butter, then mash it into a delicious mess!