Ingredients
- 1 pound dried black-eyed peas
- 1/2 pound salt pork
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash and pick over peas. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cover peas with about an inch of water. With a sharp knife, make several cuts into the salt pork (almost down to the rind, but do not cut through). Push the salt pork down into the peas.
- Cover, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer. For dried peas, cook about 1-1/2 hours, or until peas are tender. For fresh peas cook 40 – 45 minutes. During cooking, check water level and add more, if necessary. Taste, and add salt if desired.
Notes
Fresh Black-Eyed Peas
Obviously, fresh peas will cook in much less time than dried peas. The same method can be used as with dried peas, using salt pork. Just cook them until they are tender. If you are lucky enough to get a fresh “mess” of peas from someone’s garden and shell them yourself, be sure to leave plenty of “snaps” (unshelled, broken (snapped) pieces about 1-1/2 inches long) for flavor.
