Lucky Black-Eyed Peas with Glazed Ham Hock and Cornbread: A New Year's Feast

Traditional New Years meal: black eyed peas and ham hock with cornbread | JD Spears

There are some meals that simply belong to a holiday, and in many Southern homes, black-eyed peas belong on the table when New Year’s Day arrives. Add smoky pork and a warm wedge of golden cornbread, and you have a hearty meal built around comfort, tradition, and the hope of good things in the year ahead.

This New Year’s dinner pairs tender black-eyed peas with a slowly simmered smoked ham hock that is finished in the oven with a simple sweet-and-tangy glaze. Homemade cornbread rounds out the plate, making this an old-fashioned, satisfying meal that is just as welcome on a cold January evening as it is at a holiday gathering.

The meal takes a little time, but very little of it is difficult. The ham hock simmers gently until tender, giving its smoky flavor to the broth. The black-eyed peas cook in that same flavorful pot, and while they finish, you can mix the cornbread and prepare the glaze for the ham.

🍀 Why Do We Eat Black-Eyed Peas on New Year’s Day?

Black-eyed peas have been part of Southern cooking for generations, and eating them on New Year’s Day has become closely associated with good luck and prosperity.

The story is more interesting than the frequently repeated tale that black-eyed peas became lucky simply because Union troops overlooked them during the Civil War. Black-eyed peas, or cowpeas, have deep roots in African food traditions and traveled to the Americas through the African diaspora. They became especially important in Southern and Lowcountry cooking.

Over time, black-eyed peas became part of New Year’s traditions in many African American and Southern communities. They are often served with other foods that carry their own symbolism. Greens are associated with money, cornbread with gold, and pork with moving forward into the coming year.

Whether or not you believe dinner can influence your luck, it is certainly a delicious way to begin January.

🛒 Ingredients

Serves 6

For the Black-Eyed Peas

1 pound dried black-eyed peas
1 large smoked ham hock
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt, to taste
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

For the Glazed Ham Hock

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey, optional

For the Cornbread

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1 tablespoon honey, optional
1 tablespoon butter for the pan

🫘 Do Black-Eyed Peas Need to Be Soaked?

Unlike many larger dried beans, black-eyed peas cook relatively quickly, so an overnight soak is not absolutely necessary.

I usually sort through the peas first, removing any shriveled peas or small bits of debris, and then rinse them thoroughly under cool running water. If you would like to shorten the cooking time a little, you can soak them for several hours or overnight and drain them before cooking.

Unsoaked black-eyed peas may simply need a little more time in the pot. The best guide is their texture rather than the clock.

🍖 Start with the Ham Hock

Place the smoked ham hock in a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot. Add the onion, celery, garlic, bay leaves, chicken broth, smoked paprika, thyme, and black pepper.

Bring the broth to a gentle boil, then lower the heat so that it maintains a slow simmer. Cover the pot partially and cook the ham hock for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

This first simmer accomplishes two things. It begins tenderizing the ham hock while also creating the smoky, savory broth in which the black-eyed peas will cook.

If the liquid level drops significantly, add a little water or additional broth. The ham hock does not have to remain completely submerged, but you want enough liquid left to cook the peas.

🥘 Add the Black-Eyed Peas

Add the rinsed black-eyed peas to the pot and stir gently. Bring everything back to a simmer.

Cook for approximately 35 to 50 minutes if the peas have been soaked or about 45 to 60 minutes if you are cooking them from dry. Older dried peas can take longer, so begin checking them toward the lower end of the cooking range and continue simmering until they are tender.

Try not to boil them aggressively. A gentle simmer helps the peas hold their shape rather than breaking apart and turning the pot mushy.

Once the black-eyed peas are tender, stir in the tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Taste the broth before adding salt because smoked ham hocks can already contribute quite a bit of salt.

Remove the ham hock from the pot and place it on a foil-lined baking sheet or in a small baking dish.

🍯 Make the Glaze

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and honey, if using. Stir until you have a thick glaze.

Brush the mixture generously over the outside of the ham hock. The combination of brown sugar and mustard gives the pork a glossy surface with just enough sweetness to contrast with the smoky meat.

Set the ham hock aside while you prepare the cornbread. Both can go into the oven at about the same time.

🌽 Make the Cornbread

Place a 9-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven while it preheats. Heating the pan first helps give the cornbread a nicely browned crust.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, oil or melted butter, and honey if you prefer a slightly sweeter cornbread.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until everything is combined. Avoid overmixing the batter. A few small lumps are perfectly fine.

Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and add the tablespoon of butter. Swirl the pan so the melted butter coats the bottom.

Pour in the cornbread batter. It should sizzle slightly when it hits the hot skillet.

🔥 Finish the Ham Hock and Cornbread

Place both the skillet of cornbread and the glazed ham hock in the 425°F oven.

Bake the cornbread for approximately 18 to 22 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

The ham hock will usually need about 15 to 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the glaze toward the end because the brown sugar can darken quickly. You are looking for a glossy, caramelized finish rather than a burned crust.

Remove both from the oven when ready and let the cornbread cool for about 10 minutes before slicing.

🍽️ Putting Together Your New Year’s Plate

Spoon the warm black-eyed peas into shallow bowls or onto dinner plates, making sure everyone gets some of the flavorful onion and broth.

You can serve the glazed ham hock whole as a dramatic centerpiece, particularly if you are serving a small group, or pull the meat from the bone and divide it among the plates. The tender smoked pork is especially good mixed right into the black-eyed peas.

Add a generous wedge of warm cornbread alongside the peas. The slightly crisp edges and tender center are perfect for soaking up some of the smoky broth.

For an even more traditional New Year’s spread, add a side of collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, or cabbage.

🥬 Add Greens for a Traditional New Year’s Meal

Black-eyed peas may be the best-known lucky food on the Southern New Year’s table, but greens are often right beside them.

Collard greens are particularly traditional. Their green color has come to symbolize paper money and prosperity, while yellow or golden cornbread is sometimes associated with gold.

That makes a plate of black-eyed peas, pork, greens, and cornbread a meal filled with symbolism: luck, prosperity, and hope for the year ahead.

More importantly, the foods taste wonderful together. The slight bitterness of greens balances the rich pork, while cornbread gives you something to soak up all those savory juices.

🐷 Why Is Pork Considered Lucky?

Pork appears in numerous New Year’s food traditions. In Southern folklore, pigs are sometimes said to symbolize progress because they root forward as they search for food.

That symbolism fits especially well with a New Year celebration centered on leaving the old year behind and looking ahead.

Smoked pork also has a practical culinary purpose in this recipe. Ham hocks contain plenty of connective tissue and deeply flavored meat surrounding the bone. Slow cooking releases that flavor into the broth, making even a simple pot of peas taste rich and satisfying.

🌶️ Easy Ways to Change the Recipe

There is plenty of room to adjust this dish to suit your family.

For a little heat, add 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to the peas. A finely diced jalapeño can also be sautéed with the onion and celery.

If you want even smokier peas, add a little additional smoked paprika. For a more herbaceous flavor, increase the thyme or add a sprig of fresh thyme while the ham hock simmers.

You can also stir chopped cooked ham into the peas at the end if your ham hock does not yield very much meat.

For particularly brothy black-eyed peas, add another cup of chicken broth during cooking. If you prefer them thicker, leave the lid partly or completely off during the final 15 minutes so some of the liquid can evaporate.

🧂 Wait Until the End to Add Salt

One of the easiest ways to accidentally oversalt black-eyed peas is to season the pot heavily before you know how salty the ham hock will make the broth.

Smoked ham hocks vary considerably. Some release quite a bit of salt during cooking, while others are relatively mild.

For that reason, use low-sodium chicken broth and wait until the peas are nearly finished before adjusting the salt. You can always add more, but you cannot take it back out.

The splash of apple cider vinegar at the end is important too. It brightens the entire pot and balances the richness of the pork without making the peas taste vinegary.

🥡 Storing Leftovers

Leftover black-eyed peas are particularly good the following day because the smoky flavors have even more time to mingle.

Transfer leftovers to covered containers and refrigerate them promptly. Keep the cornbread separate so it does not absorb moisture from the peas.

Reheat the black-eyed peas gently on the stove or in the microwave. They tend to thicken considerably after refrigeration, so add a splash of chicken broth or water if necessary.

The cornbread can be reheated briefly in the oven, toaster oven, or microwave. A little butter on a warm leftover slice never hurts either.

🎆 A Delicious Way to Welcome the New Year

Traditions do not have to be complicated to become meaningful. Sometimes it is simply the aroma of a familiar pot simmering on the stove or a cast-iron skillet of cornbread coming out of the oven that makes a holiday feel like a holiday.

This New Year’s meal brings several Southern favorites together on one plate: creamy black-eyed peas seasoned by smoky pork, a beautifully glazed ham hock, and warm golden cornbread.

Whether you make it because you have eaten black-eyed peas every January 1 for as long as you can remember or because you are trying the tradition for the first time, it is a wonderfully comforting way to welcome another year.

And if the peas happen to bring a little extra luck along with dinner, all the better.

🍀 Lucky Black-Eyed Peas with Glazed Ham Hock and Cornbread Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: About 2 1/2 hours
Total Time: About 3 hours
Servings: 6

Ingredients

Black-Eyed Peas

1 pound dried black-eyed peas
1 large smoked ham hock
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Salt, as needed
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Ham Hock Glaze

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey, optional

Cornbread

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1 tablespoon honey, optional
1 tablespoon butter for the skillet

Instructions

Sort and rinse the black-eyed peas. Soak them for several hours if desired, then drain.
Place the ham hock, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaves, chicken broth, smoked paprika, thyme, and black pepper in a large Dutch oven.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer, partially cover, and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Add the black-eyed peas. Continue simmering until tender, approximately 35 to 60 minutes depending on whether they were soaked and how old the dried peas are.
Stir in the apple cider vinegar. Taste and add salt only if needed. Remove the bay leaves.
Remove the ham hock and place it in a small baking dish.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place a 9-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven as it heats.
Combine the brown sugar, Dijon mustard, vinegar, and honey. Brush the glaze over the ham hock.
For the cornbread, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt.
In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, oil, and honey if using.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined.
Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Add the butter and swirl to coat, then pour in the cornbread batter.
Bake the cornbread for 18 to 22 minutes. Bake the glazed ham hock alongside it for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, until hot and caramelized.
Serve the black-eyed peas with pieces of glazed ham hock and warm wedges of cornbread.

Lucky Black-Eyed Peas with Glazed Ham Hock and Cornbread: A New Year’s Feast

🍀 Why Do We Eat Black-Eyed Peas on New Year’s Day?