Old Fashioned Beans and Cornbread

 

Old Fashioned Beans and Cornbread

 

1 pkg dry pinto beans (2 cups)
1 large onion, chopped
1 habenero pepper in adobo sauce
freshly milled black pepper
chunk of smoked ham (optional)
chicken broth (if needed)
salt (if needed)

Sort and groom the dry beans to weed out any stones or shriveled beans. Rinse well. Place in a crockpot and cover with about 8 cups of water (enough to cover the beans by about 2 inches). Add in the onion, habenero, and black pepper. If you choose to add in a chunk of ham* do so now as well.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-6 hours. If the beans soak up the water too soon and you need to add more liquid, you can heat up some chicken broth and add it to the crockpot. Do NOT add cold liquid!- When the beans are done, fish out the habenero pepper to discard, shred the ham, and season if necessary.

Serve with or over warm cornbread.

*When we get a spiral ham, I save the "butt" end that is not pre-sliced, and cut it into chunks to freeze for soup use.