Black Eyed Peas
- Mike Kalustian
- Dec 20, 2025
- 2 min read
Every year growing up, my Mom made black eyed peas for New Year's Day, the legend is they bring good luck. The base of this recipe is from my mom's recipe, but of course I have chefed this up by adding some ingredients from Drew Cooks on Instagram. This has been my goto recipe for the last two years.
Ingredients 1lb bag black eye peas
10 oz pork shoulder cubed
2 tbs oil
4 slices chopped bacon
1 diced Jalapeno pepper
1 diced onion
4 minced garlic cloves
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic Powder
1/2 tsp of Cayenne pepper
6 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 Tbs tomato paste ( optional)
Directions
Soak the peas (the night before)
Dump the black-eyed peas into a large pan.
Cover generously with water.
Let them soak overnight. No shortcuts here.
Drain and set aside
In the morning, drain the peas in a colander and set them aside while you build the base.
Sear the pork
Heat oil in a large pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add the pork and sear until well-browned on all sides.
Don’t rush this step—color equals flavor.
Build the flavor
Add the bacon, onion, jalapeño, and garlic.
Stir and cook until the onions soften and just begin to take on some color.
Season with intention
Add salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne.
Stir everything together and let it cook for about 5 minutes so the spices bloom and wake up.
Add the stock
Pour in 6 cups of chicken stock.
Drop in 2 bay leaves.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer.
Let it simmer for 30 minutes to develop the broth.
Add the peas
Stir in the soaked black-eyed peas.
(optional) add tomato paste
Simmer uncovered for 1 to 1½ hours, stirring occasionally.
Thicken and finish
Toward the end, mash some of the peas against the side of the pot with a spoon.
This naturally thickens the broth and gives it body.
Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Serve hot. Cornbread is not optional.
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