Begin by dicing the bacon, onions, peppers, celery, and garlic.
Heat a medium-sized pot or dutch oven over medium heat.
The first thing I like to do is cook the andouille sausage - it leaves behind some crispy bits & fat that flavor the beans. Use a slotted spoon to remove the sausage and set it aside.
andouille or hot smoked sausage
Add bacon and cook until just about crispy. Add tasso or ham if using and cook for about a minute.
6 slices bacon, hickory smoked and thickly sliced, tasso ham, leftover ham or seasoning ham
Then add onions, celery, and green bell pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent.
1 ½ cups celery, 1 ½ cups yellow onion, 1 ½ cups green bell pepper
Then add minced garlic & jalapeño and cook for 1 - 2 minutes - you don't want the garlic to burn, just get aromatic.
1 jalapeño, 3 - 4 garlic cloves
Now add the thyme, kosher salt, and Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning and toss to coat the vegetables.
1 teaspoon dried thyme, 2-3 teaspoons Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Next, add the black-eyed peas (rinsed and picked through for bad beans and rocks - but not soaked at all) and stir.
1 pound black eyed peas
Add ham hock, then cover with chicken broth. Stir, then add bay leaves.
6 cups chicken broth, 1 ham hock, 1-2 bay leaves
Now, bring broth to a rolling boil and stir. Then decrease the heat and keep the beans at a low simmer for an hour to an hour and a half. Toward the end of the cooking time, cook white rice according to the package directions - or use an Instant Pot to make Perfect White Rice.
Remove the Hoppin' John from heat when the beans are cooked but not mushy.
Serve right away with white rice, collard greens, and cornbread. Top with pepper vinegar and green onions if desired.
2 cups white or long grain rice, pepper vinegar, 1 - 2 green onions