Hank's Heavenly Ham Hocks and Beans / Afternoon Popcorn Snack

Hank’s Heavenly Ham Hocks n Beans

Date: Author: Category: APPETIZERS, BREAD & SALSAS, DINNER/ENTREES, Recipes Tags: , , , , , , ,

My maternal grandfather, Papa Jake (a.k.a., Hank), channeled John Wayne, Chuck Connors, Hank Williams & your run-of-the-mill, old-fashioned Oklahoma redneck.  He always wore black cowboy boots, spoke with a swagger, drove a white Monte Carlo and could hit a turtle poking his head out of the pond at 500-paces from the back door of his trailer.  He could also scare up a mean pot of ham & beans.  For years, I’ve attempted to imitate the distinct garlicky, salty, smoky flavor he produced without fail.

And finally, the other night, I went to heaven.  I went to heaven and told god if he hasn’t made arrangements to serve these beans in his celestial city, I’m not interested in whatever real estate he has to offer.  I’m not joking.  They were ‘lick the slow-cooker clean’ good and even my husband, who is NOT a bean fan, devoured two large bowls.  My sons enjoyed them.  My mother sang their praises. And I sat there, spoon in hand, fully engrossed in nostalgia. Salty & garlicky with big chunks of smoky meat.  My papa would be proud of my beans.

Now, I named these ham hocks n beans because that’s what we’ve always called them.  BUT, I actually used a freshly smoked ham shank from a local meat store.  The shank is larger than the hock with quite a bit more meat and brought so much more flavor to this dish than pre-packaged ham hocks from the grocery store.

Serve with your favorite cornbread or Sweet Green Chile Cornbread (click for recipe).

Hank’s Heavenly Ham Hocks N Beans (Shanks)
1 lb. pinto or brown beans
3.5 lbs. of smoked ham shank(s), the butcher cut the shank in half for easier cooking
2/3 c. onion, finely chopped
4 lg. garlic cloves, pressed
Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 – 1 tsp. kosher salt, note: I started with 1/2 tsp. and then added more later
2 T. butter

First of all, sort and rinse beans.  Place in large pot, cover with water & soak overnight. Before cooking, pour off soaking water and rinse beans again. Set aside.

Finely chop onion and press garlic.  If you do not own a garlic press (makes the garlic flavor so much stronger because the juices are pressed into your dish), finely mince garlic and gently press with a knife.

Add butter to a large skillet and saute’ onion, garlic and ham shank together until the onions are tender.  This smells really nice! 

Place beans in a slow-cooker then put in the shank pieces.  The shank pieces should be surrounded by the beans, but not completely covered.  Pour garlic and onion mixture over the beans (including juices).

Add 4 or 5 good shakes of Worcestershire Sauce. Pour in 6-cups of water (or covering ingredients) Add salt. Cover & cook, stirring occasionally.

Cook 6-8 hrs. on low (the longer, the better). 

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21 thoughts on “Hank’s Heavenly Ham Hocks n Beans”

  1. Amy, Papa actually taught me how to make those beans on one of the many nights I stayed with him. You are right, they were beyond any flowery adjective in the dictionary. If you ever get the hankerin’ for his homemade chocolate malts, just let me know–he taught me that recipe too!

  2. Speaking of papa’s malts, do you remember that he always put raw eggs in them?! They were delicious, and we all drank them like they were manna from heaven, but think what the health department would say about those raw eggs now!!

  3. No one that hasn’t experienced the trauma of sitting at the breakfast table quiety devouring biscuits and gravy and suddenly being rocked by the explosion of gunfire from the chair next to them will believe the turtle-shooting story! Been there, done that!

  4. Hey Redhead -, I am, so proud of you and Papa Jake is slapping his knee and laughing out loud up there because you have honored him and his beans on your blog. (He’s probably already starting musical fruit jokes with Uncle Eddie who is not a bit surprised that bodily functions came up, even in heaven, with a member of our family!!! HAHAHAHA !!!!) BTW – in honor of your post I have a special gift for you next time I see you – Papa Jake’s original and bonafide ham and beans crock pot, complete with all the wear and tear all those many pots entailed – You deserve it; if you would like to have it, it is yours.

    I love you more than my luggage -

    Aunt Elaine

    • I would LOVE to have it! I really wanted to write something about the aftermath of all the beans I ate, but I didn’t want to gross the public out too much.

      Thank you for commenting! :-) I’m glad this post is meeting the approval of all the other special people who knew him & loved him and…enjoyed his beans. :-)

      Love you too!

    • It’s very good. Perfect for winter or anytime you’ve gotta have some comfort food. Enjoy!

      Thanks for visiting my site and commenting! I hope you have a mahvelous day. :-)

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