Follow our step-by-step, photo illustrated instructions to learn how to make this Lima Beans with Ham Hocks and Rice recipe. Printable recipe included.
Lima Beans with Ham Hocks and Rice recipe – A one pot meal.
Years back, during those long, hard and cold winters, when all the fresh vegetables from the garden were long gone, folks relied on dry beans to get them through.
Times were tough, so they often had to get creative and turn an ordinary pot of dried beans into something a bit special. Either that, or they just needed to stretch out what little they had to feed a large family.
I think that’s how recipes like Lima Beans with Ham Hocks and Rice came into being, out of necessity more than anything. But, because of such times, the South has created some mighty tasty and long lasting dishes.
Combine all that into a one pot recipe, and you’ve got a meal that is not only delicious, but fills the tummy and the soul at the same time.
I use ham hocks, side meat, bacon or hog jowl for many of the vegetable recipes that I’ve made here on Taste of Southern. I try to keep some on hand most all of the time.
This may not be one of our prettiest dishes, but it certainly tastes good. I do hope you’ll give it a try.
My thanks to Kathryn R., one of the subscribers to our Newsletter for reminding me about this.
I’ve cooked it as a one pot meal, but folks will also often cook the beans with the ham hocks, then serve it over prepared rice. The choice is yours. It will taste great either way.
Ready to give it a try? Alright then, let’s head on out to the kitchen and… Let’s Get Cooking!
Lima Beans with Ham Hocks and Rice – You’ll need these ingredients.
Ham Hocks come either sliced or as a whole piece of meat. It’s often smoked and generally pretty salty. Its a Southern favorite for seasoning up a big pot of beans or greens. I’m using the sliced version because it was the only thing available from my grocer.
If you’re using dry Lima Beans, you will need to soak them in water overnight first.
Empty the dry beans into a large bowl, then sort through them to remove any discolored beans, rocks, or pieces of trash that might be in them. Since the beans were not picked by hand, its possible the machinery being used to pick them could have also picked up some small pieces of trash along the way.
Discard any bad beans, then cover them with a couple of inches of cold water. Let these sit overnight to re-hydrate the dry beans. If you’re in a hurry, you can also follow the directions generally found on most bags to get them up to speed much quicker.
Next Day: This is how they will look the following morning. As you can see, they have swollen up a good bit. We’ll let them stay in the water for a few more minutes, as we need to get our pot ready to start cooking them.
Please note that we will DRAIN the beans before we add them to the pot.
Grab a large pot and fill it a bit over half way with water. Place this on your stove top and set the heat to about Medium. Let the water come up to a boil, then drop the ham hock into the water.
If you’re watching your salt intake, you might want to rinse the ham hock, or even place it in a bowl of water and let it soak for an hour or so before you begin to cook it. They can be very salty some times so keep this in mind.
In the photo above, I let the ham hocks cook for about 15 minutes, then I scooped off the white foam that floated to the top. This is often referred to as some “impurities” and is generally scooped off and tossed.
After the ham hocks have cooked for about 20 minutes, add the drained Lima beans to the pot.
I left mine uncovered, and let them cook for an hour before testing them to see if they were any where near being done.
The cooking time on the beans will vary so you’ll need to check them after an hour or so. Some folks let them cook for 2 hours or longer. But, once they are getting soft and close to being done, let’s go ahead and add the remaining ingredients.
Add the black pepper.
Add the SUGAR. This is not salt. We’re actually not going to add any salt because the salt that is already in the ham hocks should be enough to add good flavor.
Mama always added a bit of sugar to most all of her vegetables. It just seems to enhance the flavor.
Before you add the rice, take a good look at the level of liquid in your pot. You might need to add a bit more if a lot of it has boiled away.
The rice is going to absorb a whole lot of liquid once it begins to cook. You’ll need to keep an eye on this so your beans don’t dry enough to where they could scorch or burn. Don’t ask me how I know this, just thank me later for this word of advice. Okay? Smile.
Stir everything together well.
Put a lid on the pot and let everything cook for about 15 more minutes.
It’s best to check the rice about 10 minutes after you put it in to be sure you still have enough liquid in the pot. You’ll be surprised at how quickly it can begin to dry up on you.
If you need to add more liquid, you can add some more warm water, or some chicken broth if you happen to have that on hand. Just enough to keep the beans and rice in a slightly moist state.
Cook the dish until the beans and the rice are done. As you can see, the ham hock was fully cooked and falling apart on me.
I had to add some more liquid to mine. The rice just soaked up the liquid in the pot once it started cooking. So, I added two cups of chicken broth to the pot once I removed the lid. Again, keep an eye on it so your beans don’t scorch and stick to the bottom of the pot.
You might should also stir the rice about 10 minutes after it goes into the pot. Rice has a tendency to sink to the bottom, so give it a quick stir.
Enjoy!
Just add some cornbread or hoe cakes, and you’ve got a meal. Unless of course you’d like to add some greens to go along with it. But, if you know me, I’m not much of a fan of the greens. Smile.
