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1
Rinse dried beans in a colander.
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2
Place beans in a large pot and cover with water.
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3
Make sure the water level is at least 2 inches above the beans.
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4
Soak beans overnight.
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5
In the morning, rinse the beans again.
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6
Pick out any shriveled beans or rocks.
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7
Rinse out the pot the beans were soaked in.
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8
Put beans back in the pot and add 5 cups of fresh warm water.
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9
Adding cold water may cause the beans to split.
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10
Set the pot of beans over medium heat.
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11
Add chopped bacon, minced garlic, and cumin.
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12
Stir.
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13
Place ham hock into pot.
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14
Cover and simmer over medium heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
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15
While beans are cooking, prepare pico de gallo.
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16
In a large bowl, mix together chopped tomatoes, diced jalapeno, diced onion, and chopped cilantro.
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17
Juice lime over mixture.
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18
Stir well.
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19
Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
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20
(This can be done the day before.)
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21
After the beans have been simmering 1 hour, check them.
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22
The beans should be soft.
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23
If not, continue to cook the beans, checking every 15 minutes until desired softness has been reached.
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24
Add entire bowl of pico de gallo and 2 teaspoons of salt.
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25
Stir and cook an additional 30 minutes.
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26
Taste beans with a chip.
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27
If desired, add more salt.
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28
Serve beans warm with chips.
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29
Beans can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.
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30
Beans can also be frozen in a freezer Ziploc bag for up to 3 months.
