Cooking Dried Black Eyed Peas

My father used to say that when I die I should be stuffed with BEPs rather than buried so I guess you might tell from that I love those precious jewels. Soaking them will never soften them. Does soaking soften ANY bean/pea? I generally soak overnight but I have done the quick boil rarely. When I soak overnight the volume of the peas definitely increases even though they're still hard. I drain them. Lately I've been sauteeing onion, garlic and pork belly in a DO or any large pot. Once browned, I add the peas to the pot and water to generously cover. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook til tender (that's a relative term as I don't want them mushy but perhaps some do.) That's all there is to it - for me anyway.

What you did was just the express pre-soak method (alternative is to soal in cold water at least 6 hrs). After the soaking, you need to put them in fresh water and simmer until they are tender.

Actually black-eyed Peas do need to be soaked like other beans/legumes.

What you did is usually called a "quick soak" which is equivalent to soaking overnight. Another supposed advantage to quick soaking, when you drain the liquid, is the gas producing "sugars" are reduced.

You're on the right track. I would now add ham hocks and mirepoix and cook until tender, usually simmer for 2 hours or until soft.

I just finished a bowl of blackeyed peas and ham hocks. The broth so rich, a bolognese quality to the broth with little strands of ham hock through the broth. Finding these today in the freezer, I'd made these about 6 months ago in the crockpot, where I cook all my beans. I didn't soak them overnight but I did for several hours. I cooked them as I would any bean, all day long. I too start with dry black eye peas, so I don't know what you could of done incorrectly. I do know that cooking beans stove top is iffy, easily scorched if you don't watch and have a heavy pot. I like the crockpot for this. I don't have to fool with them to much. I start with onion, celery and garlic and all the spices, broth and beans. Halfway through, I reseason, taste and add more onions and garlic, then the lid goes back on, and I wait.

"What do you think I did wrong?"
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You didn't cook them!!! ~~~ Next time you can choose to soak over night to rehydrate them which will reduce the cooking time somewhat. You can then cook them in the soaking water or pour it off and start with fresh water/stock. Then cook! Or you can use the par-boil method of "soaking" where you boil the peas, beans, etc for a short period of time, then allow them to soak for an hour or so... then cook. This seems to be the method you tried....Except you never cooked them.

Personally, I soak all dried beans, peas, etc overnight. Pouring off any remaining soaking water, I choose to start the cooking process with fresh cold water or stock. Sauteing some onion, bell pepper, and sometimes celery in the pot before adding the soaked beans is a plus for me!.
Bring the peas, beans, etc, (and any sauteed vegetables) to a boil....cover and reduce to a simmer until done...In my area it is popular to add seasoning meat...Any of the usual smoked pork products, (ham, tasso, ham hocks, salt pork, bacon. jowl, etc) are good. HTH

I bought a giant smoked hamhock and a bag of dried, organic black eyed peas at my neighborhood mid range supermarket at its closing sale. Last Friday night I set aside an hour for soaking and 2 hours for cooking.

I brought 8 cups of water to boil, dumped in 2 cups of be peas, let them boil for a few minutes and then removed them from the burner and covered and let sit for an hour. Then I started a broth with the hamhock, half a red onion, some stray garlic cloves and some whole peppercorns. An hour after soaking the peas, I poured off most of the pea liquor and dumped them into the broth. I brought it back to a boil, turned it down some and washed the dishes. When I stirred the peas 15 minutes later, I noticed that they had plumped and were actually starting to break down a little. They were soft and tender, although the broth itself could have used more time. I cooked in a standard large saucepan that my mom used to make beef stew in.

What gives? I had fine black eyed peas in an hour and a quarter!

You do still need to cook them after you soak them.

Once you did the quick soak (which you did and I do the same thing), they need to be drained and THEN cooked. I love black eyed peas - Even when I do a quick soak I'll put them in the crock pot and let them go for 6 - 8 hours. They are not done yet, after the soak.

I think what people have said is clear to someone who knows how to cook dried beans, but maybe you are still new at this. On many packages, the are two steps:

Step 1: soak overnight or parboil the beans for two minutes and rest

Step 2: change the water, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for, say, 45 minutes or until tender.

As others have said, you only did step 1. The critical step for cooked beans is step 2.

As some have mentioned, peas can be successfully cooked without step 1, but step 2 is necessary. Whether or not step 1 is necessary is like religion among bean cookers. Good authorities on both sides. I do not soak, but learned the hard way that undercooking beans in step 2 without soaking will make one very miserable.

I cooked my peas today for tomorrow's dinner in the fireplace next to the fire. My first time to do so. What wonderful peas! No soak, about 1:15 cook time. Just salt and pork jowls. More evaporation than on the stove.

CROCKPOT is your answer!! Soak peas overnight, cook in crock pot! Your frozen peas will be fine when you cook them again.

I cooked 2 C of blackeyed peas this week, w/out soaking in the pressure cooker. It took about 20 minutes after the cooker came up to pressure. I love these! So easy. Be sure to add a some acidic product--tomato based or citrus based--to enliven the dish. I like mine topped with salsa and grated cheese.

You should really soak them for two hours, then you still have to cook them for about an hour and a half. The soaking just rehydrates them, but doesn't cook them.

I too am having trouble with blackeyed peas. They were soaked, then I boiled them, turned it down and let them simmer. Checked them after 2 hours and they were still hard. I have been cooking them since 9:00 last night, it's now 12:05 and they still are crunchy??? I don't know what else to do. Any suggestions?

Soak black-eyed peas overnight or 6-8 hr & soak larger beans 24 hours, drain the soaking water (to drain out most of the phytates/phytic acid), then add fresh water & cook til soft (which will differ, depending on how old your beans are). Sprouting beans & grains before cooking would add lots more nutrients.