Cooking Dried Black Eyed Peas

So last night I attempted cooking dried black eyed peas. Based on the directions on the bag and everything I found on the internet, black eyed peas don't need to be pre-soaked like other legumes. I followed what I found and boiled them for two minutes, turned off the heat, and let them soak for an hour. By that time they were still quite firm. I let them soak for a while longer (at least an hour) but they really did not soften up. What do you think I did wrong? I eventually gave up and put them in the freezer. Any suggestions for what to do when I am ready to use them, and what to do next time I want to cook them, would be greatly appreciated.