Love this recipe. Grew up with it by my Uncle Bud, best kitchen cook in my world. ;-) I agree, bring to light boil 10 minutes then lower temp and simmer for hours on back burner. ;-) What can I say - YUMMI..

I always use smoked ham hocks... Ham bone just doesn't have enough flavor.. I fix mine exactly this way.. Very good...

I grew up on this meal, and it is still one of my favorites. We pour it over cornbread and serve it with fried potatoes (thinly sliced with onions, fried in a skillet with oil).

I agree with Eric. I also grew up on this meal. The pan fried potatoes & onions on the side... Pour the beans with some broth over cornbread... Wonderful!

I'm with Eric and Phyllis, my mom was the best cook and we grew up with beans, potatoes and cornbread!! Brings back memories. Good ones.

Simmering instead of boiling for a longer period of time enhances the flavor. Also mash about 3 tbsp. of the beans in a separate cup and then add back to the pot. This thickens your soup a great deal.

More time is needed for cooking the beans and Ham. Try adding a little Worcestershire sauce. This gives it the kick that it needs.

Instead of ham hocks, I add a ham bone (saved and frozen from previous ham dinner) clean and wash beans and cook over very low heat over night. Next morning, you will have same results. Just add salt to your flavor. Have also done the ham hocks. Very good.

Excellent recipe. Hearty, comforting, and incredibly flavorful. I followed the recipe almost exactly, with the exception of adding 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt and a little pepper halfway through the cooking of the beans.

I added only one jalapeno, but the dish could easily have withstood more. I also agree with the recipe's author that cooking further than needed produces more flavor. I added one hour to bean cooking time: the final consistency of the dish was a thick creamy soup with lots of still-intact beans.

This is the kind of dish I would make for family at a holiday gathering.