1-2 pounds dried black-eyed peas

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 ounces pork shoulder, diced into 1/2-inch cubes or leftover hambone

1 medium onion, small diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

4-8 cups vegetable broth or chicken stock

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Hot-pepper vinegar, as desired

Tip: add a teaspoon of baking soda to your beans (before adding in meat) to remove some of the gas.

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Put dried peas in a large pot and cover with about 4 inches of water. Soak the peas overnight, then drain the water and rinse. Alternatively, you can "quick-soak" the peas by bringing them and the water to a boil for 2 minutes. After this, remove them from the heat, cover the pot and soak the peas for 1 hour. Then, drain and rinse the peas.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add diced onion. Saute until lightly browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add minced garlic and continue to brown slightly. 1-2 minutes.

Add small amount of salt. Then add black pepper, cayenne, and paprika. Cook until the entire mixture is coated with the spices, about 2 minutes. Pour in the stock and drop in the bay leaves. Add peas and hambone.

When the pork begins to fall off the bone and peas soft it's done. Maybe 1 hour total.

Taste for seasonings, and add some hot-pepper vinegar, if desired. Discard the bay leaves and transfer the black-eyed peas to a serving bowl.