Southern Black-Eyed Peas Recipe

The night before, place the peas in a colander and rinse them over the sink. Remove any dirt or debris. Transfer the peas to a large bowl and cover with 2-3 inches of water. Cover the bowl with a lid and place it in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 6-8 hours.

The next day, begin prepping the vegetables. Dice the onion, dice the bell pepper, and mince the garlic cloves. Drain the water from the peas and rinse them again in a colander.

Heat a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and butter. Sauté the onion and bell pepper for 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.

Add the drained black eyed peas to the pot along with the spices (salt, lemon pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika). Pour in the chicken broth and stir everything together.

Add the smoked turkey wings to the pot and submerge them in the chicken broth. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring the pot up to a boil. Once the pot is boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer the peas for 1 hour 30 minutes. Stir the peas occasionally and flip the turkey wings over 1-2 times while cooking. Replace the lid every time you stir.

After the black eyed peas have simmered for 90 minutes, remove the turkey wings from the pot and set them aside on a separate plate. Now begin to smash some of the peas with the back of a spoon against the side of the pot. This will help thicken the broth. Continue smashing some of the peas and letting the pot simmer without a lid for 15 minutes.

Now peel the skin off of the turkey wings and pull the meat off the bone. Add the pulled turkey meat back to the pot and stir everything together. Serve warm with homemade cornbread and enjoy!