1. Soak the beans overnight in 5 cups of water in a cool place or in the refrigerator.

2. Drain the beans and place them in a 5-quart pot. Add 4 cups of water, the ham hock, salt, red pepper, and thyme. Heat to boiling , then reduce the heat to a bare simmer. Cover and cook until the beans are almost tender, about 1 hour.

3. Stir 1 cup of water and the rice into the beans . Heat to boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, until the rice and beans are tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Check the seasonings. If you like, you may remove the meat from the ham hock and mix it into the rice. Serve hot.

From the MasterCook recipe list. Downloaded from Glen's Mm Recipe Archive,