EBCI Bean and Hominy
Prepared hominy corn, beans and a modest amount of salt pork simmer together in a Cherokee community recipe published by EBCI Tribal Foods.
About this dish
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Foods program publishes Bean and Hominy by Nakoa Chiltoske as a short, practical recipe built from dried hominy corn, kidney beans, lean salt pork and water. The community source also documents the traditional possibility of hickory ash during corn preparation, while allowing baking soda as a practical alternative.
Why this dish matters
Corn and beans have long relationships within Cherokee foodways, but this page stays specifically with the modern community recipe that EBCI chose to publish. The Tribal Foods instructions include dehulling corn after alkaline treatment and cooking beans with lean salt pork before combining them. Because ash processing carries practical safety considerations, this adaptation recommends beginning with food-ready hominy unless the cook is already working from community-grounded instruction.
This page is an adaptation of a recipe publicly shared by Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Foods. For home safety and simplicity, the method below starts with dried food-ready hominy rather than teaching improvised hardwood-ash processing.
Preparation notes
If you do not already know community-grounded ash processing, buy dried hominy that is already hulled and ready for cooking.
Their hydration and cook times can differ, so separate soaking gives better control.
Salt pork contributes substantial salinity; taste the combined pot before adding any extra salt.
Ingredients & detailed method
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried food-ready hominy, soaked overnight and drained
- 1 cup dried kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained
- 6 oz lean salt pork, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 8 cups water, plus more as needed
- Black pepper, optional
Method
- 1.Place soaked hominy in a heavy pot and cover with fresh water by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook 60–90 minutes until the kernels are becoming tender.
- 2.In a second pot combine soaked kidney beans, salt pork and enough water to cover by 2 inches. Simmer 45–60 minutes until beans are nearly tender.
- 3.Drain excess liquid from the hominy only if necessary, then combine corn with the beans, pork and enough bean broth to make a moist, spoonable dish.
- 4.Simmer together 30 minutes over low heat.
- 5.Checkpoint: hominy should be plump and tender but not disintegrating, beans creamy inside and pork fully cooked and soft.
- 6.Taste before seasoning. Add black pepper if desired and extra salt only if the pork has not already seasoned the pot sufficiently.
- 7.Serve hot as a substantial corn-and-bean dish.
Read further
- Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Foods — Bean and Hominy by Nakoa Chiltoske
- Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Foods — Cherokee Foodways
- Fringe Table — Indigenous Americas foodways guide
- Photo: Glane23, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Ingredient image; not a photograph of the finished EBCI dish.