Ingredients:
1/2 pound salt pork
1 jalapeño pepper
1 large yellow onion
1/2 pound carrot bits
1/2 bunch of celery
1 pound dried split-peas
1 bottle of beer
1 pound smoked ham hocks
1 cup dried orange lentils
• Chop the salt pork in half inch strips.
• Thin slice the end of the pointy end of the jalapeño pepper, the stem side has too much heat.
• Rough cube the onion.
• Chop the end 1/2 of the celery in about 1/4 inch slices, including the leaf.
Get a pig pot. Toss in the salt pork and jalapeño slices and cook them up real hot. This extracts the pork-fat from the salt pork, crisps up the pork belly, and diffuses the heat from the jalapeño through the pork-fat. You need the pork-fat to caramelize the other vegetables.
Toss in the onion, carrot bits, and celery. Leave the fire nice and hot and stir it constantly - keep it moving. This "caramelizes" the vegetables - the natural sugar is drawn to the surface and browns and sweetens.
Toss in the split-peas when the veggies are done and stir another couple minutes. This toasts the split-peas a little for a rich flavor.
Pour in the bottle of beer and stir it up good for a minute or so. This de-glazes the toasted layer off the bottom of the pan so the caramelized flavors get in the soup.
Add the smoked ham hocks and two quarts of water.
Add the lentils, lower the heat, let it cook. I like the lentils for flavor, and they make the soup less sweet.
Now it's done. Some people like it thick like this - some like it with more water like soupy. Either way is good for me.
Get a bowl and some good bread... and eat up!
