This recipe is proof that soup is a perfect food to slow cook. The low and slow cooking softens up the ham hock and infuses the black-eyed peas with loads of flavor, without turning them to mush. And after its finished its flavoring duties, that ham hock still has more to give your soup. The meat thats clinging to the hock gets chopped into bits and added back in for a toothsome texture and heartiness thatll satisfy the whole family. So next time you need a set-it-and-forget-it family dinner, you know what to do.