Start this recipe the day before to soak the beans and allow for a long, slow cook time. This recipe was lovingly adopted, after being posted in the Topic of the Month forum by John DOH (chef #308515), during the January 2011 Beans and Lentils event. I've just tested this recipe and it is very good! Made just as written, except I had to use ham hocks and add about two cups of water to cover them. The cook-time went up to 5 hours to reduce the extra liquid, but it was so worth the wait! The amount of sweet is just perfect in this hearty side dish. :)