Place dried beans in slow cooker the night before and cover with 4 cups of water making sure all of the beans are fully submerged. Let sit overnight.
Prepare ingredients by dicing the onions, carrots, and ham cubes. This can be done the night before or in the morning.
Add ham hock, seasonings, onion, carrots, and ham cubes to the beans in the slow cooker. Add chicken stock and cover with lid tightly. Cook on low for at least 8 hours.
After about 7.5 hours remove the ham hock from the slow cooker and allow to cook enough to handle. Remove meat by add to add back into the soup. Discard the ham bone and skin.
Stir in the addition meat from the ham hock and serve the soup warm. Garnish with fresh parsley and additional black pepper if desired.
This recipe can be cooked longer than the 8 hours recommended if necessary. Just give enough time to remove the ham hock and let it cool enough to handle as it will be very hot.
This soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. It makes great leftovers!
Classic Ham and Bean Soup https://thesimplesupper.com/ham-and-bean-soup