My mother made this comforting pot every spring when groceries were tight. With 4 ingredients you get a smoky tender meal that feeds a crowd.

This slow cooker 4-ingredient black eyed peas and pork is the kind of meal my mom leaned on every spring when money was tight but she still wanted something warm and filling on the table. It’s built around pantry basics and one affordable cut of pork, and the slow cooker does all the work while you’re at your job or running kids around. The black eyed peas turn creamy and tender, the pork shoulder gets fall-apart soft, and the smoky flavor makes the whole pot taste like it simmered on the stove all day. It’s simple, budget-friendly comfort food that easily feeds a crowd with almost no effort.

Ladle the black eyed peas and pork into bowls and serve with hot cornbread, crusty bread, or even buttered toast to soak up the rich, glossy broth. A simple green side salad or steamed greens (like collards, kale, or green beans) adds some freshness alongside the hearty beans and pork. You can also spoon it over cooked white rice for an extra-filling plate, or keep it rustic and serve straight from the slow cooker at a potluck with a bottle of hot sauce on the side so everyone can customize their own bowl.

Servings: 8

1 pound dried black eyed peas, rinsed and picked over

Rinse the dried black eyed peas under cool water and pick out any broken pieces or debris. No need to soak them for this recipe.

Place the black eyed peas in the bottom of a large slow cooker (5- to 7-quart works well), spreading them into an even layer.

Arrange the pork shoulder chunks on top of the peas. Nestling them in a single layer helps everything cook evenly and lets the pork flavor melt into the beans.

In a large measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the chicken broth and smoky barbecue sauce until the sauce is mostly dissolved into the liquid. This mixture will create that rich, dark, savory broth as it cooks.

Pour the broth and barbecue sauce mixture evenly over the pork and peas. Gently press down on the pork with a spoon to make sure everything is mostly submerged. The liquid should just cover the peas and come most of the way up the pork.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid. Cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, or until the black eyed peas are very tender and the pork shoulder easily pulls apart with a fork. (If you’re in more of a hurry, you can cook on HIGH for about 5 to 6 hours, but low and slow gives the best texture.)

Once cooked, use tongs to pull the pork pieces apart right in the slow cooker, discarding any large pieces of fat or bone. Stir the shredded pork back into the peas and broth until everything is combined and the texture looks thick and glossy.

Taste and adjust if needed. If the broth is thicker than you like, stir in a splash of hot water or extra broth. If it’s thinner than you prefer, leave the lid off and cook on HIGH for another 20 to 30 minutes to reduce slightly, stirring a couple of times.

Turn the slow cooker to WARM and serve the black eyed peas and pork straight from the crock. Spoon into bowls and let everyone add their own hot sauce or black pepper at the table if they like a little extra kick.

To keep the spirit of the four-ingredient, budget-friendly meal, try to make any tweaks by swapping rather than adding lots of extras. For a slightly leaner version, use a smaller piece of pork shoulder and add an extra 1/2 cup of black eyed peas to stretch it further. If you prefer a bit more smokiness, choose a very smoky barbecue sauce or use a smoked pork shoulder instead of regular. For a sweeter, more family-friendly pot, pick a sweeter BBQ sauce; for more tang, go with a vinegar-based sauce. If you don’t have chicken broth on hand, water plus a bouillon cube or paste works in a pinch, just keep an eye on salt levels. You can also turn leftovers into a new meal: spoon the thick beans and pork over baked potatoes, serve them over rice, or tuck them into tortillas with a little shredded cheese for easy burritos. To prep ahead, you can assemble everything in the slow cooker insert the night before (store it covered in the fridge), then pop it into the base and start cooking in the morning before work.