Rinse the dry beans in a colander. Put them in a large stock pot and add 12 cups water.
2
Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a medium-low simmer.
3
Add the garlic, onion, sugar, chicken bouillon, jalapeno/s, and ham bone. Bring to a boil again and then reduce the heat to medium low.
4
Simmer on medium low with the lid on but vented. (Tilted so that it''s not sealed) Stir occasionally.
5
Cook for 2-3 hours. After about an hour and a half, add salt so that it can absorb into the beans as they finish cooking. I added somewhere between 2-3 teaspoons, but taste as you go. The beans will continue to absorb the salt as they finish cooking, so be cautious.
6
Continue cooking until the beans are tender. Taste them ; if the beans are still hard or chalky, keep simmering. Don''t wait until the liquid has cooked off so much that they look like refried beans--you want plenty of bean gravy.
7
Remove the ham bone and discard (if there is any meat on it, chop it and add it to the pot).
Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh limes.
