Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker and cook covered on low heat for 9 to 10 hours.
8 cups chicken stock, 2 cups dried black beans, 1 large smoked ham hock, 1 large onion, 6 cloves garlic, 3 large carrots, 3 ribs celery, 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, Salt
Remove the ham hock, shred the meat, and return the meat to the soup before serving.
Notes
I use a mixture of the following depending on who is invited to share the soup with:-
Sour cream
Chopped tomatoes
Prepared salsa
Chopped cilantro/coriander
Diced avocado at room temperatureTo make it vegetarian just leave out the ham hock.