Fill a large soup pot with 8-10 cups of water. I always add 10 rather than 8 cups because it’s better to end up with extra stock than not enough.
Add smoked pork neck bones to the pot and 1 bay leaf. Set heat to medium-high and bring it to boil. Once water starts to boil, reduce heat to low and let it cook, partially covered, for 2.5 to 3 hours.
When stock is ready, take out the bones out, and strain the stock. (Use it in soup, refrigerate in an air-tight container, or freeze.)
Split Pea Soup:
Take meat off the bone, make sure there is no little bones left anywhere in meat. Save meat for the soup and discard the bones.
Rinse dried peas and set aside.
Preheat a large pot over medium heat and add a little oil for cooking the veggies.
Add diced onion and carrots to the pot and saute for a few minutes.
Press garlic and and it to the pot. Saute until fragrant.
Add split peas and meat taken off the bones. Stir and let it saute for a couple more minutes.
Pour in about 6 cups of prepared stock but reserve the rest in case you need to make the soup thinner.
Add spices and salt to taste. Remember that smoked pork neck bones are already salty so taste to see how much salt you need to add. Mix well, and lower the temperature to medium-low. Cover but leave a crack for steam to escape.
Cook for about an hour, until the peas are completely cooked and soft. Make sure to stir occasionally. Add more stock if thinner soup is desired.
Notes
Soaking Peas: In my personal experience, soaking the peas has not sped up the cooking time by much. Split peas are so small already, they cook pretty fast. The difference is minimal, so if you forget or don’t have the time, you can simply add them to the soup without soaking. Don't forget to rinse the peas! It’s always best to rinse the dried peas and beans under cold running water before cooking. This washes away any field dirt and dust.Storing: Let the soup cool completely and store in the refrigerator, in a food storage container with a lid. In the refrigerator, split pea soup will last for about a week. If you feel like it thickened to much, feel free to add a little bit of stock when reheating.