Tessa's Ham and Bean Soup

In all honesty, this recipe is copied from allrecipes.com However, I've asked Tessa to send me the recipe twice. She says it is most like the soup her Grandma made. We liked it the first time when I had no clue what I was doing and with two more ham bones in our house, I will be trying this again.

1# dry pinto beans
8 cups water
1 large, meaty ham hock
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp pepper

1) Place the beans and water in a large stock pot. Add the ham hock, onion, garlic, and spices. Bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for an hour.

2) Return the pot to the heat and bring to a boil. Cook for three hours. The longer it cooks the thicker it will be. (My 1st attempt was less than three hours.)

3) Removethe ham hock from the water and let cool.  Remove meat from the bone and put it back in the pot. Discard the bone (give to Winston).

4) Adjust seasoning and serve with cornbread.