Ham Broth (turkey, chicken, celery, carrots)

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Right now I've got a big ham bone in the crock pot slowing turning into ham broth. When it is done, I will remove all the bones and shred the meat and add white beans and turn it into a big pot of ham and beans.

I used to throw everything in the pot together and cook it all together, but if the ham and beans turn out right, it is a pot of glop and it is difficult to see and find any small bones or bits of gristle. So I have started coking the broth first so I can see to remove all the bones.


Right now it is the ham bone, the tops off of two celery stalks, half a small onion cut in large chunks, and a couple of twists of black pepper. Great Northern White Beans are in a pot elsewhere, soaking in cold water.


After the celery tops and bones are removed and the meat is chopped, I add the beans, two finely chopped carrots, the two stalks of celery chopped fine, a large chopped onion, another couple of twists of black pepper, and a bit of granulated onion. Then it is left to simmer in the crock pot until the beans are tender.


Wonderful served with corn bread.


Note, I don't add salt. My family salts at the table. If you are going to add salt, wait until the end and taste first. There might be more than enough salt from the ham.

[steiconi]

Mmmm.
Honeybaked ham stores sell ham bones for soup. Mmmm. Ham soup season will get here, but not yet; it was 95° today.

Ooooh, I've always made it in the slow cooker; I wonder how it would be in the pressure cooker.

[puginabug]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

Right now I've got a big ham bone in the crock pot slowing turning into ham broth. When it is done, I will remove all the bones and shred the meat and add white beans and turn it into a big pot of ham and beans.

I used to throw everything in the pot together and cook it all together, but if the ham and beans turn out right, it is a pot of glop and it is difficult to see and find any small bones or bits of gristle. So I have started coking the broth first so I can see to remove all the bones.


Right now it is the ham bone, the tops off of two celery stalks, half a small onion cut in large chunks, and a couple of twists of black pepper. Great Northern White Beans are in a pot elsewhere, soaking in cold water.


After the celery tops and bones are removed and the meat is chopped, I add the beans, two finely chopped carrots, the two stalks of celery chopped fine, a large chopped onion, another couple of twists of black pepper, and a bit of granulated onion. Then it is left to simmer in the crock pot until the beans are tender.


Wonderful served with corn bread.


Note, I don't add salt. My family salts at the table. If you are going to add salt, wait until the end and taste first. There might be more than enough salt from the ham.

This, cooked with a can of tomatoes, and heavy on the celery, served with ditalini pasta (instead of corn bread) makes for a killer pasta fagioli. I make this with leftover ham, but I usually serve the beans (I use navy beans) on the side, since my husband is anti-bean.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

My ham and beans turned out delicious. It's getting colder here, approaching soup weather, but most of the ham and beans went into serving size containers and into the freezer. Those little containers make convenient heat and eat meals.


I've eaten two meals of the beans, with cornbread, and the rest of the beans and the rest of the cornbread are in the freezer for later.


Cooked beans freeze really well, so I always have a few types of beans in the freezer. The single serving size frozen containers of chili are a favorite grab-a-meal in my family, plus I use the chili in other types of meals, like nachos and burritos.


I don't make ham and beans often, because who can afford to buy a ham hock? Seriously, the price of ham hock is ridiculous. My favorite ham to buy doesn't come with a bone, but my son was given a gift certificate for a honey baked ham at Christmas and he picked up the ham this week and took the slices camping with him for sandwiches. I was left with the bone to make soup with. The bone from a honey baked ham sure makes a good pot of ham and beans. It helps that my son left a lot of meat on the ham bone.

[Roselvr]

I've been debating to make a white bean soup. I've twice made pea soup with ham, the second time I put bacon in it. I canned three jars but one broke in the pressure canner.

I need to can some chicken soup and beef stew. I'm making beef stew today. I want to learn how to make New England clam chowder.

[thatdurncat13]

Glad I saw your thread OP. Reminded me I had a ham bone, with lots of meat, in the deep freezer.
It's now in the crock pot. I'll have enough to split into two pots.
Great northern and split pea, yum.

[Lodestar]

This week it's buy a ham and get a free turkey sale at our grocers. DH says he bought them.

He's a ham and navy bean soup aficianado. Lots of beans. Usually he wants me to add a couple of cans extra besides the dried ones. I season with a couple of Penzi's Turkish bay leaves, a few peppercorns and don't use salt either. Depends on the ham.

My dad taught me a neat trick for thickening the broth if it's not how I want it. Sprinkle some instant mashed potato flakes over the top of the simmering soup and stir.

[rrah]

I serve ham for Christmas just to have the bone for bean soup. I'm a huge crock pot user, but I prefer making all broths on the stove. I find it's easier to skim off fat and the scummy stuff. Working from home, it's easy enough to start in the morning and check periodically during the cooking time. Typically I make soup on Sundays so work isn't an issue. Don't ask me how long I simmer it. I just do it for several hours until it looks right and the bones are falling apart. Soaked beans are added about 90 minutes or so before I want to serve it.

I agree--nothing like cornbread to go with the bean soup.