What to do with that ham bone from the holiday ham? Freeze it to use later, if need be, you don't want to waste all that free flavor goodness! Better yet, here's how to make Ham and Beans, just good-for-you dried beans, a few vegetables, the right mix of dried herbs and the oh-so-important ham bone.
The best thing about ham for Sunday dinner? The Easter ham? The Christmas ham? It’s the day-after meal, a big pot of beans that’s simmered glug-glug all day with the ham bone.
Call me plebian but Ham & Beans rock my world. Show me a bowl of good beans and I’ll show you a woman happy to empty said bowl three meals a day.
I love how Ham & Beans change from one meal to the next. The first bowl, the beans and vegetables remain all distinct and individual. You can taste the carrots, you can see and taste the beans, but separately. The second bowl, the beans have turned cozy-creamy, the beans binding soft chunks of meat and carrot. By the third, the beans are a hammy sludge, decidedly un-pretty to look at but hearty and oh-so home-good satisfying.
Make sure the beans have been purchased within the last couple of months, since old dried beans will cook and cook and cook but never soften enough to be more than barely edible. When the weather turns cool in the fall, I’ll check the pantry for last year’s beans and chuck them. It’s cheaper to throw away a dollar’s worth of beans than to cook all day and have nothing to eat for supper. If there’s an excess of chicken stock or turkey stock on hand, substitute all or part of the water for stock. If now’s not the time to cook something with the ham bone, freeze it for later. But don’t throw it away!
QUICK SUPPER RECIPE:
HAM & BEANS
Time to table: 24 hours
Makes about 12 cups
-
BEANS
- 1 pound dried beans, preferably Great Northern beans or small white beans (see TIPS)
- 1 ham bone
- 1 poblano pepper, chopped small
- 1 onion, chopped small
- Water to cover or up to 8 cups water (use less for thick beans, more for Ham & Bean Soup)
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 3 ribs celery, cut into large chunks
- 1/2 pound chopped leftover ham
- Parsley, optional but looks pretty for pictures, tee hee
SOAK BEANS Rinse the beans under running water in a colander and pick through to remove any small stones or deformed beans. Transfer to a large pot or Dutch oven and cover with cold water and let soak overnight. Rinse and drain.
OVEN Preheat oven to 225F. Combine the soaked beans, onion, ham bone, water and seasoning and bring to a boil. Cover and transfer to oven. Cook for about 3 hours. (If starting with 4 cups of water, check the beans every hour or so to see if they’re getting dry, if so, add water about a cup at a time.) Add the carrots, celery and ham and cook for at least another 3 hours and as many as 6 hours, until the beans are fully cooked and begin to get quite creamy.
SLOW COOKER Combine all ingredients except the parsley in the slow cooker and cook for 8 - 10 hours on low of 4 – 6 hours on high.
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PS You get the award for fastest comment ever!
I never had a problem with older beans getting hard until the last batch I cooked. They were prepped the night before but took all day to become edible. My first clue should have been that they didn't all plump properly after soaking overnight. Oh well, live and learn. I think I'll take your advice from now on! :)
btw - I just ordered a Kentucky country ham to cook for Derby season. It should be interesting!
Thanks for a superior recipe!
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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna