# Need a good recipe for ham bones & great northern beans



## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

So, last weekend we had company in from out of town and fixed a really nice ham dinner for them. We have finally consumed the rest down to the bone and I was thinking of bean soup of some kind with that bone. Does anyone have any recipes to make it an outstanding soup for tonights supper?


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## unregistered65598 (Oct 4, 2010)

1 lb bag of presoaked beans
1 chopped onion
pepper to taste
ham bone
water to cover

put all in crockpot and cook all day
great with corn bread


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## simplegirl (Feb 19, 2006)

I always add shredded carrot to mine as well. Equal parts onion and carrot.


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

Rinse your beans.
Boil the beans one good time and pour off.
Add more water, ham bone and beans back to pot.

Bring up to a low boil until the beans swell and soften a bit.
Then add shredded carrots, at least 1 onion, some green or red peppers
and continue to cook down.
Break up (mash) some of the beans to release the yummy insides to thicken the soup.
Pull the hambone and scrape the meat off the bone and into the pot.

Add the end, about 30 minutes before you are ready to serve) add a can of Rotel for a little heat and tomato-y goodness.
That can of Rotel makes all of the difference in the world.

You can also make this with kielbasa or other sausage.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

chickenista said:


> Rinse your beans.
> Boil the beans one good time and pour off.
> Add more water, ham bone and beans back to pot.
> 
> ...


Apparently the rotel can't be replaced with maters and a bit of red pepper! I managed to get a bowl down.... Yvonne wasn't havin any.... And the dog won't even gnaw on the bone! The cats are getting rid of the evidence..... But even they are taking their time with it.


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

Good lord man!
What'd you do?

Mayhaps not adding salt to taste?
Sometimes ham bones are salty, sometimes they aren't.

You should have ended up with a mid-thickness soup, the starches of a few crushed beans to thicken but it should still be soup. ..A little thicker than pasta fagioli.
I use about 1/2 a bag of beans to one can of Rotel. It has some heat, but not enough that you break a sweat or anything.

Maybe you didn't cook it long enough? Or too long??

I swear, it really is quite delicious and others besides my family have ooohed and aaahed.. and others have made it at home.

Don't know what happened... so sorry.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

I dunno what happened either... It looked good, smelled great, and most of it is still on the porch in the cats dish.... they have picked out the ham... (which was plenty salty) most everything else is just sitting there. LOL It was probably about the most bland soup I have ever made.


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## Marilyn (Aug 2, 2006)

Did you remember the onion? Salt? Pepper?

Too much water?


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## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

I soak the beans in water overnight and rinse. This would be about a pound of beans. Put the rinsed beans in a large pot, add half a diced fresh onion, and add a teaspoon each of brown sugar, liquid smoke, red pepper, garlic salt, and black pepper. Put in any seasoning meat you want. Cover all with water, cover the pot after you get it up to a boil, and then reduce heat to where it's a slow simmer. This simmers for up to 8 hours, keeping a check on the water level and adding as needed and also tasting the beans to add more seasoning if you think it's needed. If foam comes up on the top of the boiling beans, skim it off and allow the soup to boil without a cover until it returns to a normal look and then reduce heat to simmer and replace the cover. About an hour before serving take out the ham bone and scrape off the meat. Return the meat to the pot and continue to simmer with a cover. If you want a thicker soup remove a quarter cup of beans, mash and return to the pot. 

And all of the above works great in a covered cast iron dutch oven sitting over a wood fire. There's not much better eating than a bowl of ham and bean soup served with fried cornbread and a dollop of chow chow relish on top. 

And I feel like I'm preaching to the choir yh because I've read your recipes here and know you are a southern cook.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

Marilyn said:


> Did you remember the onion? Salt? Pepper?
> 
> Too much water?


Yep, onion, salt, pepper, carrots etc... with just enough water to cover everything good. Alas, that pot of beans just wasnt meant to be. I finally scraped the last of it in the trash so I could retrieve the cats dish. The bones too... dog wouldnt touch em! LOL


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

soulsurvivor said:


> And I feel like I'm preaching to the choir yh because I've read your recipes here and know you are a southern cook.


A southern cook... really?!!! What gave me away?


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

boil beans and bone add fresh crushed black pepper to the heat of your liking... add onion and a clove or two of garlic... boil some more...

Put in bowl, add a table spoon or two of white vinegar... serve with cornbread...


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