Hamhock and Beans
Nobody wants a bone to go to waste, am I right?! Then if you can, take care of it right away - don't tuck it away and forget about it. I'll admit I've been guilty of this once or twice myself, but this year, as soon as the ham was deboned, I put that bone back into my 8 qt dutch oven the ham was cooked in - drippings and all. When all was said and done, I did 3 minutes of prep and we all enjoyed this delicious dish. Even Uncle Ed who usually says, "this isn't bad", kept going on about how good this was.
- 1 ham bone and ALL the drippings from cooking
- 5 qts water
- 1 lb bag dry white beans
Like I was saying, use all the drippings along with the ham bone (wonderful when some of the meat is still attached) and cover with water. Pour in your bag of dry beans (they are way cheaper, soak in the flavors of the ham, and break down a bit making it thicken up). Cook on medium high heat till it comes to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 1-2 hours, covered.
You can eat it when it is still more of a broth (pictured below), or wait a little longer till some of the beans break down and the consistency thickens. Either way, the flavor is delicious and a perfect meal on a cold day.
