What to do with a ham bone?

[Dengineer]

One of my stores had huge whole hams for $.88/lb this week, so I got one. I cut the meat off into several large sections to cook, diced up the smaller pieces for turnip greens, and now am left with a big bone with some meat scraps still on it. I've heard that this can be used to make soup but I have no idea what to do with it.

Here's what I'm thinking--put it in a pan and just cover it with water. Cover and boil for a couple of hours, and then take the liquid and hopefully the meat scraps that come off and pour them into freezer cartons and use this as a base for soup.

Any input from an expert would be appreciated!!

[lbrown1618]

thats all I ever heard of, is using it to make soup - makes a yummy potato soup.

[Jaysma]

I always freeze & save mine to add it in a pot of white beans. Just throw it in at the beginning with the beans. Simmer it all day until the bone is bare. Make a pan of cornbread too... yummy!

[Andra]

Yep, you've got the right idea, but I would make the soup and then freeze it. In most recipes that use a ham bone you are using the bone to flavor not just the water, but the veggies or beans you add as well so you would want to cook it with the veggies for optimal flavor.

Here are some recipes that sound good to me:

Uncle Bill's Green Split Pea With Hambone Soup Recipe : Recipezaar

Senate Bean Soup Recipe : Recipezaar

Lentil Soup Recipe : Recipezaar

Creamy Ham and Corn Chowder Recipe : Recipezaar

[MariaT]

Yummy PEA SOUP!
Buy a bag a Jack Rabbit split peas and follow the recipe on there. It's awesome.

[Dengineer]

It seemed like a waste to use it to make just one batch of soup. I was hoping to get lots of mileage out of it by boiling it first and then using the liquid in several different things. But if I get what I'm reading, maybe I could use it to make one huge batch of soup and then freeze that.

Thanks for the advice! This is one cooking situation in which I have absolutely no experience!

[beth119]

I didn't even know you COULD do anything with a ham bone!

Mine usually go to my dog!

[Kelly Long]

Buy some pinto beans, put bone and everything you cut off into a crock pot and cook all day. It's actually better if you leave everything on the bone and the meat will just come off the bone as it cooks. Then make some cornbread and cut up a vidalia onion, and get you some chow chow for the beans.....YUM YUM!!

[CoveredinGrace]

Yep it is usually used just for one soup, like pp's have mentioned, just throw it in with some northern beans and you're good to go. I suppose you could make a ham stock out of it like you said, I just can't think of that many soups I would want a salty ham broth/stock for, if you can, I suppose it would work also, it's just that most recipes call for the bone to be put in with other ingredients, too, so you flavor more than just the broth with it.

[vickib50]

I use them in a pot of pinto or green beans. The bits of meat left will fall off into the beans and THEN the dog can have the bone.