Last month I purchased 2 large ham hocks on sale from our local butcher. I love cooking down ham hocks in my crockpot slow cooker to make a big pot of ham, bean and potato soup. This soup is full of flavor and makes a hearty meal. The recipe will make approximately 6 quart size jars. If you’re not into home canning…you can certainly cook and eat or cook and freeze for later use.
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A lot of recipes for ham and bean soup utilize chicken broth. I don’t use that! I highly recommend using the Goya Ham Flavored Concentrate. It really amps up the flavor of the soup. You’ll want to follow the instructions on the package on how much to use. I have a hard time finding it at the grocery store, so I order it online from Amazon. You’ll need to make 4 cups of ham broth using the Goya Ham Flavored Concentrate. Trust me…it really makes a beautiful soup base!
You’ll need your pressure canner, glass mason jars, basic home canning supplies and the ingredients listed below. When canning, I do recommend that you wear an old t-shirt or apron. Home canning can be messy at times!!! Wash all supplies and have them ready to go ahead of time.
Getting started….I cook down 1-2 ham hocks in my slow cooker set on high for 3 hours or low for 5 hours. You need the meat to be done and falling off the bone easily. From from the slow cooker and let cool. You’ll need 3-4 cups of cooked and cubed or shreeded ham for the recipe.
Ham, Bean and Potato Soup Recipe
3-4 cups cooked and cubed or shredded ham
8-10 cups of canned Northern Beans
4-5 large white potatoes, peeled and cubed
2-3 carrots, sliced thin
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. ground black pepper
pinch of Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
2-3 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
4 cups of ham broth or ham concentrate (see note above)
Use a large stock pot for this recipe. First pour in the ham broth. Then add-in the cooked and cubed ham. Follow the recipe listed above adding in all of the ingredients that are listed. The stove burner should be set on medium to medium high. Stir the soup after each addition.
Get everything to a simmer and simmer for 8-10 minutes over medium to medium-high heat. It shouldn’t be at a full boil…just simmering hot.
Ladel the soup into your prepared mason jars. You’ll want to use glass quart-sized mason jars made for home canning. Leave a 1? headspace at the top. Make sure you remove any air bubbles or air pockets when you’re filling up the jars. Wipe the rim with a clean cloth. Add the seal and then screw-on the metal ring until it’s fingertip tight.
If you run out of broth you can quickly make another batch of broth using a packet of the Goya Ham Flavored Concentrate. It takes less than 5 minutes to make. If you think you’ve added too much of a ham flavor you can water things down by adding hot water.
Your pressure canner needs to have at least 2? of simmering water in the bottom of it. Place the jars into the canner following the directions that came with the canner. Place the lid on top. You need to bring the pressure up to 10 lbs. Once you have reached the 10 lbs. you need to process the jars for 90 minutes. Set a timer!!! Turn off the heat and let the pressure naturally return down to 0. Once it hits 0 set a timer for 10 minutes before you remove the lid. You never want to remove the lid before that time.
Lay a dry kitchen towel out onto your counter. Carefully remove the hot jars from the canner and place onto the towel. Let them cool naturally (no drafts) until they reach room temperature. It will take a few hours. Once cool you want to check all of your seals to make sure each jar sealed. If not, place that jar into the refrigerator and eat it within 2-3 days. Label all of your jars with the contents and date that it was made. Store in a cool, dry place.