Ham bones are an underrated kitchen treasure. While many are quick to discard them after carving the holiday ham, these bones can be used to create incredibly rich, flavorful dishes. But exactly how many times can you reuse a ham bone before its flavor is spent? Let’s find out how to make the most of this versatile ingredient.
First, what exactly is a ham bone? It’s the bone that remains after all the meat has been sliced off a cooked ham. Good quality ham bones often have some bits of meat still attached.
The bone itself is filled with marrow and collagen that impart deep, smoky ham essence as they slowly simmer. Ham bones are most often used to make
- Bean soups
- Split pea soup
- Lentil soup
- Ham bone broth
- Collard greens
- Cabbage dishes
- Rice and beans
- Ham hocks
Adding a ham bone while cooking dried beans helps them soften and take on flavor Slow cooking tough greens transforms them into a silky delight The possibilities are nearly endless!
Evaluating Your Ham Bone
Before deciding how many times to reuse your ham bone, take a good look at it. Check for:
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Meat – Bones with more meat will have more residual flavor for future uses. Bits of meat will continue to impart taste as they fall off during cooking.
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Marrow – Intact marrow inside adds body and richness. However bones that have been frozen and thawed may lose some marrow.
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Age – Fresher bones that haven’t been sitting in your freezer for eons will have a stronger ham taste.
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Size – Larger, meatier bones can be reused more times. Smaller ones may only be good for a single use.
First Use Ideas
For the very first use while your ham bone still has lots of meatiness, make:
- Hearty ham and bean soup
- Ham, potato, and kale soup
- Split pea and ham soup with croutons
- Creamy cabbage and ham skillet bake
The choices are endless. Just avoid overpowering the ham flavor with too many other competing ingredients.
Simmer the bone for 1-2 hours until the meat falls off. Pick out any remaining bits of meat when done cooking.
Maximizing Second Uses
After the initial use, your ham bone still has lots of smoky flavor locked inside. Next make:
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Ham bone broth – Simmer in water with onions, carrots, and celery
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White beans with ham bone broth – Earthy and nutritious
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Lentil soup with ham bone broth – Protein-packed and hearty
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Collard or turnip greens simmered in ham bone broth – Southern comfort
Adding a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar helps draw out minerals from the bone. Cook low and slow for 2-4 hours.
Final Flavor Extraction
For a 3rd and final use, extract every hint of savoriness with dishes like:
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Ham bone broth with lots of root veggies – Let simmer for 8 hours or longer
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Dried lima beans, ham bone, and kale – The longer the better
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Ham bone grits or risotto – For ultimate creaminess
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Ham bone ramen bowl – Bring on the umami
At this point the bone may start to splinter and fall apart. Wrap it in cheesecloth if you want to fish it out easily.
Storage Tips
To maximize uses, store ham bones:
- Wrapped in foil or plastic in a zip top bag
- Labeled with the date
- In the freezer for 2-3 months max
Refrigerate for up to 4 days if using again right away. adding a splash of vinegar helps preserve.
Get Creative!
Beyond soups, try using your ham bone to impart flavor in:
- Rice and veggie bowls
- Quinoa salads
- Eggs and hash browns
- Fried rice
- Beans, greens, and grains Buddha bowls
Think outside the box to take advantage of every bit of meaty goodness.
Final Thoughts
One high quality ham bone can flavor up to 3 hearty dishes as long as you store and use it properly. For maximum value, opt for bones with lots of meat, marrow, and minimum splintering. Be sure to label your ham bones and use refrigeration and freezing to make them last.
With so many possibilities from soups to risottos and more, don’t let even the smallest ham bone go to waste. Follow these tips to become a master at extracting mouthwatering flavor again and again.
STEP ONE, BROTHY BEANS WITH HAM lol
Besides the ham, whatever you put in this pot will affect the taste of other things you cook with these beans, if you get that far. I rubbed my ham with fennel seed and crushed red pepper, and you might have done the same. It made sense to me that those flavors would end up in my pot, since they were going to be there anyway.
Start with the largest pot you own. Although it might not be big enough to fit your huge ham bone, have faith that as the bone simmers in the liquid you add, the joint will soften, letting you bend it in half and fit the whole thing into the pot.
At my party, I served my Lipton’s Secret Recipe with thinly sliced fennel bulb. This meant I had a lot of fennel stalks and fronds. I always save the stalks and fronds, either in the fridge to slice thinly and add to salads or in ziploc bags to freeze for later stock/broth days. I cut about six stalks with the fronds into very thin slices and added them to the pot with a lot of olive oil. I also added an old bunch of scallions that I probably should have thrown away (thinly sliced), along with a large yellow onion (finely chopped), six garlic cloves (smashed), four celery stalks (finely chopped), two whole chiles de arbol (crumbled), and two fresh bay leaves (more on bay leaves next week). I put salt and pepper in the pot and sautéed over medium-high heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until everything started to get soft and sweaty.
Then, I added a pound of Rancho Gordo beans (unsoaked), because even though every time I cook the whole pound and think “why do I always make so many beans at once?” I still felt like I’d rather have too many cooked beans ready to eat than a package of opened beans I probably won’t ever cook. I’m not saying this is logical, I’m saying this is how I am. The beans I used the Alubia Blanca Bean, one of my favorite beans for all purposes, similar to a Navy Bean. Creamy without falling apart, small but not too small, just the right amount of starchiness. You could use any bean, probably. I mean that.
I added the ham bone, and filled the pot with as much water as it could handle. I brought this to a simmer and seasoned again with some more salt. I left this alone and simmered it for 2 1/2-ish hours. Even though the beans were already cooked, I knew that if I kept going, they would get creamier and the liquid would thicken more. So, you know what? I wanted to.
As I said, the ham bone softened at the joint about halfway through the cooking, so I was able to put the whole thing in the pot. Now there is no longer a silly ham bone sticking out of the pot. The ham also continues to braise and become tender (literally “fall-off-the-bone tender”) while also flavoring the broth your beans are cooking in.
These beans and this broth would be very good if you stopped here (your basic brothy beans at work), but in case you’d like to make it a more formal soup, head to…
“Say it with Beans”
Welcome to A Newsletter! Thank you for being here. So you got here by some miracle but haven’t yet subscribed? Let me help you with that: “Say it with Beans”
The fact that you have a ham bone left over means you probably had a ham party or at least went to one. The ham bone could be a half-bone in the shape of a knob or a whole bone in the shape of an awkward L. Either way, it will be too big to fit in any pot you have for broth. It could be free of any meat that could be sliced, or it could still be squished up with good sandwich or snack ham pieces still attached. No matter the condition of your ham bone, you can make something with it.
There wouldn’t need to be anything else for the ham bone to taste good; it would be salty, slightly smoky, and have a light ham flavor (“a smack of ham”). But it’s always a good idea to use other things that are leftover or could be thrown away when making soup or stock, especially soup or stock made from “leftovers” or “discard.” A half an onion, old fennel, some roasted carrots you no longer want to reheat and eat again. If you did actually have a ham party with the suggested “sliced, raw vegetables for snacking,” then you might have extra of those. They can go into the pot with the ham bone. I bought way too much celery for my last ham party, again thinking that other people would love it more than I did. Simmer this until it tastes very good— either use it immediately or freeze it for future soups.
But why not make something better. Something, say, with beans.
The following is what I did; please don’t take this as a recipe, as every pot will be different, but if you follow this, every pot will be great:
How to Boil a Ham Bone for Broth and Chunks of Ham
How long can you keep a ham bone for Soup?
When it comes to keeping a ham bone for soup, the key is to store it in the freezer. This will help to preserve the bone and keep it fresh for use in soups. In general, a ham bone can be kept in the freezer for up to 6 months. After that time, the quality and flavor of the bone may begin to deteriorate.
How long can a ham bone be kept in the freezer?
Ham bones are a great way to add flavor and depth to soups, and they can be kept for quite some time if stored properly. When it comes to keeping a ham bone for soup, the key is to store it in the freezer. This will help to preserve the bone and keep it fresh for use in soups. In general, a ham bone can be kept in the freezer for up to 6 months.
How long does it take to cook a ham bone?
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer the ham bone for about 30 minutes to 1 hour until very fragrant. Set aside the ham stock and discard the bone. Heat olive oil in the large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, carrots, and potato.
Can a ham bone be reused?
Yes, you can reuse a ham bone for more than one batch of soup. Just be sure to store it properly in the freezer between uses. 12. How long does a ham bone need to simmer in soup to impart its flavor? A ham bone should simmer in soup for at least 1-2 hours to impart its flavor fully.