Soak beans in water for 8 hours and up to overnight. I also find that it doesn’t save me much cooking time anyway.īeans do need to be sorted and rinsed though.īeans can be soaked to reduce the cooking time. I don’t usually have room in the refrigerator for a bowl or pan large enough to hold enough water for the beans. I prefer saving these beans for minestrone soup. These beans will retain their shape better and may require some additional smashing or pureeing of a few beans to add some thickness. They are the largest of the three white beans suitable for ham and beans. This is my second choice!Ĭannellini Beans can also be used. Great Northern beans will cook up in about half the time of Navy beans. Honestly, I think growing up we were eating Great Northern Beans and my family just called them Navy beans. Great Northern Beans look very similar to Navy beans but larger. Navy beans will also break down more than the other beans, making them ideal for ham and beans. I know, it doesn’t make much sense, but it’s the truth. These little guys take longer to cook up than the larger beans. Navy beans are smaller than great Northern beans and will work just fine in this recipe. If rocks can be found in many bags of beans, I feel like there may also be dirt and other junk on the beans. Once the beans are sorted, put them into a colander and give them a good healthy rinse. I like to have my hands on the beans so I can feel them. I find that I miss shriveled beans and rocks doing it that way. Some people dump them into a bowl or onto a cookie sheet and sort through them that way. I usually take them out by the handful and sort through them and place the sorted beans into a colander. The little pebbles need to be removed because they will break teeth! They aren’t bad, they just won’t be as tender or pleasant as the rest of the beans. Little pebbles and shriveled-up beans still make their way into the dried bean supply! Shriveled beans will not plump up like the rest of the beans. I know that sorting beans sounds like something old-fashioned like scalding milk but it is still necessary in modern times. Many of the white beans can be used interchangeably if they end up with a soft, creamy, and somewhat delicate texture. Garlic can be added to the simmering liquid as well as the finished soup if desired. I like the added color and touch of sweetness the carrots add. Once I have strained the broth, I add fresh finely diced onions and carrots back into the broth before adding the beans. These will be discarded before the beans are added. Onions and celery are the only vegetables I add to the broth while simmering the ham hocks. Taste the broth before adding the beans! Add more water if you need to in order to cut some of the salt.
Just be careful though, ham base can be pretty salty. Ham base or bouillon is another option if you don’t have any ham bones or hocks to use. My mom, grandma, and aunts always used the meat off the hocks so if you are in this camp, go ahead and use it. I have used deli ham diced into smaller pieces and the soup still had it declared the best ham and beans! The whole point is any kind of ham can be added. I chop it into smaller pieces and add them right at the end of the cooking time. Instead, I use ham pieces because they are relatively cheaper than other cuts of ham. I don’t use the meat from the ham hocks for adding to the soup as I find there is just not enough meat. I see turkey and ham served side by side at tons of holiday meals! Next up would be a leftover Easter ham bone. Additional flavoring can be added by using a ham base or even chicken stock. I find the best flavor comes from using a smoked bone-in piece of meat. The ham and beans start with nicely flavored broth or stock.
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