The ham bone at the back of the freezer still has a dinner left in it, even when the neat slices are long gone. Turning that bone and a bag of beans into soup is the kind of diner thrift that makes sense in a home kitchen, because the slow simmer gives you flavor from something you already paid for. A little care matters more than a crowded ingredient list: the beans need time, the broth needs tasting and the leftover meat needs to go in at the right stage. I keep the soup’s texture in mind from the start, since a smooth navy-bean puree and a clear potato broth need different handling even when both begin with ham. The meat can be smoky, sweetly glazed or fairly mild, so don’t assume every batch needs the same spoonful of salt. Set a small plate beside the pot for bones, bay leaves and anything else that has finished its job before serving.
Classic Ham and Bean Soup
A covered oven pot gives dried pinto beans a gentle, even simmer while you get on with something else in the kitchen. The quick soak still takes an hour, but it saves you from needing to remember the beans the night before. Add the cooked ham near the end so its edges stay tender and the broth picks up its salt after the beans have begun to soften. Pinto beans turn the liquid lightly brown and creamy without a blender, especially once you fold the pot gently after cooking. This is the plain, substantial bowl I’d choose when the ham itself tastes good and doesn’t need a tomato sauce or a handful of cheese to carry it.
Classic Ham and Bean Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Put beans and soaking water in a large saucepan. Bring to a full boil, boil for 2 minutes, then cover, remove from heat and stand for 60 minutes; drain and rinse.
- Heat oven to 325°F. Heat oil in a 6-quart oven-safe covered pot over medium heat and cook onion, carrots and celery for 7 minutes, then add garlic for 1 minute.
- Add drained beans, broth, bay leaf, savory and pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover tightly and transfer to the oven.
- Bake for 1 1/2 hours, then stir gently and check a bean. Continue covered for 30 to 45 minutes until the beans are nearly tender, adding some of the measured hot water if the liquid no longer covers them.
- Fold in ham and bake covered for 15 to 20 minutes more until the beans are fully tender and ham reaches 165°F. Add the remaining optional water only if the soup is thicker than you want.
- Discard bay leaf, stir in vinegar and taste before adding up to the measured 1/4 teaspoon salt. Rest for 5 minutes and divide among six bowls.
Ham Bone Soup with Barley
Strip the useful meat from the ham bone after making the stock, then strain the liquid before any barley goes into it. That gives you a clean broth without asking the finished soup to hold the onion quarters and celery pieces that already gave up their flavor. Barley makes the bowl substantial, while mushrooms and green beans keep their shapes if you add them at their own stages instead of simmering everything for the full stock-making time. The extra measured ham guarantees a worthwhile amount of meat even if the bone from dinner has been picked fairly clean.
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Ham Bone Soup with Barley
Ingredients
Method
- Place ham bone, stock water, onion, celery and bay leaf in an 8-quart pot. Bring to a gentle simmer, skim foam and cook partly covered for 2 to 2 1/2 hours until the meat loosens from the bone.
- Lift the bone onto a tray. Strain the stock, discard spent vegetables and bay leaf, skim excess fat and measure 7 cups liquid, adding water if needed.
- Pull usable meat from the bone once cool enough to handle. Discard bone, gristle and excess fat and tear the meat into small pieces.
- Heat oil in a clean soup pot over medium-high heat. Brown mushrooms for 6 to 8 minutes, then add the measured stock, barley, thyme and pepper.
- Simmer partly covered for 25 minutes, then add green beans, the meat from the bone and the measured extra ham. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes more until barley and beans are tender and ham reaches 165°F.
- Stir in lemon juice and divide among six bowls, distributing the barley, vegetables and meat evenly.
Yellow Split Pea and Ham Soup
Roasted carrots deepen the color and sweetness of yellow split peas without turning the soup into a bowl of plain carrot puree. Let the peas soften completely before blending, because a grainy pea won’t become silky just because the blender has run longer. Torn pieces of ham go in after the base is smooth, leaving a clear contrast between the thick soup and the meat instead of blending everything into one texture. A little cumin works quietly underneath the smoke of the ham; it shouldn’t make the bowl taste like chili. Give the pot a stir from the bottom as it reheats, since a thick pea soup can catch before the surface begins to bubble.
Yellow Split Pea and Ham Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F. Toss carrots with olive oil and salt on a sheet pan and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until tender and browned at the edges.
- Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook leeks for 5 minutes until softened, then stir in garlic and cumin for 1 minute.
- Add split peas, broth and pepper. Bring to a simmer, partly cover and cook over low heat for 45 to 55 minutes, stirring from the bottom occasionally, until the peas collapse easily.
- Add roasted carrots and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and blend carefully with an immersion blender until smooth, keeping the blade submerged.
- Fold in ham and return to low heat for 5 minutes until the meat reaches 165°F. Stir in lemon juice and add up to the measured cup of water if needed for a thick but pourable soup.
- Divide among six bowls, making sure each portion includes pieces of ham.
Ham and Potato Soup with Leeks
Keep the potato half-moons thick enough to stay intact when you lift a spoonful, and simmer gently once they go into the clear broth. Thin leeks soften around them while peas go in near the end, giving this ham-and-potato soup a lighter texture than a mashed or cream-thickened version. Lemon and chopped parsley brighten the finished pot, but add them after the ham is hot so you can judge their flavor against the salt already in the meat.
Ham and Potato Soup with Leeks
Ingredients
Method
- Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook leeks for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring, until soft without browning.
- Add potatoes, broth, bay leaf and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook partly covered for 12 to 15 minutes until the potato pieces are just tender.
- Add ham strips and peas and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes until the peas are bright and the ham reaches 165°F. Avoid a hard boil that would break the potato pieces.
- Discard bay leaf and remove from heat. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice and parsley.
- Taste before adding up to the measured salt, then divide among six bowls with potatoes, ham and peas in every portion.
Creamy Navy Bean Soup with Ham
Pressure-cooked navy beans blend into a smooth soup with no cream, and softened fennel gives the base a gentle sweetness that isn’t just another onion-and-carrot broth. Crisp the thin ham strips first and hold them out of the pot until serving so you keep their browned edges against the puree, rather than simmering them until they lose the texture you just created.
Creamy Navy Bean Soup with Ham
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil on the saute setting of a 6-quart electric pressure cooker. Cook ham strips for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring, until their edges brown and the meat reaches 165°F; transfer to a plate.
- Add fennel and shallots to the cooker and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic for 30 seconds, then pour in 1 cup of the broth and scrape the bottom completely clean.
- Add navy beans, remaining broth, thyme and pepper. Check that the contents stay below the cooker half-full line for beans, lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.
- Allow pressure to release naturally until the indicator drops, about 20 to 30 minutes. Open the lid and check that beans are completely soft; if still firm, pressure-cook for another 5 minutes and allow a natural release again.
- Discard thyme stems and blend carefully with an immersion blender until smooth, keeping the blade submerged. Stir in lemon juice and add up to the measured hot water if the puree is too thick to pour.
- Taste before adding up to the measured salt. Rewarm ham strips over medium heat in a separate small skillet to 165°F if needed, then divide soup among six bowls and add the ham on top.
15-Bean Soup with Ham
A mixed-bean bag gives you several textures in one pot, including some small pulses that soften enough to thicken the broth before the largest beans are ready. Sort and soak the mix, then give it the full rolling boil before settling into a gentle simmer; a slow warm-up isn’t the method for a blend that may contain kidney beans. The tomato and roasted pepper mixture goes in only after the beans are tender, so its acidity doesn’t make you wait longer for a stubborn bean to soften. Leave the seasoning packet out and use the measured spices, which makes the salt easier to control once the ham is added. Test more than one kind of bean before calling the soup done.
15-Bean Soup with Ham
Ingredients
Method
- Cover bean mix with soaking water and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours, then drain and rinse; preparation time includes an 8-hour soak. Put beans in a large pot with the fresh boiling water.
- Bring to a full rolling boil and maintain that boil for 30 minutes, adding some of the measured 2 cups additional hot water if needed to keep beans submerged. Drain and rinse, then return beans to the pot with the measured broth.
- Simmer partly covered for 60 to 90 minutes until the largest beans are fully tender, checking several types and adding up to the measured cup of hot water if the broth drops too low.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, celery and carrot for 7 minutes, add garlic, paprika and oregano for 1 minute, then add tomatoes and roasted pepper and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Fold the tomato mixture, ham and black pepper into the tender beans. Simmer for 15 minutes until the ham reaches 165°F and the broth is lightly thickened by the softer beans.
- Stir in vinegar and taste before adding up to the measured salt. Divide among eight bowls, keeping a mixture of beans and ham in each serving.
White Bean and Ham Soup with Escarole
Whole cannellini beans and a small amount of orzo make this a brothy dinner rather than a pot of mashed beans. Escarole wilts into the soup without losing every trace of its bite, and the lemon goes in at the end so it stays noticeable against the ham. Stir gently once the beans are added, because breaking too many of them will turn the clear broth cloudy and thicker than intended. If you’re planning leftovers, expect the orzo to absorb more liquid overnight and have a little water ready when reheating; don’t cook the fresh batch watery just to compensate for tomorrow’s lunch.
White Bean and Ham Soup with Escarole
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook onion for 5 minutes until softened, then add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in wine and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until reduced by about half. Add broth and rosemary and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Stir in dry orzo and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring once from the bottom.
- Add cannellini beans, escarole, ham and pepper. Simmer gently for 5 to 7 minutes until orzo is tender, escarole has softened and ham reaches 165°F.
- Remove rosemary and stir in lemon juice. Taste before adding up to the measured salt, then divide among six bowls and serve promptly.
Ham and Cabbage Soup with Sauerkraut
Roasted savoy cabbage gives this soup soft leaves with browned edges, while drained sauerkraut brings the tang that fresh cabbage alone can’t provide. The tomato paste and marjoram turn the broth lightly red and savory without making it a thick tomato soup. Taste the sauerkraut before adding it, then rinse it briefly if it’s sharply salty; the ham has plenty of seasoning of its own. This is a good bowl for someone who likes a little sourness with smoked meat, and it doesn’t need cream to soften every edge. Keep the roasted cabbage pieces broad enough to recognize when they’re lifted from the broth.
Ham and Cabbage Soup with Sauerkraut
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F. Toss savoy cabbage with 1 tablespoon oil on a sheet pan and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once, until tender with browned edges.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook onion for 6 to 7 minutes until softened, then add garlic, tomato paste, marjoram and paprika and stir for 1 minute.
- Add broth and drained sauerkraut. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook partly covered for 15 minutes.
- Fold in roasted cabbage, ham and pepper and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes until the ham reaches 165°F. Stir gently to keep the larger cabbage pieces intact.
- Divide among six bowls with both kinds of cabbage and pieces of ham in each portion.
Ham and Lentil Soup with Mushrooms
French green lentils hold their shape in the ham broth, which makes this soup more like a collection of tender ingredients than a blended lentil base. Brown the mushrooms before adding the wine so they develop an edge of flavor that a long simmer alone won’t produce. The ham hocks make the stock first, then their meat returns with the lentils while the skin and bones stay out of the serving bowls. Frozen pearl onions save a fiddly peeling job and soften neatly beside the lentils. Check the broth before reaching for salt, especially if the hocks are strongly smoked or heavily cured.
Ham and Lentil Soup with Mushrooms
Ingredients
Method
- Place ham hocks, stock water, quartered onion and bay leaf in a large pot. Bring to a gentle simmer, skim foam and cook partly covered for 2 to 2 1/2 hours until the meat is tender and pulls from the bones.
- Lift hocks onto a tray. Strain the stock, discard onion and bay leaf, skim excess fat and measure 5 cups liquid, adding water if needed.
- Remove skin, bones and gristle from the hocks once cool enough to handle and tear the usable meat into bite-size pieces.
- Heat butter and oil in a clean soup pot over medium-high heat. Brown mushrooms for 7 to 8 minutes, add garlic for 30 seconds, then pour in wine and reduce by half, about 3 minutes.
- Add the measured stock, lentils, pearl onions, thyme, pepper and ham meat. Simmer partly covered for 30 to 40 minutes until lentils are tender but intact and ham reaches 165°F.
- Stir in sherry vinegar and taste before adding up to the measured salt. Divide among six bowls.
Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup
Large lima beans make this crockpot soup especially soft and buttery, with celery root blended into the broth for body instead of a spoonful of flour or cream. Roast the garlic while the soaked beans have their preliminary boil, then squeeze the sweet cloves into the slow cooker before the long cook begins. The ham bone seasons the pot gradually, and the meat comes off it at the end when it’s easy to separate from the gristle. Spinach waits until the final short cook so it adds green pieces to the bowl rather than dissolving through eight hours of heat. This needs a little setup, but the slow cooker handles the part that would otherwise keep you checking a pot all afternoon.
Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Cover beans with soaking water and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours, then drain and rinse; preparation time includes an 8-hour soak. Heat oven to 400°F.
- Cut the top from the garlic head, drizzle with oil, wrap in foil and roast for 40 to 45 minutes until soft. Meanwhile, bring beans and fresh boiling water to a full rolling boil and boil for 30 minutes, then drain.
- Put drained beans, ham bone, celery root and onion in a 7-quart slow cooker. Squeeze roasted garlic from its skins into the cooker and add soup water, sage and pepper.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours until the beans are very tender and the meat loosens from the bone. Lift out the bone and celery-root chunks.
- Blend celery root with 1 cup broth from the cooker using an immersion blender in a tall heatproof container, then stir the puree back into the soup. Pull usable meat from the bone, discard bone and gristle and return the meat.
- Stir in spinach, cover and cook on high for 15 to 20 minutes until the greens soften and the ham reaches 165°F. Add lemon juice and taste before adding up to the measured salt, then divide among eight bowls.
Ham and Corn Chowder with Cornbread Dumplings
Cornmeal dumplings turn this chowder into a spoon-and-bowl dinner without needing a separate batch of cornbread in the oven. The dough should be soft enough to scoop but thick enough to sit in a mound, so mix it just before the soup is ready for it. Keep the pot at a gentle simmer and leave the lid closed while the dumplings cook; lifting it repeatedly lets out the steam their centers need. The ham and corn stay underneath in a lightly creamy broth, with red pepper adding small sweet pieces rather than another large vegetable to work around. Split one dumpling to check that its middle looks fluffy and cooked before serving the rest.
Ham and Corn Chowder with Cornbread Dumplings
Ingredients
Method
- Melt soup butter in a wide 6-quart pot over medium heat. Cook onion and red pepper for 7 minutes, then stir in the tablespoon soup flour for 1 minute.
- Gradually stir in broth, then add corn, ham and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the ham reaches 165°F.
- Stir in the cup of soup milk and return to a gentle simmer. Mix dumpling flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a bowl, then rub in the cold butter until small crumbs form.
- Stir the separate 1/2 cup dumpling milk into the dry mixture just until a soft dough forms. Use two spoons to drop twelve equal small mounds over the simmering soup, spacing them apart.
- Cover tightly and simmer gently for 14 to 16 minutes without lifting the lid. Split one dumpling to check that the center is fluffy with no wet dough; cover and cook for 2 minutes more if needed.
- Rest off heat for 3 minutes. Divide chowder among six bowls and add two dumplings to each portion.
Black-Eyed Pea Soup with Ham and Collards
Cook the brown rice in its own saucepan so you can add tender grains to the finished soup without guessing how much broth they’ll absorb while the peas soften. Dried black-eyed peas, collard ribbons and ham make a hearty combination with a clear broth, and a small splash of vinegar at the end keeps the greens from tasting dull without turning the pot sour.
Black-Eyed Pea Soup with Ham and Collards
Ingredients
Method
- Bring brown rice and rice water to a boil in a small saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 40 to 45 minutes until tender, then rest off heat, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook onion for 5 minutes, then add garlic for 1 minute.
- Add black-eyed peas, broth, bay leaf and cayenne. Bring to a simmer, partly cover and cook for 45 to 55 minutes until the peas are nearly tender.
- Stir in collards and ham and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the greens and peas are tender and the ham reaches 165°F.
- Discard bay leaf and fold in the cooked brown rice. Simmer for 2 minutes, then stir in vinegar and taste before adding up to the measured salt.
- Divide among six bowls, keeping peas, greens, rice and ham in each serving.
Ham and Hominy Soup with Roasted Squash
Hominy brings a pleasantly chewy corn bite to a soup that gets its body from roasted squash instead of cream or mashed beans. Blend only half the squash with some broth, leaving the rest in cubes so the bowl has soft vegetables as well as the larger hominy kernels. Chipotle adds smoke and a little heat alongside the ham, but the measured amount leaves room for the squash’s sweetness. The drained hominy is already cooked, so it only needs time to warm through and pick up the broth’s flavor. Add lime juice after the final simmer and taste before reaching for salt, since both the canned corn and the ham can contribute more than you expect.
Ham and Hominy Soup with Roasted Squash
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F. Toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil and 1/8 teaspoon salt on a sheet pan and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until tender and browned at the edges.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook onion for 6 minutes, then add garlic, cumin, chipotle and adobo sauce for 1 minute.
- Add half the roasted squash and 2 cups broth. Bring to a simmer for 3 minutes, then remove from heat and blend carefully with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Add the remaining broth, hominy, ham and reserved squash cubes. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until the hominy is hot and the ham reaches 165°F.
- Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and cilantro. Taste and add the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt only if needed.
- Divide among six bowls with hominy, ham and squash cubes in every portion.
Ham and Roasted Vegetable Soup
Roast the firmer vegetables first and add zucchini and tomatoes later, because their cooking times aren’t close enough for one undisturbed tray. The vegetables then need only a short simmer with the ham, which preserves browned cauliflower edges and recognizable carrot pieces instead of boiling everything into a soft mixture. Keep the roasted tomato juices and scrape them into the pot; they’re part of the broth’s flavor, not liquid to leave behind on the sheet pan. This is useful when you want a vegetable-heavy ham soup that doesn’t rely on potatoes, pasta or a creamy base to fill the bowl.
Ham and Roasted Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F. Toss cauliflower, carrots and onion with 1 tablespoon oil, salt and pepper on a large rimmed sheet pan and roast for 20 minutes.
- Toss zucchini and tomatoes with the remaining tablespoon oil. Add them to the pan, turn the firmer vegetables and roast for 12 to 15 minutes more until the cauliflower and carrots are tender and the tomatoes begin to burst.
- Put broth, garlic, ham and oregano in a soup pot and bring to a gentle simmer while the vegetables finish.
- Transfer roasted vegetables and their pan juices to the pot. Simmer gently for 5 to 7 minutes until the ham reaches 165°F, keeping the vegetables in recognizable pieces.
- Remove from heat and stir in basil. Divide among six bowls, distributing the different vegetables and ham evenly.
Creamy Ham and Potato Soup
Steam the russets and pass them through a ricer while they’re hot, then stir that fine potato into the broth instead of running a blender through the finished soup. The texture stays smooth without becoming gluey, and mascarpone softens the flavor with a small amount of dairy rather than a large flour-thickened sauce. Tiny ham cubes give each spoonful something to bite while the potato itself becomes the body of the soup. Warm the milk before adding it so the pot doesn’t need a hard boil to recover its heat. This is the creamy option to choose when you want the potato flavor spread through the whole bowl rather than sitting in separate chunks.
Creamy Ham and Potato Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Bring steaming water to a simmer below a steamer basket in a covered pot, keeping the basket above the water. Add potatoes and steam for 20 to 25 minutes until very tender, adding some of the measured hot water if needed to keep the pot from drying.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a soup pot over medium-low heat and cook shallots for 4 to 5 minutes until soft without browning. Add broth and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Warm milk in a small saucepan until steaming. Pass the hot drained potatoes through a potato ricer directly into the broth, then stir gently with a whisk to distribute them without beating.
- Stir in warm milk and mascarpone until smooth, then add ham, white pepper and nutmeg. Warm over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes until ham reaches 165°F, avoiding a hard boil.
- Remove from heat and stir in chives. Taste before adding up to the measured salt.
- Divide among six bowls and serve while the soup is smooth and steaming.
Ham and Wild Rice Soup
Wild rice keeps a firm, nutty bite even when its grains split open, so cook it until tender rather than waiting for it to feel like ordinary white rice. Roasted celery root and sliced shiitakes give this clear soup an earthy base, while a little apple cider rounds out the smoked ham without turning the broth sweet. The rice cooks separately and is drained before it meets the soup, which keeps its dark cooking liquid from taking over the bowl. Whole-grain mustard goes in at the end, where its small sharp note is easier to judge against the cider and ham.
Ham and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Bring wild rice and rice-cooking water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat, partly cover and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes until the grains are tender and many have split open; drain well.
- Heat oven to 425°F. Toss celery root with olive oil and salt on a sheet pan and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until tender and browned at the edges.
- Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook mushrooms and onion for 7 to 8 minutes until the mushrooms brown and the onion softens.
- Add cider and simmer for 2 minutes, then add broth, thyme, ham and pepper. Simmer gently for 10 minutes.
- Fold in drained wild rice and roasted celery root and simmer for 5 minutes until everything is hot and ham reaches 165°F. Remove thyme stems and stir in mustard.
- Divide among six bowls with wild rice, vegetables and ham in each serving.
Soaking beans vs not soaking them
Soaking gives larger dried beans a head start and can make their cooking more even, but it doesn’t replace the cooking itself. Pick through the beans first, rinse them and use plenty of water because they expand. For an overnight soak, keep the covered bowl in the refrigerator, then drain and rinse before adding fresh cooking liquid. The quick-soak method in the pinto soup begins with a short boil and an hour off heat; that resting hour belongs in your plan even though you’re not standing at the stove. Old beans can still take longer after soaking, so test their centers rather than trusting the timer alone.
Split peas and lentils don’t need that overnight step, and the pressure-cooked navy beans use a method designed for unsoaked beans. Follow the specific recipe instead of moving the same timing between appliances. A dried mixed-bean bag may contain kidney beans, which need a proper rolling boil; the fifteen-bean recipe specifies thirty minutes before the gentler simmer. A slow cooker warming gradually isn’t a substitute for that boil. Add acidic ingredients such as tomatoes and vinegar after the beans soften when the recipe directs, because acid can delay tenderizing. Salt from ham varies, so taste near the end before adding the measured optional salt. If the liquid drops before the beans are ready, add hot water in small amounts and continue cooking until the largest beans are soft all the way through.
Getting the most out of one ham bone
Keep a useful amount of meat attached when you save the bone, and package it promptly for the refrigerator or freezer. Before making stock, trim away thick sugary glaze, loose cloves and any badly scorched exterior pieces that would dominate the broth. Put the bone in a pot that lets it sit comfortably in the measured water, then simmer gently rather than boiling hard. Skim the early foam and give the connective tissue time to soften. The stock should smell like ham and taste savory, but it doesn’t need to be aggressively salty to have value in the next pot of soup.
Lift out the bone before adding ingredients you plan to serve, and strain the stock so small bone fragments and spent vegetables stay out of the bowl. Once the bone is cool enough to handle, pull off usable meat and discard skin, gristle and hard fat. Measure the strained liquid because evaporation changes the amount; the stock-based recipes here tell you how much finished broth to use. A very clean bone may give good broth but little meat, so keep some chopped leftover ham available when the recipe calls for an extra measured amount. Cool stock promptly in shallow containers or an ice-water bath, refrigerate within two hours and use within three to four days, or freeze in labeled portions. One bone makes a batch of stock whose yield depends on its size and the pot, so measure what you have before choosing how many soups to make.
