Description
Alton Brown’s ham and bean soup delivers hearty Southern comfort in a single pot. Robust flavors merge with tender beans and smoky ham, creating a satisfying meal that warms you from the inside out.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups chopped ham
- 1 ham hock
- 1 pound dry great northern beans (sorted and rinsed)
- 8 cups (1.9 L) water
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 0.5 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 0.5 tsp ground white pepper (or to taste)
Instructions
- Bean Preparation: Combine water and dried navy beans in a stockpot, bringing to a vigorous boil, then remove from heat, sprinkle with kosher salt, cover tightly, and let steep for one hour to soften beans completely.
- Vegetable Integration: Mince carrots, celery, onions, and garlic, introducing them to the bean mixture along with Dijon mustard and bay leaves, stirring thoroughly to distribute ingredients evenly throughout the liquid.
- Ham Infusion: Submerge ham hock into the pot, simmering until meat becomes incredibly tender, approximately 45-50 minutes, then carefully remove, discard bone and excess fat, and shred remaining meat.
- Flavor Harmonization: Return shredded ham to the pot, reducing heat to a low simmer and allowing all components to meld together for an additional 25-30 minutes, creating a rich and complex flavor profile.
- Final Seasoning: Introduce a subtle touch of ground white pepper, taste, and adjust seasoning as needed to achieve a perfectly balanced soup with depth and warmth.
Notes
- Soak Beans Strategically: Use boiling water method to soften beans quickly and evenly, reducing overall cooking time and ensuring tender texture.
- Vegetable Precision Matters: Dice vegetables uniformly to guarantee consistent cooking and balanced flavor distribution throughout the soup.
- Ham Hock Selection Tip: Choose a high-quality, smoky ham hock for maximum depth of flavor and rich, meaty undertones in the soup.
- Seasoning Subtlety: Add white pepper sparingly to enhance the soup’s complexity without overwhelming the delicate balance of ingredients.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 15 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg