Time for Ham Hock Soup Season!

Smoked Ham Hock Soup

This is the perfect soup season dish to make for that perfect succulent warm and delicious meal.

Look, I’m super busy and so are you. I’ve got a homestead, raise livestock, create tasty sausages and smoked meats in our commercial kitchen, homeschool, sports, and try to go hunting and fishing now and again. As much as I love to get creative in the kitchen, there are a ton of days I just need meals that are easy, no fuss, minimal prep, and still delicious and wholesome. 

Here’s our go-to super simple recipe for ham hock soups. 

1. Take 2-3 ham hocks and toss them in the Instapot. Frozen or thawed it doesn’t matter. I add enough water to cover them just about. Pressure cook for 45 min-1.5 hour. I want the fat and collagen breaking down, but I don’t want it to cook so long that the bone structures themselves begin falling apart. Only because it makes a mess and leads to fine shards of bones to pick out later. Adjust as needed. 

2. After it’s done I pull all the bones out. These make super good dog treats! The pressure cooking makes them soft and porous. Our pup Hershey absolutely pulverizes them. As he chews the bones turn almost chalky and he eats them right up. If you don’t cook them too long they’ll retain some firmness which is perfect. 

3. With all the glorious broth, meat, fat, and collagen in the instapot I then begin adding stuff! usually it goes something like this:

-Salt. Usually salt to taste, but be careful as the salt will concentrate and be more pronounced as the soup cools. It’s better to undersalt the pot then oversalt it. You can always add a dash of salt to your bowl at the table if needed. 

-Pepper (because we add salt and pepper to everything pretty much) 

-A handful of whatever aromatics are on hand, in proportions that look tasty. Rosemary, Thyme, Savory, Garlic, Celery Seed, etc

-Then toss in some veggies. Roots like carrots are alway a classic, and onions never go out of style. Cabbages and rutabagas work great as well. 

-Lastly, we pick a carb source such as Potatoes or Egg Noodles. Sometimes we skip the in-pot carb and go with a crusty sourdough dipping bread.

Once the meat has been cooked and shredded, and the veggies are all done, it’s just getting the carb worked in. For the most part this dish really sits in the background. It can be prepared in stages, and fulfill several meals. The ham hocks provide succulent richness and protein, while the veggies and carbs provide body and flavor. The whole dish is never made the same way twice, but always comes out great. It’s low fuss, minimal effort, but maximum reward and our go-to throughout Fall and Winter soup season.  Enjoy!

Order your smoked ham hocks here today! Smoked Ham Hocks – Souder Station

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