When I bake a ham, it's a given, I will make Ham & Beans. Keeping that in mind, I don't put a glaze, on the ham. I simply heat the ham, on a rack, in a roasting pan, with a lid on it. The roaster heats the ham. It also collects the juices, without a chance of scorching.
Once the ham is baked, I pour the juices into a slow cooker; but you can use a crock pot. I also carve the ham, reserving the fat; to go into the slow cooker. When it comes to the ham bone, I leave a lot of ham, attached. This is the meat, for the Ham & Beans. I also add a little extra meat. Then I add 2 cups water.
Everything is cooked, until the meat falls, cleanly, from the bone.
While the meat is still warm, I remove any fat and gristle. The juices are defatted. Here I am using a defatting cup.
If you don't have a defatting cup, you can clean the meat and strain the broth. You can put the meat and broth into your slow cooker, and refrigerate. The fat will rise to the top, and solidify. Then use a rubber spatula, and scrape off the fat. You will have a rich pork bone broth, with tender chunks of ham. The perfect base, for Ham & Beans.
If you want to, you can sauté 1/2 a carrot and 1/2 a stalk of celery, in a little butter. I don't always do that. But if you decide to, add the sautéed vegetables, at this point.
Most of our work has been done. It's time to cook the beans. I love Great Northern beans. They cook faster than pinto, or red beans. I don't soak them overnight. Just sort and clean your beans. I am using 1 pound of beans. I covered the beans by 1/2", with water. Cook on high heat, for 1 hour. You may be wondering why I am not using the pork base. Because the beans are going to absorb the water, and if it was pork base, my hard work would have evaporated. Also, the ham chunks would shred. Hang tight.
I pour off most of the water. You can reserve it, in a small bowl, if needed later.
Now it's time to add the pork and base. Let cook, checking every 30 minutes. You want the beans tender, but not mushy.
These beans took 2 1/2 hours. Look how nice they look! The ham base has a rich, deep flavor. The ham is in eye pleasing chunks, and not shredded. The beans are whole, and not split or mushy. You can tell there is a lot of flavor, in that bowl of beans.
HAM & BEANS
Pork Base:
Discards from baked ham: Pan juices, fat, meaty ham hock, ham chunks
2 Cups water
Beans:
4 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon cooking oil
1/2 Small onion, diced
1/2 Small carrot, diced
1/2 Stalk celery, diced
1 Pound Great Northern beans, sorted, cleaned
Water to cover beans by 1/2"
Directions:
Boil baked ham discards, in a crock pot, on high heat for 4 hours; until meat falls from the ham hock. Defat the pork broth. Clean the ham pieces, of fat and gristle. Refrigerate. Sauté vegetables in butter and oil, over medium heat, until vegetables are softened. Transfer to crock pot. Add beans. Add water, to cover beans, by 1/2". Cook on high heat for 1 hour. Pour off most of the cooking liquid. Reserve in a bowl, if needed later. Add ham base, and meat to beans. Cook for another 1 - 1:30 hours, checking every 30 minutes. You want the beans to be tender, but not split or mushy. Serve with cornbread and butter.
Here is a link, to the video demonstration:
Ham & Beans YouTube Demonstration
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