Feral Hog Ham and Bean Soup Recipe

[SportFishStaff]

A friend of mine killed a few hogs this past winter and had the Hams and the Hocks brined and smoked.



This is a 2 part Recipe as Ham stock is an important part of the recipe. So we will make this first:
1 smoke Ham Hock
6-8 carrots rough chopped
a bunch of leek tops
1 celery end chopped
scraps from 3 onions peels and ends
4 garlic cloves chopped.

3 bay leaves,
couple tablespoons of pepper corns
couple tablespoons of thyme leaves
Score the hock and cut some of the fat off and render it in the pot
Add all your veggies and sweat
Brown them up pretty good
For This Recipe I added 2 gallons of cold water
add bay leaves, peppercorns, and thyme
simmer for a few hours
Here's a video clip of the stock recipe
I'm shooting on my droid and learning how to edit, so bear with me. The editing and the text kinda stinks on this one.


My Classical French instructor from culinary school put everything into stock, never peeled anything used the skins and ends, nothing went into the trash everything was utilized for stock.



Soup Recipe
Meat from the ham used in the stock
1/2lb thick cut bacon
1 bag of white beans (soak for a few hours before use)
8 carrots diced
1 bunch of celery diced
1 large Leek diced
3 Onions diced
6 cloves of Garlic diced
1 head of escarole
1 lb mushrooms shitakes and button cut in half and sliced
10 red potatoes small dice
1/2 bunch of fresh thyme
Cayenne To Taste
Be careful on salt with this as the hams could be salty depending on how they were brined



With all soups make sure your ingredients are diced small to fit on a spoon


Remove any fat from the hock, put the meat aside, dice up the fat really small, dice bacon up small
Render the bacon and ham fat, till they get pretty crispy.


Add your diced veggies


Add your stock you made


Add your beans and Potatoes simmer till beans are almost done
Add your chopped escarole
Add your chopped ham
Add your herbs and seasoning



I turn the heat off before the beans are completely done
This soup handles being frozen very well.
Wild pig has such good flavor, make sure you never throw away a Ham bone there are many uses for them.

Enjoy and Thank You for reading
Tim

[gottaflylee]

I just got through with dinner and see this, now I want something else...this is your fault...

[SportFishStaff]

I just got through with dinner and see this, now I want something else...this is your fault...

Sorry Lee. I'd send you some but Sikorski is expecting his share at hunting camp this weekend. I have to bribe my guide so he puts me in a good stand. LOL

[Dave Sikorski]

You my friend are a smart man.

-D