This post may contain affiliate links. This Southern-style smoky white bean and ham soup adapted from chef Hugh Acheson is hearty and comforting. This rich and smoky white bean and ham soup is modestly adapted from Georgia chef Hugh Acheson’s cookbook, How instant pot smoked ham hocks only Cook: Building Blocks and 100 Simple Recipes for a Lifetime of Meals.
The book is intended for kitchen novices—Acheson wrote it with his teenage daughters, Beatrice and Clementine, in mind—but I think it’s a wonderful resource for seasoned cooks, too. Smoked ham hocks, or pork knuckles, come from the ankle region of the pig’s leg. In Southern cooking, hocks are often used to add a rich, meaty, and smoky flavor to soups, stews, and greens. They are available in most supermarkets and are very inexpensive. If for some reason you can’t find them, pork shank can be substituted.
Step-by-Step Instructions Step 1: Quick-soak the Beans Place the beans in a large pot and cover with 2 to 3 inches of water. Ham Soup Place the drained beans into a 5. 5-quart Dutch oven or large pot. Add the water, chicken stock, bay leaves, quartered onion, and ham hocks. Once the beans are tender, pull out the bay leaves, onion remnants, and ham hocks. Discard the bay leaves and onions, but set the ham hocks aside to cool.
Add the minced onion, carrots, celery, tomatoes, garlic, thyme, and 2 teaspoons of salt to the pot. Increase the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, while the soup is cooking, and when the ham hocks are cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the hocks, discard any bone, fat, and tough sinew, and chop the meat finely. Stir the mixture back into the soup. Add the meat and kale to the soup.
Simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes more. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt, if necessary. At this point, you can serve the soup or refrigerate it for up to 3 days. I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a review below. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 1 minute.
Remove the pot from the heat and let sit for 1 hour. Place the drained beans into a 5. While the soup is cooking, and when the ham hocks are cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the hocks, discard any bone, fat, and tough sinew, and chop the meat finely. If using a blender, be sure to remove the center knob on the lid and cover with a dishtowel to avoid splatters. Purée until smooth, and then stir the mixture back into the soup. Add the meat and kale to the soup and simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes more. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam. I knew I would find something on this site. We loved it and it was so easy.
Your blog has become my go-to place for just about everything. I chose to get a thick slice of ham from the deli and dice it instead of fighting with the ham hocks which in my case didn’t reveal much meat, but that was the only deviation. I used my own chicken stock, the stock was GREAT! Just another in a long list of dependable, satisfying and well-described recipes from Jenn.
Thanks so much for giving us such treasures. I know they’ll turn out great. Jenn I’m making this soup right now,and I can tell this is another winner. OVER your actual recipe leaving the reader unable to make out portions of the recipe. Hi Lisa, Thanks for your feedback and I’m sorry you’re seeing so many ads! And your observation is correct — the amount of advertising is increased during the holiday season, so that’s temporary. What type of device are you using?