Slow Cooker Ham and Beans

Ingredients

1 pound dried Great Northern beans, sorted and rinsed

4 cups water

1/4 cup celery, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 leeks (bulb only), cut in half lengthwise

1 pound cooked ham, cut into bite-size pieces (OR a Ham Shank - This week $3.99 lb.)

5 slices bacon

4 cups chicken stock

1 pinch sea salt to taste

1 pinch fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place the beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 8 hours to overnight. Drain and rinse before using.
2. Combine the soaked beans, 4 cups of water, celery, onion, bay leaves, cumin, garlic powder, and parsley into a slow cooker.
3. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir the leeks in the butter mixture until tender and the smaller pieces start to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the leeks to the slow cooker. In the same pan, cook and stir the ham until the edges start to brown; stir into the soup. *** If using a ham shank, just put it in the soup.
4. Place the bacon into the hot skillet, and pan-fry until the bacon is crisp, about 10 minutes. Cut the bacon into bite-size pieces and stir into the soup. Pour the chicken stock into the hot skillet, and stir to dissolve any brown flavor bits from the skillet; pour the chicken stock into the soup. Season with sea salt and pepper.
5. Set the cooker to Low cook the soup until the beans are very tender, 6 to 8 hours. Roughly mash about half the beans with a potato masher to thicken the soup.

Brown Beans with Ham and Cornbread

I love great comfort food and nothing says comfort more than a pot of ham and beans.   I always use a ham shank from the meat case at Harter House.   It’s so simple, and you can leave the house all day (or work in the gardens) and come home to a nice crock pot of beans and ham!

I soak my beans overnight in a bowl of water, then rinse, throw them in the crock pot and cover with lots of water (or broth), ham shank, some chiles, onion and carrots.  Simply turn on the crock to high and off I go.  When I return, I bake a round of cornbread. 

Pinto Beans and Ham Shank

1 lb. / 16 oz. bag Pinto beans, sorted, rinsed., and soaked overnight.

1 Whole Harter House Ham Hock (butchers can slice in half)

1/2 pound of Harter House Sweet Italian Sausage (my addition)

1 Table Cavender's NO Salt Greek Seasoning

Garlic

Large Onion

Carrots, sliced or diced (optional)

1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Soak beans overnight.
In the morning, drain and rinse the beans in a colander.
Put your drained and rinsed beans into the stock pot or crockpot and cover with fresh water, about two inches above the bean level, approximately 3-4 quarts. 

Add 2 smashed garlic cloves to the beans and water.
Add 1/2 to 1 tsp dried crushed red peppers  or cayenne pepper (optional)
Add Chopped Onions and Cavender's Greek Seasoning or about a teaspoon of Kosher salt.
Add one whole Ham Shank from Harter House.

Place lid on crock pot and cook on low for a total of 6-8 hours.  Do not open lid to check or stir for at least three hours.

Check at 6 hours to see if they need more salt or water.

In a skillet, cook the sweet Italian Sausage and add it to the ham and beans.

NOTE Use quick soak method to prepare beans.  Place cleaned and sorted beans in a dutch oven, cover them with 6-8 cups HOT water (I use a tea kettle), boil the beans for two minutes, place the lid to the dutch oven on the pot, remove from heat and let stand at least 1 hour.
After one hour, drain and rinse the beans in a colander. continue as above.

I choose Cavender's NO salt Greek Seasoning because it does not contain monosodium glutamate.

The regular does.

Serve with Cornbread.