Hi Friends! My Hubby has been requesting Navy Beans and Ham lately so I quickly threw it in the crockpot this morning. This is something my Grandma used to cook and it warms my heart a little every time I make it. It is comfort food for me and my family, and so easy to make! I love my crockpot and my pressure cooker, because they make life so easy! So read on if you want to learn how to make this simple and delicious meal!
Ingredients:
Ham – I bought a .77 LBD ham steakfor this recipe.(see below for details on Ham Hocks vs. Ham Steaks)
12 baby carrots or 1 regular carrot
1 large container or chicken stock or 2 cans
1 package of dry navy beans
1 TBSP of minced garlic
Salt, Pepper and garlic powder to taste
Ham Hocks vs. Ham Steaks:
So if you have made this before, you probably have a preference of which kind of ham to use. My grandma used Ham Hocks, and swore by it. I have used leftover thanksgiving ham, ham hocks, and ham steaks and what I have found is this: Ham is Ham! Now if you have leftover ham, use that! If you are adding this to your grocery list, I recommend just picking up a ham steak. The reason is, you get more meat for your dollar. You can generally find 2 ham hocks to a package for around $5-$7 depending on weight. But you are also paying for skin and bone, which you will have to dig out later. I picked up a .77 LBD boneless ham steak for $2.90 to use for this recipe. You can find the ham steaks usually by the other precooked sausages and meats. You will see a bunch of different sizes, but basically it is a thick slice of ham, packaged up for you. I put the ham steakin whole and shred it up once it has soaked up the juices in the crockpot all day. This is the same thing you would do with a ham hock, so in my opinion the end result is the same but with the ham steak you have less work and save money. By all means, use what your preference is.
Directions:
Get out your crockpot and prepare for a very easy meal prep! Set your crockpot to high. As listed above I bought a .77LBD Ham Steak and added that to my crockpot. I like to have a pretty even ham to bean ratio. If you want more or less ham, adjust accordingly. I leave the steak whole, and add it right to the bottom of the crockpot. If your ham steak has a bone, I recommend cutting that out prior to adding it to the crockpot.
Next, Cut up your 12 baby carrots (or 1 whole carrot) and add that in on top of the ham steak. This will give you a small amount of carrot to add color and flavor, so if you want more of a carrot presence, add some more!
Then toss in 1 TBSP minced garlic. Rinse your navy beans in a strainer or colander and add those to the pot as well. Then you want to open your chicken stock and poor it over everything. You want there to be an inch or two if liquid above all of your ingredients. The Beans and the Ham will slowly soak this up as the cook. I add a pinch of salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste (as always these are my go to seasonings) and add that right on top. Then give it a small stir and put on your lid!
Now you want to check on this about every hour or two to check the water level. As the beans soak up the liquid, add some water so that there is always liquid covering the beans. If you want this to be more of a soup, you want about 2 inches over the ingredients. I like mine to be more beans and ham with a little liquid, so I keep just enough liquid over the ingredients to keep them covered. If you are putting this together and leaving it for the day, I recommend adding another 2 cups of water and leaving it. You can always take some of the liquid out if its to much once everything is cooked. Let that cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8-10.
When the ham is tender enough to separate with a fork, and the beans are tender, its done! At that point pull your ham steak out into a bowl and shred it with 2 forks.
Stir the shredded ham back into the pot and check your liquid. You can remove some of the liquid to get the desired result at this point. I usually end up taking out about a 1/2 a cup at this point because I like less of soup and more just beans and ham. Give it a final stir and you are ready to serve! I like to make up some cornbread muffins to go along with this meal, but it is hearty and delicious all on its own! Here is my finished product.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you liked this please comment, like and share! If you made this, please let me know how it came out and what you thought! If you have any recipe requests please let me know!
From one foodie to another,
-Amber
