Butt Kickin' Smokey Bean Soup
I grew up with my Mom making Bean Soup quite often. and I hated it. While cooking for C.O.R.A. the first year, I decided to do 2 soups and a stew. My Buddy, who originally talked me into cooking here heard this, and said that Bean Soup was his favorite, I decided to see what I could do to make it better than I remembered. I did, and now I love it. The smokey flavor and the little bit of heat that comes from the blacken make this a great tasting soup that has now become one of my winter favorites.Smoked Ham Hocks are, available in most parts of the country, while the Smoked Pork Shoulder may not be. If you can't locate any Smoked Pork Shoulder, you can easily double the Ham Hocks, to get the same smokey flavor.
This recipe makes about 5 quarts of soup.
- 2 Pounds Smoked Pork Shoulder Slices
- 2 Pounds Smoked Ham Hocks
- 6 Slices Thick Cut Bacon, chunked
- 2 Medium Onions
- 4 Cans Great Northern Beans, 15 ounce cans
- 2 Cans Black Beans, 15 ounce cans
- 14 Ounces Chicken Broth
- 14 Ounces Crushed Tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons Butt Kickin' Blacken, Original Recipe, to taste
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
1. Cut the smoked pork shoulder slices into 1" pieces, then simmer with the ham hocks in water for about 1 hour. After the hocks have cooled, remove the meat, cut into small pieces and save for later.
Take hocks out of the liquid and let them cool (reserving the flavored water).
2. Render the bacon, then add the onions and cook half way over a medium heat. Add the garlic and continue cooking until the onions start to caramelize.
Butt Kickin' Smokey Bean Soup
After the hocks have cooled, remove the meat, cut into small pieces and save for later. You should notice that you've got only a small amount of meat. I used smoked neck bones this time, and got a little bit more meat.
3. Add the beans, 2 cups of the reserved smokey cooking liquid, chicken broth, tomatoes, meat, and Blacken and stir well. Simmer for about an hour then taste for salt and pepper.
If you'd like a thinner soup, you can adjust the thickness by adding or subtracting chicken broth or the cooking liquid.
4. Serve with Corn Bread.
If you like this recipe, you might also like these:
Corn Chowder
Cranberry Brisket