Bean Bacon Soup Recipe

Ingredients for Bean Bacon Soup

• 1 (2-3 pound) ham hock
• Navy Beans
• 6-8 cloves garlic
• 9-11 cups water
• Bacon
• Carrots
• Bacon Grease
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1-2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• Yellow Onion
• Salt And Pepper

How to Make Bean Bacon Soup

1. Soak 1 pound dried beans overnight. Drain and rinse thoroughly.
2. In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 (2-3 pound) ham hock, 2 whole cloves garlic, and 1 medium onion (roughly chopped).
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
4. While the ham hock simmers, peel and finely chop 1 large carrot.
5. Finely mince 4-6 cloves garlic (adjust to your taste).
6. After 1 hour, remove the ham hock (reserve for later). Finely chop the onion from the broth. Add the chopped carrot, minced garlic, and soaked beans to the pot.
7. Add 6-8 cups additional water to cover the beans. Add more as needed throughout cooking.
8. Stir in 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon liquid smoke, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste), and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
9. While the soup simmers, fry 8 ounces Schmidt's bacon until crisp. Reserve the bacon grease.
10. Remove the bacon from the pan and crumble it, discarding any very hard bits. Reserve the meaty parts.
11. Add the crumbled bacon and reserved bacon grease to the soup.
12. Cover and continue to simmer for at least another hour, stirring occasionally.
13. Remove from heat and let sit overnight. The next day, simmer for 2 hours. (For best flavor, let the ham hock simmer until serving.)
14. Optional: For a creamier texture, remove about 1-2 cups of soup, blend until smooth, and stir back into the pot.