Winter comfort food

[Maylar]

Soup...

On recommendation from my sister I made a pot of 15 Bean Soup yesterday. It's simple enough, the stovetop recipe is on the bag of beans and the crockpot version is on Hurst's web site. Classic ingredients -

A bag o' beans. Didn't count them but I would believe there's 15 varieties in there -

I used chicken broth and added carrots and celery as they suggest. It's supposed to include a ham bone or ham hocks and I had neither. So I cubed up a couple Hatfield ham steaks.

The recipe makes a big azz pot o' soup - maxed out my crockpot -

6 hours on high and I had dinner ready -

Gotta say that I am disappointed. The Hatfield ham is absolutely tasteless. The soup is stick-to-your-ribs hearty, but less than satisfying. It'll probably be better on day 2, but I'm thinking of what else I can add to enhance the flavor.

Thanks for looking.

 

[Stingerhook]

Looks great Dave.

 

[Smoking Piney]

Looks delicious, Dave. I think smoked ham hocks would seal the deal with this dish.

 

[Maylar]

Looks delicious, Dave. I think smoked ham hocks would seal the deal with this dish.

All of the local grocers were out of stock. Must be soup season...

 

[Big George's BBQ]

Looks good to me. I agree with the smoked hamhocks. Add some spices to it. I would start off with a bay leaf or two

 

[cowgirl]

Looks delicious from here too!!

 

[1MoreFord]

After looking at the recipe on Hurst's website I'd add a can of Rotel of the flavor and heat level of your choice. I'd also consider Red Gold's version of Rotel instead if you find you'd like just a few more ounces of diced 'maters.
A few ounces of sliced andouille wouldn't hurt either. I'd sear the andouille before adding to the soup.

 

[lastmajordude]

I’m all into this stuff this time of year. Cooked a chuck roast yday and it was ok. But I cut up the leftover roast and added mixed vegs, okra, corn, and chicken broth. the leftover stew soup was much better than the roast.......Peace!!

 

[Biloxidman]

After looking at the recipe on Hurst's website I'd add a can of Rotel of the flavor and heat level of your choice. I'd also consider Red Gold's version of Rotel instead if you find you'd like just a few more ounces of diced 'maters.
A few ounces of sliced andouille wouldn't hurt either. I'd sear the andouille before adding to the soup.

Yes a can of Rotel will amp it up!

 

[Maylar]

Gonna pass on the Rotel. I dunno that I want chilis in this soup. It already has some diced 'maters and a bit of chili powder plus a big squirt of Sriracha.

Truthfully, after sitting a day the flavors have melded pretty nicely. The tomatoes have come forward and the broth is good. The second bowl was quite enjoyable. It smells wonderful.

The ham flavor is still lacking. I have some ham hocks that'll be here tomorrow, but I'm not sure how to integrate that into an already cooked soup. I might just call it done.

Thanks everyone for the comments and ideas.

 

[cholloway]

I Googled Hurst's Bean Soup recipe and noticed it's lacking...
Add some herbs... rosemary, thyme, maybe a little sage and a bay leaf or two.

 

[Maylar]

I Googled Hurst's Bean Soup recipe and noticed it's lacking...
Add some herbs... rosemary, thyme, maybe a little sage and a bay leaf or two.

Included with the beans is a "seasoning packet". Not sure what was in it but nothing green. Rosemary and bay leaves don't agree with me, but a bit of oregano and parsley might be help.

 

[SweetHeatBBQnSC]

How about some smoked turkey wings?

 

[TravelingJ]

I would be loading it with hot sauce to save it!

if making again, I'd have gone with a bacon that called out being hickory smoked.

 

[mike243]

Looks good, had a hard time choosing those or pinto and white bean mix, went with the mix with country ham throwed in, could have sold the methane for a couple of days ��

 

[cholloway]

Looks good, had a hard time choosing those or pinto and white bean mix, went with the mix with country ham throwed in, could have sold the methane for a couple of days ��

An old wives tale says to sprinkle baking soda into their soaking water to help
reduce the gas the beans produce.
I can't say for sure, but you don't get to be an old wife by spreading false info.:blah:

 

[Maylar]

An old wives tale says to sprinkle baking soda into their soaking water to help
reduce the gas the beans produce.
I can't say for sure, but you don't get to be an old wife by spreading false info.:blah:

Soaking beans overnight supposedly helps break down some of the complex sugars in them, making them more digestible. I assume that also means less gassy.

And wives tales or not, the recipe for the famous Durgan Park baked beans calls for boiling them for 10 minutes with a bit of baking soda in the water.

 

[mike243]

I can attest to the smoked turkey wings being good in beans done that awhile back because they didn’t have any other smoked meat