I have always loved cooking a whole ham. Not only do you get a big, delicious dinner, but the leftovers can turn into sandwiches, casseroles, breakfast, soups and several more meals.
But one of my favorite parts is actually what’s left when most of the ham is gone — the ham bone!
If you normally toss it, don’t. A ham bone still has tons of flavor tucked into it, along with little pieces of meat that are nearly impossible to cut off. Simmering it low and slow with vegetables turns something you were going to throw away into a rich, smoky homemade ham broth.
And it makes the house smell amazing while it cooks.
What Can You Make With Ham Bone Broth?
Ham broth can be used anywhere you want a rich, savory, slightly smoky flavor. I usually freeze whatever I’m not using right away so I have it ready for another meal.
Some of my favorite ways to use it include:
- Ham and bean soup
- Split pea soup
- Potato soup
- Collard greens, turnip greens or mustard greens
- Black-eyed peas
- Pinto, navy or Great Northern beans
- Red beans and rice
- Lentils
- Cabbage soup
- Cooking dried beans instead of using water
- Cooking rice or grits
- Potatoes and ham
- Gravy and sauces
- Any soup that could use a little smoky ham flavor
It’s especially handy around the holidays when you’ve already paid for a whole ham. You might as well get every last meal you can out of it!
Homemade Ham Bone Broth Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 meaty ham bone
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
- 3–4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1–2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, optional
- 8–12 cups water, or enough to mostly cover the ham bone
- Fresh parsley or thyme, optional
Instructions
- Add everything to a large stockpot. Place the ham bone in the pot and add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns.
- Cover with water. Add enough cold water to mostly cover the ham bone. The exact amount will depend on the size of your pot and ham bone.
- Bring it to a boil. Bring the water just to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer.
- Simmer low and slow. Partially cover and simmer for about 3–4 hours, or longer for an even richer broth. Add a little water if necessary as it cooks.
- Remove the bone. Carefully lift out the ham bone and set it aside until it’s cool enough to handle.
- Save that ham! Pull off any good pieces of meat still attached to the bone. Save them for soup, beans or another recipe.
- Strain the broth. Pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer and discard the cooked vegetables, bay leaves and peppercorns.
- Cool and store. Let the broth cool before transferring it to containers.
Don’t Add Salt Until the End
This is probably my biggest tip.
Do not automatically salt ham broth.
Ham can already be quite salty, and as the broth simmers and reduces, that salt becomes more concentrated. Taste the finished broth first. You may discover it doesn’t need any additional salt at all.
Want an Even Richer Ham Broth?
Before adding the water, roast the ham bone at 425°F for about 20–30 minutes until the remaining bits of meat and fat are nicely browned.
You can also roast the onion, carrots and celery along with it. Those browned edges add another layer of flavor to the finished broth.
It’s not necessary, but it’s a great trick if you want a darker, richer stock.
Can I Make Ham Bone Broth in the Instant Pot?
Absolutely — and this is one of the easiest ways to do it.
Put the ham bone, vegetables, seasonings and water in your Instant Pot, making sure you stay below the maximum fill line.
Cook on High Pressure for 60 minutes, followed by a 20–30 minute natural release.
Strain it just like the stovetop version.
Can I Make It in a Slow Cooker?
Yep.
Add everything to the slow cooker and cook on:
LOW for 8–10 hours or HIGH for 4–6 hours.
I prefer LOW because you can throw everything in before bed and wake up to a pot full of broth.
Tips for Saving Your Ham Bone
You don’t have to make broth immediately after eating the ham.
Remove as much meat as you want for other meals, put the bone into a freezer bag and freeze it. It’ll be waiting whenever you’re ready for soup or beans.
I actually like leaving a little meat on the bone intentionally. Those hard-to-remove pieces loosen during cooking and can be picked off afterward.
You can also save clean onion ends, carrot trimmings and celery ends in the freezer and use those when you make your broth. It’s basically a meal made from things that otherwise might have ended up in the trash.
How to Store Ham Bone Broth
Refrigerate the finished broth promptly in shallow containers and use it within 3–4 days, or freeze it for longer storage.
I like freezing some in 1- or 2-cup portions. That way, I don’t have to thaw an entire container when I just want enough ham broth to cook a pot of greens or beans.
And don’t worry if the refrigerated broth turns almost jelly-like. That’s a good thing. It means you’ve extracted gelatin from the connective tissue around the bone. Once heated, it will melt right back into a rich broth.
One Whole Ham = A Lot of Meals
That’s why I love buying a whole ham. Dinner is really just the beginning.
Slice up the leftovers for sandwiches and breakfast, dice some for casseroles and omelets, freeze some for later — and never throw away that bone.
A few vegetables, water and a few hours are all it takes to turn it into one more delicious ingredient for the next meal.
