How to Make Homemade Ham Stock
Have a leftover ham bone? Learn how to easily make ham stock. Ham bone broth is delicious, has rich flavor and is the perfect base for soup or gumbo!
I think most of us are familiar with making homemade chicken stock, but have you ever heard of making ham stock? The process is super similar, but I would argue that the results are even BETTER!
Homemade ham stock has a richness that you don’t find in other stocks. It’s comforting and salty. It makes any recipe you use it in better.
Most recipes for ham soup call for chicken broth. But I promise you, using homemade ham broth will take it to a new level! It can take a great recipe to a FANTASTIC recipe!
I like to use it in my Ham and Cabbage Soup recipe. Whether you’re making Ham and Potato soup, Pea Soup, or White Bean Soup, it will be made more delicious with this homemade stock.
This ham stock recipe is a great way to use leftovers! The vegetables you use do NOT have to be pretty! I essentially use scraps, the tough outer peels of onions, old garlic with the skins still on, scraps of carrots and celery.
For the ham bone, you can use the center bone from your holiday ham from Christmas dinner! Or you can purchase a smoked ham bone or ham hock from your butcher counter.
When you use scraps to make broth, it’s basically free food, because you’re making something out of the things you’d normally discard! I love to do it.
If you use a bone that still has meat on it (like a smoked ham hock), be prepared to the top of the liquid often to remove fat, at least once per hour of simmering.
Ham Stock Ingredients:
To make your own ham stock, you will need:
- Smoked ham bone or leftover ham shank
- Garlic cloves
- Carrots
- Celery
- Pieces of onion
- Whole black peppercorns
- Bay leaves
- 8-10 cups water
How to store homemade Ham Stock
You can store this homemade ham stock in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze it for up to 4 months without loss of quality.
I like to freeze my stock in ice cube trays, then dump the cubes into a large Ziploc bag to keep in the freezer. This allows me to grab just as much stock as I need!
I hope that you enjoy this delicious homemade ham stock!
How to make Homemade Ham Stock
Ingredients
- 1 smoked ham bone or leftover ham shank
- 1/2 garlic bulb
- 2 small carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 1/2 white or yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 8-10 cups water
Instructions
- Place ingredients into a large stockpot.
- Fill large stock pot with 8-10 cups of cold water, enough water to cover all of the ingredients completely.
- Set your stovetop burner to a low heat and bring the liquid to a low simmer.
- Allow to simmer for about 4 hours, partially covered, scraping the fat off the top of the stock with a slotted spoon at least once per hour.
- Pour through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth to strain of all impurities.
- Allow stock to cool completely before storing.
