Split Pea and Ham Soup

By tschnet1

Ingredients

• 4 slices of bacon, chopped
• 1 cup of chopped onion
• 1/4 cup of chopped celery
• 1 large carrot, scraped and chopped fine
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
• 1 pound package of dried green split peas, rinsed and sorted
• 1/2 teaspoon each of dried thyme and rosemary, crushed
• 2 medium bay leaves
• 7 cups of ham stock or chicken stock/broth
• 1 teaspoon of Liquid Smoke, optional
• 1 meaty ham bone or 2 smoked ham hocks
• 2 cups of smoked ham, chopped small
• 1-1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), or to taste

Details

Cooking time 110mins

Preparation

Step 1

Cook the bacon in a soup pot, until fat is rendered but not until bacon is crisp. To the bacon and drippings, add the chopped onion, celery and carrot; cook over medium until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cook another minute.

Rinse and sort through the peas, add to the pot, along with the herbs and bay leaf. Cook and stir another minute, then add the stock or water, Liquid Smoke, if using, and ham hocks. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered on very low for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add the ham to the beans and low simmer for 30 minutes longer. Peas will have broken down and soup should be very thick. Remove bay leaf and discard. Add salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning; taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

If you have the extra time and for a boost in flavor, use a leftover ham bone or a few meaty ham hocks to first make a ham stock as your soup base. Water may be substituted but add in 2 tablespoons of chicken base with the soup. Pick meat off of the bone or hocks and use in the soup. May omit Liquid Smoke if using a homemade ham stock.