New Years Eve Ham & Beans
Transform your leftover Christmas ham into a delectable dish with this versatile recipe.
Servings: 8
Calories: 150kcal
Cost: <$10 when leftovers used
Equipment
- 4-qt Rockcrok slow cooker set
- 5" Santoku Knife
- Large Grooved Cutting Board
- Quick Slice
- Large Chef's Tongs
- Adjustable Zester
Ingredients
Meat
- Leftover Christmas Ham
Dried Goods
- 16 OZ Bag Dry Beans Pinto or Black-Eyed Peas Work Well
Canned Goods
- 1 Can Diced Tomatoes any variety
Baking & Spices
- 4 Bay Leaf
- Pepper
- salt
- 1 or 2 TBSP Pampered Chef Smoky Mezcal Rub
Produce
- 2 Med Onions yellow or white
- 1 Bunch Carrots
- 1 Bunch Celery Stocks
- 1 Bunch Parsley
- 4 Cloves Garlic
- 2 Pablano Peppers
- 6 Santa fe Grande Peppers
- 1 Jalapeño Pepper Optional
- 6 Mini Sweet Peppers Optional
- 1 wedged Lime
- 1 whole Lime Zest and Juice
Liquids
- Water
Beer, Wine, & Liquor
- ¼ cup White Wine
- ¼ cup Tequilla
Options Garnish
- Mexican Crema
- Sour Cream
- Jalapeño Pepper Chopped
- Green Onion Chopped
- Cilantro Chopped
- Olives Chopped
Instructions
Night Before - Prepare Ham
- Trim off fat in large chunks. Set aside.
- Trim off skin in large chunks. Set Aside.
- Trim the bone from your ham, not too close. You want some meat and fat left on it.
- Dice remaining ham in approximately ½“ pieces. Set Aside.
Night Before - Soak Beans
- Soak beans according to package instructions. For a 4 quart slow cooker I used about ¾ of the bag.
Night Before - Ham Bone Broth
- Place ham bone and one of the large pieces of skin in slow cooker. If there is no fat on bone add some of the fat that was set aside.
- Chop 1 onion, 4 carrots, and 4 celery stalks into very large pieces. Place in slow cooker.
- Add 2 bay leaves and garlic cloves to slow cooker. Add enough water to cover everything but leave a few inches of room at top of slow cooker.
- Add ½ tsp of pepper. Salt to taste adjusting for saltiness of ham.
- Add wine and a wedge of lime, skin and all.
- Nestle 2 whole Santa Fe Grande peppers and a small bunch of parsley around ham, cover, and cook on low all night. 8-12 hours.
Next Day
- Without turning off the slow cooker, spider scoop all the vegetables, fat, ham and bone out and discard. This may be strained through a sieve but I prefer to leave it a little rustic.
- Drain and rinse the beans and add them to the slow cooker.
- Add 1/2 chopped onion, 1 stocks chopped celery, 1 chopped carrot, 2 bay leafs, and tequila,
- Add the can of tomatoes,
- Add the juice of lime, plus about ¼ of the lime zest.
- Char the pablano peppers, sweat in bag or covered glass bowl, remove skin and seeds, chop into small pieces, and add to the beans.
- Remove stems and seeds from the remaining peppers. Chop the them into round slices and add to the bean mixture.
- Taste the broth for seasoning.
- Add the PC rub to taste, about 1 or 2 TBSP.
- Taste again and add salt and/or pepper if needed.
- Cover and cook on high for 7 hours. Do not open the lid during the cooking time.
- Check to see if beans are done. Add diced ham and slow cook on high 1 more hour.
- Serve garnished to taste.
Notes
This recipe serves as a simple foundation. On the second day, I customize the bean mixture using whatever I have in my fridge.
The distinctive taste of the Pampered Chef Smoky Mezcal Rub combines elements reminiscent of a Southwestern rub and the smoky richness found in barbecue rubs, creating a unique flavor profile.
I've opted out of adding jalapeño as it tends to make it a bit too spicy for my taste.
For an enhanced texture, I recommend adding diced ham at the end rather than including it in the morning with the beans.