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Take your soups, gravies, and risottos to the next level with homemade Ham Bone Broth! My recipe for ham stock is easy and flavor-packed. Once you try making it yourself, you won't want to go back to boxed stock!
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Ham Broth Recipe
Up until recently, it never occurred to me what a big difference using homemade stock could be. After all, I could make delicious soups with boxed broth, too!
The first time I popped a ham bone in a pot and tried making ham stock, I realized what I'd been missing out on. The ham stock soup I made with it was worlds better than any soup I'd made before. I'm not exaggerating, the difference is huge!
Homemade ham broth is so easy to make, and as an added bonus, it's a great way to eliminate food waste by using every part of the ham. Try it out in your next soup or gravy, and you'll be just as amazed as I was! Oh, and try my Homemade Chicken Broth, too!
Ham Stock Recipe Ingredients
- Ham Bone: To make your own bone broth, you will of course need a ham bone from a leftover ham! I love using my holiday hams for this homemade stock.
- Celery: I'm using ribs of celery. You don't have to chop the celery up.
- Carrots: Chopped into chunks.
- Onion: I recommend using yellow onion or white onion, and avoiding red onion.
- Garlic: Minced garlic or garlic paste.
- Bay Leaves: For adding tons of flavor to the soup!
- Water: You will need about 12 cups of water.
Note: There is no need to add any salt and pepper, as the broth will absorb all of those flavors from the leftover ham.
How to Make Ham Bone Broth
- In a large stock pot or dutch oven add the ham bones, roughly chopped carrots, celery, bay leaves, garlic, onion, and enough water to cover all ingredients. Cover with a lid, then simmer on the stove on low heat for 4-6 hours.
- Remove the lid and stir the broth well, then remove the bay leaves. Pour the broth through a very fine strainer or cheesecloth.
- Use it in anything from soup to gravy to sipping from a cup!
Broth from Ham Bone Expert Tips
- This recipe is the perfect way to make use of a leftover ham bone. Store the bone in the freezer until you're ready to use it.
- Once the stock has cooked, set the bone aside and let it cool, then pick away the leftover meat. It should fall free from the bone easily and be ultra-tender!
- Vegetables and seasonings add even more great flavor, but in a pinch, you can make this stock with only the bone and water. It'll still taste great!
Ham Bone Broth FAQ
As salt is not necessary to add to bone broth, ham bone broth is typically a lower sodium alternative to jarred and boxed broths and stocks. The flavor instead comes from the bone marrow and leftover meat! You can do the same with chicken following my Chicken Broth recipe.
Ham stock is made from boiling ham bones, vegetables and aromatics in water until the flavor is extracted from the leftover meat and marrow. Ham stock uses bone, so it typically has a deeper flavor and thicker consistency than broth without bone.
Homemade ham stock should be used within 7 days. Frozen, stock will last 3 months. I suggest freezing it in cup-sized portions for easy defrosting for soups and gravy!
How to Store Ham Broth
I always find myself with spare stock, so if you end up in that position, I recommend separating 1-2 cup portions of broth in separate freezer-safe containers. Then set each one in the freezer, with labels. Pull out one or more at a time and pop them directly into soups!
If you have a ham bone and won't have time to make stock soon, place the bone in a freezer bag and freeze it for up to 3 months. It can be placed in a pot to make stock directly from the freezer without needing to wait for it to thaw.
What to Make with Ham Broth
Ham Bone Broth
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- Ham bone
- 2 stalks Celery - halved
- 2 large Carrots - roughly chopped
- ½ Yellow onion - roughly chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic - roughly chopped
- 2 Bay leaves
- 12 cups Water
Instructions
- In a large pot add the ham bones, roughly chopped carrots, celery, bay leaves, garlic, half an onion, and 12 cups of water.Ham bone,2 stalks Celery,2 large Carrots,½ Yellow onion,2 cloves Garlic,2 Bay leaves,12 cups Water
- Cover with a lid, them simmer on low heat for 4-6 hours.
- Remove the lid and stir the broth well, then remove the bay leaves.
- Pour the broth through very fine strainer or cheese cloth, then use in anything from soup to gravy to sipping from a cup!
Notes
- This recipe is the perfect way to make use of a leftover ham bone. Store the bone in the freezer until you're ready to use it.
- Once the the stock has cooked, set the bone aside and let it cool, then pick away the leftover meat. It should fall free from the bone easily and be ultra tender!
- Vegetables and seasonings add even more great flavor, but in a pinch, you can make this stock with only the bone and water. It'll still taste great!
Will says
Only 6 hours? I'm very surprised.
I thought bones had to stew for up to 20 hours or more for a broth?
Isabel Laessig says
Hi Will! That isn't the case for ham stock! 6 hours is plenty of time for ham bones. The broth becomes very flavorful within that time - you can even cook it for less. I've let it go for just 4 hours before and it provides very tasty stock. Enjoy!
Neil Gregory says
After we have had a baked ham for dinner we slice and vacuum pack the meat in meal sized quantities which are then stored in the freezer. The bone and any bits of the ham that didn't vacuum packed are put into a crock pot along with the all vegetable listed above, and left on low overnight. In the morning we remove the fat and strain the broth. We then pressure can the broth in one-pint jars for later use.
Isabel Laessig says
That sounds great, Neil! Thank you!