Hambone, Hambone, have you heard?

We had a tasty ham for our Christmas dinner this year.  Alton would have been proud.  As always, Chuck stepped in to carve the meat from the bone.  A nasty job that I seriously dislike.   I can crack open a chicken carcass and toss the neck and back in a bag for bulk stock and think it is no big deal but a ham bone makes me squidgy.  So when Chuck asked if he should save the shank bone from the ham I hesitated.  He, on the other hand, slapped it into some foil for later. Smart man there.  

Last week I plunked that nasty bone in a pot along with some aromatics, enough water to cover* and reduced it down for hours.  I knew it was a waste of energy and would probably end up smelling of dirty high school boy socks but I figured Chuck would eat it.  

You see, Chuck's family eats what they call "ham beans", a stew of sorts.  Combine the two obvious players, chopped onion and water, and there you have it.   I use to make it with chicken stock and it was good but not all that great to me.  I have never been a fan of ham stock until now. The ham stock turned those beans into something to sing about.  (get it? huh, huh? beans, beans the musical.... nm) 

I really don't have much of a recipe.  My non-recipe card carrying Mamish would be proud.

Ham Beans 

1.5 liters ham stock, strained

1c pintos, soaked over night

1c black beans**, soaked over night***

1 onion, chopped

2c ham, chopped to about bean size 

salt & pepper

1tsp Tony Catcher's cajun spices

(a bit of horseradish if you are Chuck)

Crockpot it all day or a slow simmer on the stove.  Please make yourself some cornbread to go with it.  And I don't mean that yellow yankee cornbread stuff either.  That is dessert in my house.  If you don't know how to make proper hilljack cornbread then let me know.  I might just help you out.

*I started with about 3qts water and reduced it down by about half.

**You can use another bean but I like black the best.

***If you care about your loved ones then you will rinse those soaking beans and NOT use the soak water.  Fresh water all the way