Ham Bone Corn Chowder
Make ham bone corn chowder with that leftover holiday ham bone. It’s a cheap and easy meal that tastes great!
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With Easter in the rear view, you may be tempted to start thinking about spring. Not so fast. If you live in the Northeast U.S. (like we do), you are presently dealing with snow and cold.
Poor us.
Well, if we can’t have sunshine and yard work, then let’s keep eating like it’s winter in Narnia. Let’s make some chowder!
Did you have ham for Easter? Good for you. Do you still have that ham bone kicking around somewhere? Excellent. Fetch it and let’s begin. If you didn’t have ham, or if you had ham but tossed the bone to faithful ol’ Rex, don’t worry, I got you covered with some substitutions. You’ll still love this chowder, and your family will wonder when you became such a culinary genius. Printer-friendly version at the end of the post.
Ham Bone Corn Chowder
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours
Servings: many!
Ingredients
- 1 ham bone, as much meat removed as possible
- 8 cups water
- If you don’t have a ham bone, Â substitute 8 cups of chicken broth for the bone and water
- 8 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into small squares
- 1 large sweet onion, chopped
- 2 celery ribs, sliced
- 1 large parsnip, diced
- 1 large russet potato, cubed
- 2 cups chopped or cubed ham
- 3 cups sweet corn
- 6 cups whole milk
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
- Add the ham bone and the water to a large stockpot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for one hour.
- Discard the ham bone and strain the broth. Set broth aside.
- Increase heat to medium low. Add bacon to pot. Stir occasionally while bacon renders and cooks. When bacon pieces are brown and crispy, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Increase heat to medium. Add the onion, celery and parsnip to the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions turn translucent.
- Add potato and corn and stir.
- Add ham bone broth (or chicken broth) and thyme.
- Add milk.
- In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat.
- Whisk flour into butter and then add this mixture to the stockpot.
- Stir well to incorporate flour mixture.
- Simmer the chowder, covered, for one hour over low heat.
- If you used chicken broth, taste and season with salt. If you used ham bone broth, between the salt in the ham and the bacon, you shouldn’t need to add any additional.
- Add black pepper to taste.
- Serve with bacon crumbles sprinkled on top.
Enjoy!
Hambone Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 1 ham bone - - as much meat removed as possible
- 8 cups water - - If you don't have a ham bone substitute 8 cups of chicken broth for the bone and water
- 8 slices thick-cut bacon - - cut into small squares
- 1 large sweet onion - - chopped
- 2 celery ribs - - sliced
- 1 large parsnip - - diced
- 1 large russet potato - - cubed
- 2 cups chopped or cubed ham
- 3 cups sweet corn
- 6 cups whole milk
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the ham bone and the water to a large stockpot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for one hour.
- Discard the ham bone and strain the broth. Set broth aside.
- Increase heat to medium low. Add bacon to pot. Stir occasionally while bacon renders and cooks. When bacon pieces are brown and crispy, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Increase heat to medium. Add the onion, celery and parsnip to the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions turn translucent.
- Add potato and corn and stir.
- Add ham bone broth (or chicken broth) and thyme.
- Add milk.
- In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat.
- Whisk flour into butter and then add this mixture to the stockpot.
- Stir well to incorporate flour mixture.
- Simmer the chowder, covered, for one hour over low heat.
- If you used chicken broth, taste and season with salt. If you used ham bone broth, between the salt in the ham and the bacon, you shouldn't need to add any additional.
- Add black pepper to taste.
- Serve with bacon crumbles sprinkled on top.
Oh, so lish looking! I always save the ham bone and usually make a bean or lentil soup with it. I love the idea of making a corn chowder with it–thanks!
–G
http://gingerwroot.com
You’re welcome! You will love it…it’s really good!
Greg
We will love your Hambone Corn Chowder, it looks fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday. Have a great weekend and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Thank you, Helen! We’ll be back! -Greg
This looks succulent and satisfying! Thanks for sharing on the “What’s for Dinner” Link up!
Found this recipe while looking for an alternative to the navy bean soup I usually make with a ham bone. I think there is too much liquid here with 8 cups of broth and 6 cups of milk. Also the roux did nothing at all to thicken it. I usually use equal parts butter and flour and this called for double the flour compared to the butter. Finally, the recipe itself doesn’t say when to add the two cups of chopped ham. Overall, a disappointment. Won’t make again.
This is a great recipe! I just tweaked it a bit so please don’t take the following as negative criticism. I followed this recipe to a T (or at least I thought I did) and It was pretty watery and bland, which surprised me. I used a hambone from a ham that I had recently cooked and I cooked the bacon as directed. The fat from the bacon sat on the top the entire time (maybe I used the wrong bacon) so I skimmed it off. I went ahead and reduced it down for an additional hour to an hour and a half to get it nice and creamy and I added quite a bit of salt and pepper. The end result was fantastic! Again, fantastic recipe! Just make it to your liking.
Hi Jimmy, thank you! I’m always up for constructive criticism, so no worries! Weird though, because the one I made was one of the most flavorful soups I’ve ever had. But you’re right – just adjust what needs adjusting until it gets to your liking. It’s funny, rereading that post, I realized that I haven’t had ham since I made this chowder!
Fabulous!!! I made it exactly as written except I didn’t have parsnip. It was so good!!! Thank you! What a great way to use all of the ham and bone!!
I’m so happy you liked it, Jeannie! đŸ™‚
I love this soup!
Thank you so much, Adrienne! đŸ™‚
When do you add the 2 cups of ham?