Bacon Hock Soup

vixen09, Apr 15, 2:55am
I remember my nana making this when I was a kid and I want to have a go at making it. Any good recipes please
kirmag, Apr 15, 3:01am
Start with a pack of Kings Soup Mix and add vege and bacon hock and boil then simmer away. I usually add potato, swede, turnip, carrot, and celery. I don't like the salty bacon hocks though, I think they're the smoked ones that are more salty. been awhile since I made it.
battgirl, Apr 15, 3:08am
My Nana made the best, easiest soup ever with bacon hocks. Put one packet of split green peas in a pot (or crockpot), add one sliced carrot, one bacon hock and enough water to cover the hock. Cook until peas turn to mush, remove meat from hock (it should fall off) and serve. No additional ingredients required and it's fantastic. Thickens up when cool so you can water it down and it goes for DAYS.

Mmmm. can't wait to get one on the go now!
whitehead., Apr 15, 3:19am
soak your hock for a couple of hours .before you cook it and if it is salty when you cook it peel a couple of spuds and put them in whole cook till just cooked and toss they will take up a lot of the salt and if you still have salty taste a teaspoon of sugar will help the taste
tessie2, Apr 15, 3:47am
We put loads of veges in. My Mum used to chop the onions and grate the root veges, ie,potato swede parsnip carrots kumara, pumkin etc, until I bought her a mini processor - which made the job so much easier for her. We also add leeks and Kings vege soup mix. The soup always tastes better the following day. When I lived in the Waikato often had a stockpot of soup simmering on top of the log fire in winter. Bacon hocks were dirt cheap then. Now a gourmet meat, like beef cheeks.
clair4, Apr 15, 7:17am
I am looking forward to making soup now the weather is cooling down.
I put a bacon hock in the slow cooker and cook. After a few hours, I take out and fill the crock pot with diced vegies including potatoes, celery including the green leaves, plenty of kings soup mix and cook away and usually do not eat until the next day. The mixture will thicken up and so yummy
vashti, Apr 15, 7:29am
Battgirl I make it like that but use yellow split peas because that's what Mum used, I wonder if green peas taste the same. I do put vegies in it too, anything that is left over in the fridge.
battgirl, Apr 15, 8:45pm
I've not tried the yellow ones - so perhaps we could swap next time we make it and compare notes? I like the incredibly simplicity of a 4 ingredient meal (if you count water as an ingredient) too much to add extra veges.
valentino, Apr 15, 10:43pm
As Clair4 noted re cooking the hock first. Likewise with bacon bones.

Boil then simmer until all is starting to come from the bones.

Scoop the hock - bones out and allow to cool sufficiently enough to remove all meats etc and chopped and back into the liquid.

This liquid with all the trimmings is the best starting stock for a great soup.

One then just simply add chopped fresh veges, dried veges such as split peas, soup mixes, pearl barly etc. and allow to slowly simmer, ( the slower longer cooking process is best and gets a good solid heat throughout without burning the bottom) stirring frequently testing the taste, seasoning as you go, adding water if required and to do all to your taste and texture. The best soup of all, especially if doing a 15 to 20 litre pot full.

Allow to cool fully and then into ice cream containers 90% full, freeze and then is ideally peaked for be enjoyed by heating in a slow cooker or very slowly in a suitable saucepan.

Cheers

Editing to note that one can do smaller batches to suit, just remember that hocks can do a large soup or vary the amount of bones to suit.
Salt levels can be altered by addition of potatoes to lessen the salty taste or simply add salt if tastes desired.

Cheers
paora-tm, Apr 15, 10:48pm
I prefer the green peas and like you, no other vegetables. When pumpkins are cheap I like to make Pumpkin and Bacon Hock soup.
cookessentials, Apr 15, 11:45pm
I dont use soup mix. I pop the hock into the crock pot and cover with water. Cook on high till meat falls off bone. Remove bone and any skin and meat from crock pot, break up meat and reserve. Add a lge chopped onion to liquid add half a bunch chopped celery, including leaves. I add a 1 litre Campbells vegetable or chicken stock then plenty of cubed potato, kumara, thickly sliced carrot, a can of chopped tomatoes, cubed swede. When cooked through add meat back in along with 1-2 cups spiral pasta and pepper to taste.
hd07, Apr 16, 1:55am
I use yellow split peas as well. Cook the bacon bones (or hock) in a large pot of water until meat starts to come away from the bone. Remove from the pot, remove and return all the meat to the pot. I add yellow split peas, couple of bay leaves, cracked pepper, 1-2 brown onions (I grate them in), heaps of garlic, sliced carrot, sliced celery, quinoa, turmeric and diced kumara. Slow boil/simmer till vegies cooked and peas disolved. You need to stir every so often otherwise i find the peas start to catch on the bottom. Pop some home made dumplings in 10-20mins before serving.
kiwiscrapper1, Apr 17, 9:59am
I cook the bacon hock with about 4-5 cups of water a couple of bay leaves chopped onion chopped carrot and peppercorns, until meat falls off bone, take out hock strain stock, put back in pot add 1 cup of green split peas, 1/2 cup red lentils and any veges you like, two,cups,of vege stock, this is chelsea Winters pea and ham soup, she says to chop a bunch of celery including leaves, but I only buy 1/2 bunch! Found the whole bunch too strong, I have made soup for years but this one is lovely.
buzzy110, Apr 17, 9:11pm
Because I always made my bacon hock vegetable soup with a mix of split peas and barley I have never added in high starch root vegetables. I prefer to use celery, onion, capsicum, carrots, frozen green beans (left overs from summer), frozen peas, cauliflower and broccoli (especially the stems), cabbage (sometimes) and leeks.

I cook the hock, take out, add the vegetables and cook them for only about 20mins. Vegetables do not take long and I prefer that they have all their colour, texture and individual taste. I cook the barley and split peas separately. Then I put the vegetables and dried ingredients together, along with the meat and skin (which has been stripped down and sliced into chunks.

Skin is important in the diet to balance the elements that muscle meat takes out of your system.
purplefalcon, Apr 18, 8:49am
I use the above and put all in the crockpot and cook on high for 8 hours. At times I put on on over night . House smells yummy when you wake in the morning.
uli, Aug 23, 8:35am
bump for si50
wasala, Aug 23, 8:41am
Just out of interest; why all the bumping of old soup threads? I sense that you might be missing someone!
kiwiscrapper1, Dec 7, 6:16pm
Chelsea Winters recipe is beautiful, I used to do what everyone else has mentioned but dont make it any other way now, except I may add more veges check out her web site for this.