Vegi soup

I bought a bacon hock and put it in 9 cups hot water and then added a vegi soup mix after 2hrs I took the hock out and cut all the fat off and then cut up the meat and put the meat back in and served the vegi soup. Tasted nice but should I of left the hock in the soup and not removed the fat/skin?

There is no right or wrong way to do this. We all have differing opinions, methods and preferred ingredients. If you like it the way you did it then keep doing it that way until you feel like changing.

I always put the fat and skin back into in the soup once I have striped it off the bone and cut it up because skin has properties that balance out meat. I always cook the hock separately, take the hock out after it is cooked, add in fresh sliced, diced vegetables and the stripped hock bone and cook for a further 10-15 mins till vegetables are just cooked through then I add the split peas and barley that I always precook. Last I return the chunked up meat back to the pot and continue to reheat gently. I would not dream of thinking that is the 'right' way. It is just the way I do it after years of trying different things.

And one more thing. I also cook a small lump of boiling bacon with the hock if it is a small hock.

I put everything in at once, plus I add my own grated carrot and chopped onion, then boil it for longer than the two hours. until the meat falls off the bone actually. try the chicken soup mix. it's nicer
You need to watch, and add more water as it evaporates.

When you say you cook the hock separately, do you just mean you cook Only the hock, strip the meat, put the meat back in the pot and then add the vege? Also, I tend to get the smoked bacon hock but find them so salty, so I add spud to counter some of the salt. Do you have any other suggestions to easing the salt load (aside from not using the smoked hock and adding more water). My husband loves the flavour, I find it far too salty. Cheers

I find it's easier to make the soup in the crockpot (the large oval one).
The veges get prepared about 4 pmish and go in with the hock and stock I make my own) and previously soaked split peas.

Around 5 pm, I put it on for an hour on high, then turn down to low, cover with a handtowel, and let it slowly simmer away until about 10 pm, then turn off. An hour later I lift the pot out of the crockpot container, and place on a wooden board. This time of the year I leave it there overnight, then put in the fridge or freeze.

With the crockpot, there's no burning on the bottom, no checking for evaporation, and it all ends up wonderfully cooked and flavourful.

That's what I do, except I add loads of actual veges as well as the packet thing.
No, who would leave the skin and fat, ick.

Yes. I just cook the hock and the bacon piece by themselves and remove it to strip and 'process'. I then add the chunked up root vegetables and bring the stock back to the boil, add in the sliced up fat and skin and then the above ground vegetables. I don't like over cooked vegetables so they are always the shortest cooked. Then I add my precooked split peas and barley followed by the meat. Serve and reserve the remainder for the next meal, etc, only reheating the amount I will require for that meal.

I'm sorry I cannot help with 'desalting'. I get my hocks and bacon from the market. They are free range and manuka smoked and are always perfect. I make an enormous pot of soup at a time and I only ever use one potato and half a small swede along with about 3/4 cup of uncooked barley so I don't know it that is sufficient to desalt. However, all starchy foods have a huge requirement for salt and that includes barley.The soup is traditional and it has barley in it so I use it. I don't use pre-prepared packets with added salt and flavours. It is unnecessary because the flavour comes from the hock and bone.

thanks for that. I will look around for alternatives to the hocks I buy, failing that just carry on adjusting my portions so they are not so salty.

I darn well do, all the flavour is in the meat! My family love a chunk of meat in their vege soup, There's not much fat on a hock anyway. A big delish mutton hock is what I use. no complaints from my family.

You must be more organized than me. I'm a spur of the moment kind of cook, soup is often made in the morning for lunches for hungry men, therefore the crockpot would be too slow. but your method does sound all good