Pull off as much of the ham that you can. Put that into a big pot or other slow cooker.
Add in drained beans to the ham you took off the bone.
Using water add in about 3 to 4 beef bouillon cubes. Boil and dissolve. Add to the meat and beans. About 2 to 3 cups.
Using the left over ham on the bone, put that in a saucepan with the juices from the leftover ham. Add in a little water if needed and add beef bouillon cubes. About 2 or 3.
If you are using ham that hasn't been used yet, you can do the same thing except for adding in juices. You can also skip this and just cut up the ham into pieces. Adding flavor later.
Let the ham cook down. Let it start falling off the bone. Once that happens you are ready to pull that out. You can get more of the meat off at this point.
Remove the ham and bone from the liquid, pull off any extra meat and add to the pot. You can start adding more of that liquid into the pot as well.
Mince garlic or use garlic powder. Add in. Add in all seasonings and put a lid on the pot after stirring.
Peel potatoes or open canned. If your using potatoes from a can drain, and cut into half, leave whole or cut into smaller pieces. Fresh, peel rinse and cut into desired size.
You can add the rinsed potatoes into the pot or you can boil them separately just to get them a little softer before adding in. I boil mine just a bit, not all the way and then drain and add. Do NOT rinse. The starch helps thicken the soup.
If needed, put flour and milk in a bowl. Get the lumps out. Take some of the liquid from the pot and put into a small saucepan. Stir in the milk and flour combination slowly. Then as that thickens, add this slowly to the soup.
Taste taste taste !!!! Add whatever is needed. I only use salt (very little because ham is salty), pepper, garlic and onion or onion powder.
Let the soup cook until the potatoes are fully soft or just a bit firm if you prefer.
I always use ham that is from the night before. When I heat up my ham, I add in a little butter, brown sugar, syrup and honey. I spoon over the juices on top of the ham while heating. Same as basting a turkey. You can add any of these to the soup for a bit of sweetness.
Serve with warm rolls or butter bread. Enjoy !
