Fire Company Bean Soup ~ America

[LKTraz]

This is a bulk recipe so simply cut ingredients proportionately as needed for smaller batches.
OR
Go ahead and make the entire batch and just freeze the remainder for quick and easy meals at a later time

Fire Company Bean Soup (serves approx. 50)


Ingredients:

6 - 40 1/2 oz cans of Great Northern beans
2 large onions
8 hard boiled eggs
5 or 6 medium potatoes
1 smoked ham hock
1 6lb to 10 lb smoked ham end
1 16 oz bottle or can of beer

Optional ingredients:
Finely chopped celery
Finely chopped carrots

Preparation:

In a very large pot (10 gallon or larger cast iron stew pot over an open wood fire preferred) combine 5 of the cans of beans (do not drain) and 5 cans of water.

Dice the onions, potatoes and hard boiled eggs and stir in.

Boil off the ham hock and add the meat and the water you boiled it in.

Shred the meat from the ham end and add.

Open the remaining can of beans and mash them into a paste then add.

Simmer for about an hour stirring frequently.

Slowly add the beer while stirring and continue to simmer for an additional 15 -20 minutes.

Serve with your favorite soup embellishment, ie crackers, stale bread, croutons etc.

Remember to stir before ladling servings as the mashed beans will tend to settle.

*note* Lighter premium style beers work best. Avoid darker lager styles.

Suggested beers:
Yuengling Premium
Miller High Life
Coors
Genesee Premium
Keystone
Heilman's Old Style
Leinenkugel's Premium
Michelob
Old Milwaukee
Milwaukee's Best