Forgot to say, I'm making 5 quarts. Multiplied the recipe by 2.5.

You can leave out the pepper (you can always reduce or leave out low-acid ingredients) but you cannot add the extra ham as you can never increase the amount of low-acid ingredients.

The recipe is based on a specific pH (note 1/4 lb. reference which is also a bit less than the amount of meat on an average hamhock) and adding any more ham than called for will radically change the pH, the density, and the processing required.

A 2.5 change in the recipe is risky as it is easy to make mistakes in the amounts of ingredients unless you are very accurate with your math calculations and measurements. In this case it is easy to 2.5 x 2 cups beans and 2.5 x 1/2 cup chopped onions but the ham is somewhat difficult to measure. So with the ham you could only add a total of 1/2 lb + 1/8 lb for a total of 0.625 lbs. and it will need to be weighed.

Please keep in mind that canning recipes are not just general guides. For optimal safety, especially when inexperienced, they should be followed as written.

Dave

thanks Dave, that's why I asked. My freezer can't handle any more mistakes, and I was about to make another one!

the amount of ham on my two hocks combined was a paltry .13 lb. So I did an enough diced ham to make the ham total .55 lbs

I've got the ham bone from a 10 lb spiral ham tonight, was thinking of making ham and beans but I don't know how this bone (with some meat still on it) compares to a ham hock? How much meat do you think is allowed (1/4lb salt pork = 1/4 lb ham trimmings?)? Would it be safer to simmer the bone to make stock and then use that instead of water to cook the soaked beans in? Add the meat trimmings weighed separately from the stock?

I'd like to double or triple the recipe to fill the canner - not worth canning 2 quarts - if you think this bone is much larger than 1 hock or 2.

The typical ham bone would be approx. the size of 1.5 to 2 medium ham hocks but it wouldn't contain as much meat as they would. So wouldn't worry about having too much meat given the processing times required. Just boil the bone to get the stock out of it and then cool it and strip off the meat.

Do not cook the beans in the stock as they will absorb too much of the liquid and the soup will end up too thick. Cook them in water and then - if you do the quick soak method for them - follow the half and half rule for soups.

Dave

Tried to find the recipe on Ball site but no luck. Step 1 put dry beans in saucepot, cover with water to 2" over, boil 2 minutes, let soak 1 hour, Drain. Step 2 Cover beans with water by 2 inches, add meat, onion, pepper, bring to boil, simmer 2 hours.

I guess the gelatin in the stock would make it thicker than using water in Step 2?

I can do either the 50/50 soup rule (in which case I wouldn't simmer for 2 hours but follow the NCHFP instructions for bean soup which says heat boil again and drain again after the 1 hour soak and then cook 5 minutes with the meat) or the BBB instructions (which call for longer processing times of 75/90 minutes). Ball just had measurements and I'm assuming with the longer times the jars are filled with beans and liquid to the 1 inch HS, not half-filled with beans then remainder stock? Those times are also longer than beans in tomato sauce or molasses given on NCHFP site. Do the beans turn mushy so only suitable for a pureed (after opening jar) soup? Maybe the NCHFP "soup" recipe would give firmer beans - I'd really like to can beans in ham broth maybe with a little meat, not a bean soup but can't find an approved recipe.

Looking for something to cut some time off making cassoulet, or flexible enough to make ham bean and potato soup when opening the jar. Maybe canning stock and beans separately would be best but I do have some meat on the bone I'd like to put in with either the stock or the beans. And I don't want to waste the gelatin either.