Does Honey Baked Ham Sell Bones? Getting the Most Out of Your Holiday Ham

The holidays just wouldn’t be the same without a beautifully glazed honey baked ham as the centerpiece of the table. When you order a honey baked ham for your holiday meals, you want to make sure you are getting the most for your money. One question that often comes up is whether places like HoneyBaked Ham sell the bones from their hams, and how you can use them to stretch your dollar.

As a long-time HoneyBaked Ham customer myself, I decided to do some digging to find out if they sell ham bones Here is what I discovered about buying bones from HoneyBaked Ham, and how you can use them to get more value from your holiday ham.

Can You Buy Bones From HoneyBaked Ham?

The short answer is yes! Many HoneyBaked Ham locations will sell you the bone from your ham for a small additional charge. Typically, the ham bone will cost $6.99 when sold with a whole ham. You may also be able to purchase just a ham bone without buying a full ham for around the same price.

I called my local HoneyBaked Ham store to get all the details The employee I spoke with confirmed that they are happy to sell ham bones to customers who request them when ordering a whole ham. However, they do not keep spare ham bones on hand for purchase on their own.

So if you want the bone from your HoneyBaked Ham, be sure to ask for it when you order your holiday ham. With some advance notice, your local store should be able to accommodate your request.

Why Buy the Ham Bone?

You may be wondering why you would bother buying the ham bone when you already have plenty of delicious ham to eat. Here are some of the best uses for ham bones that can help you get more value from your HoneyBaked Ham:

Make Ham Broth or Bean Soup

One of the best uses for a ham bone is to make your own ham broth or bean soup. By simmering the bone in water with some vegetables, you can extract all of the rich, meaty flavor. This ham broth can be used as a base for soups or stews.

Many people use ham bones to make split pea soup or other bean soups. The smoky ham flavor infuses the broth and beans for an inexpensive but delicious meal. You can even freeze ham broth or soup stock in batches to use later.

Add Flavor to Beans or Greens

In addition to soup stock, ham bones can be used to add extra flavor to dishes like beans, collard greens, or other vegetables. Simply place the bone in the pot while simmering to impart more smoky ham taste.

The bone helps season the entire dish so you don’t need to use as much leftover ham. This makes even simple foods like beans and greens taste like they have ham mixed in.

Use for Beans and Greens

If you don’t want to go through the process of making bone broth, there is an even easier way to use ham bones. Simply toss the bone right into the Instant Pot or slow cooker along with beans, greens, or other dishes.

As the food simmers, the bone will release its flavors into the whole meal. Then you can simply remove and discard the bone when the food is done cooking.

Make Split Pea Soup

Split pea soup is a classic comfort food that is even better when made with a ham bone. Simply simmer the bone with split peas, carrots, onions, and your favorite seasonings. The peas and veggies will become infused with the taste of ham for a heartwarming soup.

Don’t forget to remove the bone before blending or serving the soup. You can even strip off any remaining ham shreds to mix back into the finished soup.

Use in Collard Greens

For the best collard greens, cook them low and slow with a ham bone. As the greens simmer away, the smokiness from the bone will give them an incredible flavor boost.

I love to cook collard greens in my Crockpot with a ham bone for 4-6 hours until tender. The meaty, salty, smoky flavors make them so addictive!

Flavor Red Beans and Rice

In Cajun cooking, red beans and rice are often cooked with a ham bone or hock. As the beans simmer with the bone, they soak up the smoky flavors.

Use a ham bone in your red beans and rice for a more authentic and delicious flavor. The ham seasonings permeate into the beans, rice, and broth for a flavorful dish.

Make Your Own Split Pea Soup

What better way to use up a ham bone than transforming it into a pot of hearty split pea soup? Simply simmer the bone with green or yellow split peas, carrots, onions, and seasonings.

The bone infuses the broth with smoky ham essence. Don’t forget to remove it before blending or serving. Sprinkle a little leftover ham on top for garnish.

Season Greens or Turnip Greens

For Southern-style greens that are out of this world, cook them low and slow with a ham bone. Turnip greens, collard greens, kale, and other greens shine when prepared with the smokiness and saltiness of a ham bone.

Simmer greens for hours with the bone until meltingly tender. No need for extra ham seasoning when you have that bone adding flavor!

Make Red Beans More Flavorful

To take red beans and rice to the next level, cook your red kidney beans with a ham bone. This amplifies the meaty flavors in the beans and broth for more satisfaction.

The smoky ham seasonings permeate into the beans, rice, and broth as they slowly simmer together. Don’t forget a dash of hot sauce!

Create Your Own Ham Stock

A ham bone has lots of meaty bits and marrow clinging to it that can be used for making stock. Place the bone in a pot with some onion, celery, carrots, and spices.

Simmer for several hours, then strain out the solids. You’ll be left with a rich, flavored ham broth perfect for soups like split pea, bean, potato, or vegetable.

Use in a Soup Pot

Tossing a ham bone into just about any soup pot results in next-level flavor. The bone infuses the broth with smoky, salty, meaty goodness.

Try it in tomato soup, chicken noodle soup, vegetable soup, chili, or just about any soup recipe for a flavor boost. Just remember to fish out the bone when serving.

Step-By-Step Ham Bone Soup

To help you get started, here is an easy step-by-step recipe for Oven-Simmered Ham Bone Soup. This uses a leftover ham bone to create a pot of soup loaded with flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 leftover ham bone