Slow Cooker Pea and Ham Soup with a Smoked Ham Hock

Name: Classic pea & ham easy slow cooker soup recipe :) Cook with me!
Cook time: 5 h 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 300 g dried split green peas; 1 whole smoked ham hock, bone-in, smoked; 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced small; 1 medium potato, peeled and diced small; 1 medium onion, finely diced; 2 ribs celery, finely diced; 1.15 litres chicken stock; black pepper, freshly cracked; boiling water; croutons or crusty bread

Source video by What's For Tea? on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules.

This is a traditional pea and ham soup made entirely in the slow cooker. Dried split green peas go in first, then a smoked ham hock, then the root vegetables, onion and celery, with chicken stock poured over and no stirring at all. The layering puts the slowest-cooking ingredients at the bottom. After 5.5 hours on High the ham is falling apart tender, ready to be picked from the bone and shredded over the bowls. It is a thick soup that works as a meal in its own right with croutons or crusty bread.

Slow cooker notes: Cooked on High for 5.5 hours without stirring. A Low setting time is not given in the video (the presenter only says the times are on screen), so none is stated here. The same soup can be made on the hob in a few hours.

Ingredients

Soup

300 gdried split green peas
1 wholesmoked ham hock, bone-in, smoked
2 mediumcarrots, peeled and diced small
1 mediumpotato, peeled and diced small
1 mediumonion, finely diced
2 ribscelery, finely diced
1.15 litreschicken stock
black pepper, freshly cracked

To serve

boiling water
croutons or crusty bread

Method

About 15 minutes before you start, warm the slow cooker pot with some boiling water, then tip it away.
~15 min
Dice the onion, celery, carrots and potato small. Keep all the vegetables small so they cook tender.
Layer the ingredients in this order: split peas at the bottom, the smoked ham hock on top of the peas, then the carrots and potato, then the onion and celery on top. The slowest-cooking ingredients go at the bottom because the soup will not be stirred.
Pour in the chicken stock (2 to 2.5 pints depending on your slow cooker size) and add a few grinds of black pepper. Do not add salt at this stage.
Cook on High for about 5.5 hours. Do not stir or lift the lid during cooking.
~330 min
Lift out the ham hock, which should be falling apart tender. Give the soup a stir, switch off the slow cooker and put the lid back on to keep it warm.
Pick the meat off the ham hock, avoiding the fatty bits, and keep the lean shredded ham for serving.
Ladle the soup into bowls, top with the shredded ham and serve with croutons or warm crusty bread. If the soup is too thick, stir in some boiling water.

Frequently asked

Why are the ingredients layered rather than stirred together?

The soup is not stirred during cooking, so the ingredients that take longest, the split peas, go at the bottom where the heat is most direct. The ham sits above them, then the root vegetables, then the onion and celery on top.

What can I use instead of a ham hock?

A ham shank or another bone-in smoked gammon joint. The presenter stresses it should be smoked and on the bone, because that is where the flavour comes from.

Should I add salt?

Not during cooking. The smoked ham gives off a lot of salt, so taste the finished soup and add salt to your own bowl if you need it.

Can I make it on the hob instead?

Yes. The presenter says the soup takes only a few hours on the hob, which is quicker than the slow cooker.

My soup is too thick. How do I thin it?

Once the ham is out of the pot there is room to stir in some boiling water until the soup is the consistency you like.

Extraction notes (transparency): Prep time and Low setting time are not stated in the video, so both are left blank. Servings are not stated precisely (the presenter says the household is four people); 4 is used. Stock quantity is 2 to 2.5 pints depending on slow cooker size; the demonstration used 2 pints. Ham hock weight is not stated.