Pellet Smoker Cooking: Ham and Yellow Eye Beans

A sunny cool day here in Ohio; light frost this am & 60 in the afternoon. I had a 3 ½ pound bone in butt end smoked ham from my butcher, Kahs and some yellow eye beans. I would have them over rice and sides of cornbread and Brussels sprouts from my garden.

I thought the yellow eye beans were a popular southern bean but after researching they are more popular in the New England states, grown and eaten there. In my opinion they are milder and sweeter than most beans you would cook with ham.

I coated the face of the ham with molasses and some Penzey’s Cajun seasoning. I put it on the smoker; 45 minutes smoke mode 175 deg. I eased the temp to 275 deg. When it hit 105 deg. IT I foiled it then went to 300 deg. Total cook time was just over two hours for an It of 150 deg.

While the ham was on I decided to harvest my Brussels sprouts; they were not getting to size, too late planting, and I had covered two of the four plants through 4 frosts. Now don’t laugh; I ate a year’s crop in one setting! There were just enough for me, my wife does not like them. I call them sautéed baby Brussels sprouts.

I also mixed up a box of Miracle Maize sweet cornbread and baked in the oven in a cast iron skillet.

I had soaked the beans overnight. When the ham had cooled some I trimmed some of the good meat off and got the bone and beans on to cook, brought to a boil, then down to a simmer. For yellow eye beans they say to use the soaking water to cook in.

The grandson came home from school at 3:00. I gave him a piece of cornbread, he asked for another. I gave him a piece of ham and he asked for a second. He said it was good, at least my harshest critic like the cornbread and ham. I sent some home with his Mother and him.

I got some rice on to cook. I sautéed onions, garlic, and celery in a little olive oil and juice from the ham. I added salt pepper and thyme then added it to the beans after removing the ham bone to cool. I picked the ham from the bone and added it to the beans along with a little more of the ham.

I diced a slice of bacon and browned, removed from the skillet and added a little olive oil and the Brussels sprouts, stirred to coat added salt & pepper. I sautéed a few minutes, added a little chicken broth, covered and cooked another 7 or 8 minutes. I spooned them into a bowl with the bacon bits.

My wife had some sliced ham, rice w/cinnamon & sugar and corn bread, no beans. I had the ham & beans over rice. The Brussels sprouts were great, my wife had a bite then three more bites, and she doesn’t like Brussels sprouts. Fresh from the garden are a lot better than you can buy from the grocery or frozen. Next year maybe I can get them out early and have a bigger crop!

Printable ham & bean recipe

My years crop!