Smoked Pork & Split Peas

I wanted to make a version of split pea soup that focuses on the pork part of the soup. I approached this through a couple of steps. First, I cured the pork for a couple of days, then I slow smoked it. Afterwards I cooked it in the oven around 200 degrees for a couple of hours so that the collagen and connective tissue break down, and the meat became tender. Lastly, I mashed all the vegetables and pork before cooking the split peas into the soup, so that the texture and size of the ingredients matched the peas themselves.

I kept the ingredients in this very simple, mirepoix, peas, pork, some spices and vinegar, then cooked everything in chicken broth. Additionally, I used a Goya Ham Concentrate pack to fortify the broth as well. After I made the soup and had a couple of bowls, I added frozen green peas to it as well, to see how that would change the overall feel of the soup. It was a great addition that I should have leaned into a bit more, but by the time I reached this point, I was basically out of soup.

Another addition which would have significantly improved my soup, and one that I'll add to next time, would be the addition of fresh herbs. Layering thyme, sage, and a touch of rosemary would give the soup some additional depth, and finishing it with some mint, especially if I've added green peas, would give this a more complex flavor, without loosing the smoky richness that is built in the initial recipe.

To garnish this soup, I just made some crusty garlic bread from a baguette. I slathered it in butter and used it to dip my soup.

Enjoy.

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Ingredients

• ham concentrate pack 1 ea

• smoked pork, diced 2 lb

• garlic, sliced 4 cloves

• onion, sliced 1 ea

• carrots, peeled & sliced 3 ea

• celery, sliced 3 ribs

• crushed red pepper 1 T

• bay leaves 3 ea

• avenue spice 2 T

• extra virgin olive oil 2 T

• sherry vinegar 2 T (to taste)

• chicken stock 2 qt

• split peas 16 oz

• salt to taste

• pepper to taste

Garnish

buttery garlic bread

Method of Procedure

1. Begin the soup by heating your pot and adding olive oil, sliced onions, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Saute on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown.

2. Add your diced smoked pork, carrots, celery, and ham concentrate, then continue to cook while stirring to soften the vegetables and blend the flavors.

3. Add your stock, avenue spice, bay leaves, and sherry vinegar then simmer for about 1 hour until your vegetables are soft enough to mash.

4. Strain your vegetables and pork, putting your stock into a different pot to cook the split peas. Season your broth with salt and pepper, then bring to a boil. Add your peas, reduce to a simmer, and cook your peas for about 30-45 minutes until softened.

5. While the peas are cooking mash your pork and vegetables with a potato masher. If you don't have a hand held masher, you can use a fork or a wooden spoon to break down the pork mash.

6. Once the peas have cooked, add the pork and vegetables back to the pot. Bring to a simmer for 30 minutes and season to taste.