I’m dying to make a pot of split pea soup a la my mom’s, but don’t know where to get a ham bone with meat still on it. Do you make a deal with a butcher or what?
Get a small picnic bone-in ham. Cut off most of the meat and freeze it in small portions to take out later for ham salad, ham % eggs, scalloped potatoes & ham, etc.
Use the bone that’s left with a lot of ham on it for the soup.
That’s the only way I’ve found to do it.
You can use a ham hock for flavor but there isn’t a lot of meat on it.
You have two choices: you can save the bone after you have a ham for a family dinner, as at Christmas or Easter; or you can just buy one of those small boneless butts for $7 or so and cut them up. Considering how many meals a huge pot of this soup will make, the $7 is not a bad investment.
Come to think of it, this is beginning to sound pretty tasty and it may be tomorrow's dinner. Please excuse me while I go open a bag of split peas so they soak overnight.