It has been a long cold weekend. My brother passed this weekend and I spent most of the weekend in his house. While there, I found that he had half of a smoked pork shoulder in his refrigerator. And if there was one thing that everyone will tell you, he was a great cook. I took it home both because I didn't want it to go to waste and because it was one last chance to have his cooking. A friend posted that he was making split pea soup, which is usually made with ham or a ham hock. I thought, what better way to use this pork shoulder, so this morning, I put together a split pea soup in the crockpot using the shoulder. I just tasted it and it is so very lovely! A fitting tribute to my brother who I miss so much!
Smoked Pork Split Pea Soup
- 2 cups smoked pork shoulder, diced to 1/2' cubes
- 16 oz yellow split peas, rinsed and sorted
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp tumeric
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups good chicken stock
Layer all ingredients into the bowl of a crockpot in the order given, ending with the chicken stock. Cook, covered, on High for 4-5 hours, or until the peas and carrots are cooked. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
