Ham Dumplings

An old-fashioned recipe with rolled dumplings (or "slicks") cooked in a rich broth made using a leftover ham bone or ham hocks.

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I first learned about Ham Dumplings watching a cooking video by Brenda Gantt on Facebook. Brenda is a precious Southern grandmama who shares old-school recipes right from her kitchen. And she is legit.

I'd never heard of Ham Dumplings but, by God, I knew I had to try them after I saw them!

I've made them several times now and think I've landed on my very favorite way to make mine so I'm sharing my latest pot with you here today!

I grew up eating Chicken & Dumplings with rolled dumplings like these. Some country folks call thin rolled dumplings like these "slicks" so if you've ever had "slicks", this is how you make them!

I now mostly make my Chicken & Dumplings recipe with the fluffy, dropped dumplings because my family likes them better but I agree with Brenda that Ham Dumplings are best with the thin, rolled dumplings. 

Have I tried Ham Dumplings with dropped dumplings?? Well, no I haven't, but that's because they're so dang GOOD like this I can't imagine making them any other way!

HOW TO MAKE HAM BONE BROTH

First, we're going to start with a big, meaty ham bone. For me, that's easiest to come by after the holidays because I always bake a big ham at Easter and Christmas. You can also get ham bones from Honey Baked Ham (yes, they sell them!) or you can use 2 big ham hocks.

We're going to cook down the bone in plain ol' water. I usually add a quartered onion too but you don't have to.

Once the bone has cooked down, we'll remove it to cool then trim the meat from the bone to add with the dumplings.  

HOW TO MAKE ROLLED DUMPLINGS ("SLICKS")

Rolled dumplings are super easy because we don't need any leavening ingredients. We don't want them to puff up so there's no baking soda or baking powder. You don't have to use buttermilk either since its main purpose is to react to baking soda or powder.

We're just going to combine all-purpose flour and salt then cut in some butter. You can use shortening too but I like the added flavor from the butter since the rest of the recipe is so basic.

Then we'll mix in some milk to get a shaggy dough ball which we'll turn out onto a very generously floured surface. After dusting the dough with more flour, we'll roll it out then cut into squares. That's it!

8 NOTES ON MAKING HAM DUMPLINGS

1. Use a leftover ham bone after most meat has been trimmed. You can also use 2 large ham hocks.
2. You can use chicken broth instead of water and bullion.
3. I love to add ham bullion (Goya makes a great one) but plain salt or chicken bullion is fine too. 
4. The amount of bullion or salt you need is determined by how salty the ham is. I've needed to add as much a 4 teaspoons to get mine salty enough and other times I've hardly needed to add anything at all. 
5. You can use shortening instead of butter in the dumplings. I typically use butter to add more flavor.
6. Be very generous with the flour when rolling the dumplings. They are prone to stick when rolled this thinly AND the residual flour helps to thicken the broth.
7. White pepper is great in this if you have it. A little goes a long way so start with 1/2 teaspoon then add more if desired.
8. Some folks add carrots and/or celery to Ham & Dumplings but I like them best just like this. If you'd like to add either, simply add to the ham broth the last 30 minutes when you're cooking down the bone.

Recipe for Ham Dumplings

Ham Dumplings

Yield: 12 Servings

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 H & 5 MInactive time: 1 H & 5 MTotal time: 2 H & 20 M

An old-fashioned recipe with rolled dumplings (or "slicks") cooked in a rich broth made using a leftover ham bone or ham hocks.

Ingredients

Ham Bone Broth:

• 1 ham bone (see notes)
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 10 cups water
• 1-2 teaspoons ham bullion or salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Rolled Dumplings:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter at room temp
• 1 cup milk

Instructions

Ham Bone Broth:

1. Place ham bone, onion and water in a soup pot then bring to a boil.
2. Cover, reduce heat to low, then simmer 1 hour. Remove from heat.
3. Remove lid then let rest 15-20 minutes while dumplings are made.

Rolled Dumplings:

1. Stir or sift flour and salt together in a mixing bowl.
2. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, cut butter into flour until well combined and clumps are very small (pea-sized or smaller).
3. Stir in milk until a shaggy dough ball forms.
4. Generously flour a large work surface then turn dough out. Sprinkle generously with more flour then roll until very thin (about 1/8 inch).
5. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut dough into 2-inch squares.
6. Let dumplings rest 1 hour.

Ham Dumplings:

1. Remove ham bone from broth to cool. Remove onion if desired (I usually leave it).
2. Add 1 teaspoon ham bullion or salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Taste for seasoning then add more to taste if needed. This is when we need to make the broth taste like we want the finished dish to taste.
3. Once cool enough to handle, trim all the meat from the ham bone then add back to broth.
4. When dumplings have rested 1 hour, heat broth over high heat until slowing boiling.
5. Working quickly, add dumplings, one at a time, to boiling broth. Add dumplings on opposite sides of the pot so they don't stick to each other.
6. Once all dumplings have been added to the pot, turn off heat then let pot rest, uncovered, 5 minutes or until dumplings are tender.

Notes

• Use a leftover ham bone after most meat has been trimmed. You can also use 2 large ham hocks.
• You can use chicken broth instead of water and bullion.
• I love to add ham bullion (Goya makes a great one) but plain salt or chicken bullion is fine too. 
• The amount of bullion or salt you need is determined by how salty the ham is. I've needed to add as much a 4 teaspoons to get mine salty enough and other times I've hardly needed to add anything at all. 
• You can use shortening instead of butter in the dumplings. I typically use butter to add more flavor.
• Be very generous with the flour when rolling the dumplings. They are prone to stick when rolled this thinly AND the residual flour helps to thicken the broth.
• Other questions have likely been addressed in the post above the recipe card.

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dinner, main dish

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