# Will a ham fall off the bone if simmered long enough? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [November 25, 2022, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-ham-fall-off-the-bone-if-simmered-long-enough/975536 "2022-11-25T17:13:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2022, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-ham-fall-off-the-bone-if-simmered-long-enough/975536/1 "2022-11-25T17:13:56Z")
I have a big ham bone left over from TG. It’s got a considerable amount of meat left on it. I was going to throw it in a crock pot along with some navy beans and chopped veggies and make a nice navy bean soup. So should I shave the meat off? Or not necessary? Thanks. I ask bc I got shaky hands and hate knife work for obvious reasons. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2022, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-ham-fall-off-the-bone-if-simmered-long-enough/975536/2 "2022-11-25T17:26:38Z")
It’ll fall off eventually, but mostly as a couple of large chunks along the natural boundaries between the muscles. Which is not ideal for soup. All else equal, cutting the majority of the meat off first will produce a better soup quicker, leaving the hard-to-get shreds still attached to fall off on their own. All else is _not_ equal in your case. Whether that matters enough to you is your call. In my own case, I don’t have a problem with knife work but I am an impatient cook. So I tend to hack off the big easy clods, chop them up a bit more on the cutting board & call it “close enough good enough.” Then the big bones & remaining attached meat goes into the soup pot or the stock pot. Right now I’m procrastinating before employing that very technique on the surviving half of a mongo turkey. Some disassembly required. 🙂 Good luck & be careful. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2022, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-ham-fall-off-the-bone-if-simmered-long-enough/975536/3 "2022-11-25T17:30:13Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > It’ll fall off eventually Yeah, I’m a lazy cook. I fish it out about 3/4 of the way through and do a quick scrape. I prefer a dutch oven on the stove top to the crock pot. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2022, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-ham-fall-off-the-bone-if-simmered-long-enough/975536/4 "2022-11-25T17:41:28Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > Yeah, I’m a lazy cook. I fish it out about 3/4 of the way through and do a quick scrape. I prefer a dutch oven on the stove top to the crock pot. I was going to suggest the above (except I’m in the slow cooker not dutch over group) - several hours in, fish it out, let it cool, and you’ll be able to scrape all the meat off with a butter knife, minimal risk. If you want a finer option, I wonder if you’d consider a mini-food processor? Inexpensive, and while I admit the small ones are harder to use with shaky hands, is possibly a good compromise. Even if not, by scraping the bone, you’ll break it down to smaller pieces yet and depending on how long you cook, smaller still. I wouldn’t want to over work the meat while in the crock though, because of damage to the lovely beans. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2022, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-ham-fall-off-the-bone-if-simmered-long-enough/975536/5 "2022-11-25T18:34:54Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > consider a mini-food processor? Inexpensive, and while I admit the small ones are harder to use with shaky hands, is possibly a good compromise. I think they are wonderful, but I have to find all the pieces and put it together, Then I always get the interlock backwards, have to figure that out. I push the button and it goes brapppp for a couple of seconds and it’s done. Then I have to take it apart and clean everything. I agree that’s probably the correct tool but I really am a lazy cook. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2022, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-ham-fall-off-the-bone-if-simmered-long-enough/975536/6 "2022-11-25T18:51:32Z")
I hadn’t considered the finicky nature of most min processors, but yeah, that can be a pain especially given the OP’s statements. And they can be a bit of a pain to clean. An alternate option might be a manual processor like > **[Amazon.com: Zyliss Zick Zick Classic Food Chopper - Manual Food Chopper - Onion,...](https://www.amazon.com/ZYLISS-Zick-Zick-Classic-Food-Chopper/dp/B078YP917M)** > > Amazon.com: Zyliss Zick Zick Classic Food Chopper - Manual Food Chopper - Onion, Tomato and Vegetable Cutter - Stainless Steel Kitchen Accessories - Dishwasher Safe Food Dicer - White, 9" : Everything Else Put food in, turn top to close, press repeatedly to chop, rinse clean and dishwasher safe. And since it isn’t powered, you can use it wherever you can use it most easily or have best light. Still, it is another piece of kitchen equipment you have to store. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2022, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-ham-fall-off-the-bone-if-simmered-long-enough/975536/7 "2022-11-25T19:18:12Z")
A few years ago I bought an “As seen on TV” version of that Zyliss manual mini chopper. It was a different overall shape but was otherwise functionally the same idea with the same style of zig-zag blade. It turned out to be a useless piece of garbage that was a) ineffective, b) impossible to sharpen, and c) difficult to clean. In general I consider Zyliss a reputable mainstream brand, albeit with a few gimmicks amongst their solid performers. I can’t vouch for or against this specific chopper, but I am casting a jaundiced eye its way. YMMV of course. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2022, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-ham-fall-off-the-bone-if-simmered-long-enough/975536/8 "2022-11-25T21:29:11Z")
Hmmm. I have no direct experience with such things, since I normally use either the full sized food processor, the mini, or a stick blender, when I’m not using the knife. Since the last isn’t a safe or comfortable option for @Grrr, our OP, and for small batches a full sized processor is a pain to use and clean, I’ll keep trying to come up with alternatives. But yeah, the various ‘slap-chop’ variants and commercials for such didn’t look super appealing or efficient, and glad to hear from someone who has had first hand experience with such things. The last I can think of, which is safer than knife work, but probably still too much for the described issues would be a **good** pair of cooking shears. Scrape the meat off the bone as described, and cut it into smaller pieces. With emphasis on best in kind, comfortable grips and dishwasher safe cleanup. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2022, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-ham-fall-off-the-bone-if-simmered-long-enough/975536/9 "2022-11-25T21:44:26Z")
I appreciate **LSLGuy** typing that out so I didn’t have to. The part about the ham, not the turkey. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2022, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-ham-fall-off-the-bone-if-simmered-long-enough/975536/10 "2022-11-26T00:35:46Z")
If you leave the bones in long enough the bones will fall apart too. (IE, the end of the femur and the femur itself are not a single bone. And it’s not the cartilage, there’s a hemispherical bone that caps the femur.)