Country Ham Potlikker

Potlikker (or “pot liquor”) is the brothy, nutrient-dense liquid gold traditionally left behind after boiling greens and beans. An ingredient whose use sheds light on the complex racialized history of Southern cooking, potlikker was once valued only by diligent enslaved Africans who saved the nourishing broth for their families after cooking greens. Chef Carla Hall, for whom potlikker was an essential element of her childhood, switches up the order, making potlikker from scratch to use as an ultra-concentrated broth—for Hall, that’s often the first step in imbuing a dish with layers of meaty flavor. Here she makes potlikker with dry-cured country ham. If you can’t find country ham, smoked ham hocks will bring similar intensity.

Use this potlikker as a base for Hall’s Bean and Vegetable Salad With Potlikker Vinaigrette, her Smothered Pork Chops in Potlikker Gravy, or any dish that would benefit from a rich, meaty broth.