French Canadian
Boiled Dinner
A humble, deeply satisfying slow cooker dinner that practically makes itself. A ham shank slow cooks all day with carrots, fresh green beans, garlic, and onion in a light broth — filling the house with an incredible smell and producing tender, falling-apart meat and vegetables that taste like something your grandmother made. Set it before work and come home to dinner done.
- 3 lb ham shank or bone-in pork shoulder
- 1 lb carrots, cut into 3-inch pieces
- 1 lb fresh green beans, ends trimmed
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 small yellow onion, quartered
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tsp black pepper
- — Dijon mustard, to serve (optional)
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1
Layer the slow cooker
Place the ham shank or pork shoulder in the bottom of the slow cooker. Tuck the quartered onion and smashed garlic cloves around the ham. Layer the carrot pieces and trimmed green beans over and around the meat. Add the bay leaves and black pepper. Pour the chicken broth over everything. No additional salt is needed — the ham will season the broth beautifully as it cooks.
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2
Slow cook
Cover and cook on low for 7 hours. The low, gentle heat is what makes the ham fall-apart tender and allows all the flavors to develop slowly into a deeply savory broth.
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3
Remove the bone & break apart the ham
In the last hour of cooking, carefully remove the ham bone — it should slide right out at this point. Use two forks to pull the ham apart into generous chunks, discarding any large pieces of fat. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Gently stir everything together, cover, and continue cooking on low for the final hour.
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4
Serve
Ladle generous portions of ham, vegetables, and a spoonful of the cooking broth into bowls. The broth is light and deeply flavorful — don't skip it. Serve with a small ramekin of Dijon mustard on the side for dipping if desired.
- Don't add extra salt: Ham shanks and bone-in pork shoulders are naturally salty — the meat will season the entire broth as it cooks. Taste before serving and only add salt if truly needed.
- The broth is the bonus: The cooking liquid transforms into a light, deeply savory ham broth over 8 hours — ladle it generously over each serving. It's one of the best parts of this dish.
- Low and slow always: This recipe is designed for low heat over 8 hours — cooking on high will get you to the finish line faster but the texture won't be the same. The long, gentle cook is what makes the ham fall apart beautifully.
- Dijon mustard is the classic pairing: A traditional accompaniment to boiled ham dinners — the sharp, tangy mustard cuts through the richness of the pork beautifully.
- Leftovers: Store in the fridge for up to 4 days with the broth — the flavors deepen overnight and it reheats beautifully on the stovetop or in the microwave.