Ham Fat Rolls

Ham fat rolls? Whoever heard of them? Well, I happened to grow up eating them, and are they ever GOOD!! This is a recipe my mom made that we kids loved, and of course I had to carry on with my own children.

Whenever you have a baked or boiled ham, you need to remember three things: save the bone with any meat on it, save the drippings and gummy goodness on the bottom of the baking pan, and save the fat! Set the bone aside in a freezer bag, and save the fat in a freezer bag separately. Use a spatula to scrape the flavorful  pan drippings into a freezer bag also. This can be used to flavor soups and you will love how they turn out. Nothing is ever wasted!

So, first you want to make your dinner roll dough. You’ll add the sugar to the warm water, and then the yeast. After about 5-10 minutes, add the melted butter, flour, salt, and dry milk. Stir well with wooden spoon. Knead on floured surface for about 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, flipping so top is greased, and cover with a kitchen towel.

While it is rising in a warm place (oven, back of stove, etc.), mince the onion, ham, and ham fat. I usually use any ham that happens to be with the fat I’ve saved and frozen, or I may use some turkey ham, which I usually keep on hand. I buy a 5 lb. turkey ham once a month for various recipes and meals.

Sauté the minced onion, ham, and ham fat in a skillet.

When browned and tender, remove from heat and cool a few minutes.

The dinner roll dough will be doubled in 45-60 minutes. Punch down and then knead for about 10 minutes. Using a knife, divide dough into 12 equal pieces. To do this, cut the dough in half. Cut each half in half again. Then cut each of those four doughs into three equal pieces.

Take the finished and cooled ham fat, ham, and onions, and separate into 12 equal piles. They will probably be about a teaspoon each. Take a piece of dough, flatten slightly, and place a pile of ham fat/onion into the middle of it.

Fold the outer edges of the dough over the pile of ham fat/onion, enclosing it all.

Place the filled rolls into a greased 7 X 9” pan. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a slightly warm place again, about 30-40 minutes.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes in a 350° oven, till browned on top.

Serve while still warm, with butter if you’d like. Enjoy! ~TMMF




Ham Fat Rolls                  

dinner roll recipe
1/4 c. minced ham fat
1/4 c. minced ham
1/4 c. minced Vidalia onions

Dinner Rolls

1 c. warm (80°) water
3 Tbl. Sugar
2 tsp. yeast
3 Tbl. Melted butter
3 c. flour
2-3 Tbl. Dry milk
2 tsp. salt