My Wal Mart sells packs of spiral ham scraps for like nothing per pound. I like to smoke them and then use them in soup or bean recipes. Today, I'm making red beans & rice with smoked ham pieces.
My local smokehouse sells bacon ends and pieces for a very low price. I try to keep a pound or two in the freezer for all kinds of recipes that call for ham or bacon.
I keep a pkg of the spiral ham pieces on hand all the time. The only problem I have is that most times it is very salty. I try to use it with other food so the salt does double duty.
Just finished my second bowl and it was delicious! I used the Zartarains Red beans seasoning and simmered the beans all afternoon. I really loved the Zartarains flavor.
I buy smoked turkey legs. They have a whole lot of meat on them for the soup. Enough meat, you could also have enough left to make some turkey salad, that tastes a whole lot like ham salad.
when my youngest worked for them before he went in to the Army, he would call me when they had meat marked down. I'm talking 20 or 25 cents a pound for this meat. and not just ham but hamburger and steaks and some pork. freeze it and it hasn't killed me yet.
I buy boneless pork ribs when they are on sale, about $1-$1.50 a pound, and smoke them. I then freeze them and use them in beans. They tend to pull themselves when cooked again and a little goes a long way. I also like ham sometimes and I'll have to check out my Walmart for the ham pieces.