# HeMan Soup



## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

Decide yesterday to make a batch of HeMan soup, this was taken from a recipe of my moms. Don't know how it got it's name, as the recipe is way older than the comic book character.

The ingredients include bacon, hamburger, onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, rice, tomato paste, black pepper, salt{can be left out}, and tomato paste. I also add a little bit of garlic powder myself.

start by frying the bacon, I like it very crisp, then crumble it, then in the bacon grease brown the hamburger { i also brown some onion along with the hamburger} and drain off the grease

than cut up the carrots, celery, potatoes, and more onion.   add water to a large pot, dump in all the ingredients and simmer until the vegetables are as tender or chewy as you like them. i like them very soft myself.

in the pictures of the soup the celery is hard to see as i didn't have quite as much as i would have liked, so i did add in some celery seed.

not much for smoking in this meal, except i had ground up some leftover pork roast that i had smoked for a short time and made that into sandwich meat with pickles and miracle whip. i forgot to get a picture of the sandwich i made with that.

 it is very much a comfort food to me and being it was only in the single digits outside yesterday I enjoyed it alot!  also took in a portion to my folks who live about 5 miles away and they loved it too.  thanks for looking!


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## Steve H (Dec 18, 2022)

Looks really good! Don't believe I've had anything like this before. But the closest was perhaps minestrone soup. Bookmarked!


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## Smoking Allowed (Dec 18, 2022)

Looks like a great, hearty soup for a cold day or any day for that matter


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## JLeonard (Dec 18, 2022)

Wouldnt mind a big bowl of that with a slab of cornbread. Esp with the 26 degrees it is right now.

Jim


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## gmc2003 (Dec 18, 2022)

Looks really good from here bern. I've never eaten it before, but one of my friends moms growing up would make something very similar. 

Point for sure
Chris


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## normanaj (Dec 18, 2022)

I could definitely go for a bowl of that!


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## GonnaSmoke (Dec 18, 2022)

Well alrighty then, that's looking really good!!


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## BrianGSDTexoma (Dec 18, 2022)

Looks delicious!


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

Steve H said:


> Looks really good! Don't believe I've had anything like this before. But the closest was perhaps minestrone soup. Bookmarked!


thanks Steve! seems like the older i get the more i enjoy it!


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

Smoking Allowed said:


> Looks like a great, hearty soup for a cold day or any day for that matter


thanks, yes i admit i have made this in warm weather also and enjoy it then too!


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

JLeonard said:


> Wouldnt mind a big bowl of that with a slab of cornbread. Esp with the 26 degrees it is right now.
> 
> Jim


thank you Jim!  wow your cornbread idea sure sounds good right now!


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

gmc2003 said:


> Looks really good from here bern. I've never eaten it before, but one of my friends moms growing up would make something very similar.
> 
> Point for sure
> Chris


thanks Chris! yep, definitely a "mom" recipe!


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

normanaj said:


> I could definitely go for a bowl of that!


thank you, my problem is i don't stop with just one


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

GonnaSmoke said:


> Well alrighty then, that's looking really good!!





BrianGSDTexoma said:


> Looks delicious!


thank you GonnaSmoke and Brian, appreciate it!


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## chopsaw (Dec 18, 2022)

Nice 

 tbern
 . I can taste it . That's a Midwest staple in my opinion  . 
We call it " Homemade soup " , and if someone says soup in my house , that's what they mean . We use egg noodles in ours , and no bacon . 
You have me wanting some now . So good . 
Nice post bud . Next time I make it I'll add my version .


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

chopsaw said:


> Nice
> 
> tbern
> . I can taste it . That's a Midwest staple in my opinion  .
> ...


thanks chopsaw!  the egg noodles sound really good too!  looking forward to seeing your version!


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## chopsaw (Dec 18, 2022)

tbern said:


> looking forward to seeing your version!


Like you say , can't stop eating it .


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## DRKsmoking (Dec 18, 2022)

Very nice 

 tbern
 , love homemade soups and stews and this is right up there.

I can see this as a main base for I of ours very soon

Thanks for posting

David


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

DRKsmoking said:


> Very nice
> 
> tbern
> , love homemade soups and stews and this is right up there.
> ...


thanks for your kind words David!! appreciate it a lot


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## tx smoker (Dec 18, 2022)

That looks and sounds fantastic!! There sure has been a run recently on comfort food threads, and this is yet another in a great line-up of spectacular food. Thanks very much for posting this. It's right up my alley!!

Robert


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## tx smoker (Dec 18, 2022)

tbern said:


> add water to a large pot


Going back to write everything down, these are the only changes I would make. Instead of water I'd use beef broth and ILO salt, I'd use a dollop of BTB beef base.  Outside of that, I love this concept and plan to keep it the same.

Robert


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## sawhorseray (Dec 18, 2022)

Boy howdy, that soup would warm you up fast on a cold nippy day! Nice job on bringing some over to your folks too, bet they were pretty darned happy with their boy. RAY


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## 6GRILLZNTN (Dec 18, 2022)

That is truly comfort food for sure.  It looks awesome.  I'm with Jim in that some cornbread would be great with that.

Dave


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

tx smoker said:


> That looks and sounds fantastic!! There sure has been a run recently on comfort food threads, and this is yet another in a great line-up of spectacular food. Thanks very much for posting this. It's right up my alley!!
> 
> Robert


thanks Robert!!  yes so many excellent comfort food threads and i enjoy them all!!


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

tx smoker said:


> Going back to write everything down, these are the only changes I would make. Instead of water I'd use beef broth and ILO salt, I'd use a dollop of BTB beef base.  Outside of that, I love this concept and plan to keep it the same.
> 
> Robert


Robert, so many different options to go with this, and I like your ideas too!  thanks for sharing !


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

sawhorseray said:


> Boy howdy, that soup would warm you up fast on a cold nippy day! Nice job on bringing some over to your folks too, bet they were pretty darned happy with their boy. RAY


thank you Ray!!  doesn't hurt to do something nice this time of year to try and get back on Santa's nice list.......


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

6GRILLZNTN said:


> That is truly comfort food for sure.  It looks awesome.  I'm with Jim in that some cornbread would be great with that.
> 
> Dave


thanks Dave! yep, loving that cornbread idea more and more!!


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## chopsaw (Dec 18, 2022)

tbern said:


> Robert, so many different options to go with this, and I like your ideas too! thanks for sharing !


Yes , but ,,,,,, the tomato / water base is what makes it what it is . 
Adding beef broth gives you something else . 
Not trying to steal your thread bern , but you can feel me on this . I've been eating this style of soup my whole life . It's so good done as is .


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

chopsaw said:


> Yes , but ,,,,,, the tomato / water base is what makes it what it is .
> Adding beef broth gives you something else .
> Not trying to steal your thread bern , but you can feel me on this . I've been eating this style of soup my whole life . It's so good done as is .


i also make a version like you are speaking with the beef broth instead of the water/tomato paste base. i like to use stew meat if i have it on hand or hamburger again if not. i will add barley into the list of ingredients with it too and sometimes cabbage also.
  i have a habit of rarely making  things the exact same way twice in a row, which can be both good and bad i suppose.


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## indaswamp (Dec 18, 2022)

Nice soup! Definitely soup weather across much of the US right now too!!


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

indaswamp said:


> Nice soup! Definitely soup weather across much of the US right now too!!


indaswamp, thanks a lot! definitely looking like soup weather for quite some time to come!


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## Brokenhandle (Dec 18, 2022)

Looks and sounds delicious! Yesterday was a great soup making and eating day! It didn't happen and wasn't cornbread but some homemade rolls were mentioned at our house yesterday!
I'm just curious...can we trade with 

 JLeonard
  chilly 26 degrees?   

Ryan


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

thanks Ryan!  oh man, homemade rolls sound so good too!!  lol, would love to get the 26* temps. with some sunshine maybe it would get some of the horrible ice off the powerlines and trees that we got from the ice storm last tuesday.   it looked like a tornado went threw everybodys farms or towns with all the big limbs and branches down.


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## gmc2003 (Dec 18, 2022)

Population 650,000
Power outages: 60,000+
Snow accumulation: 6" of wet heavy snow. Not sure about the southern part of the state.
Casualties: My ten year old snow blower bit the dust.

We missed most of this Nor'easter in Northern VT, but the mid and southern parts of our state got hammered with heavy wet snow. A good hearty soup was welcome in a lot of households.

Chris


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## Cody_Mack (Dec 18, 2022)

Wifey makes hamburger soup several times per year...doesn't have to be cold outside either for us....heck it don't get that cold here anyway...Ha!


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## JLeonard (Dec 18, 2022)

Brokenhandle
  But...But...But you got to understand we southerns aint as hardy as you northen folk. It gets close to freezing and we get miserable! LOL!
Jim


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## smokeymose (Dec 18, 2022)

I like this!! Kind of like a stew using ground meat. I've never had anything like it, but now I have another bookmark LOL! I made Haluska (Cabbage & Noodles) yesterday, which also uses bacon and plan on trying this. I'm going to have to make more bacon soon. I seem to be running low :-(
Yep, we're into the time of year that food like this is made for. It was 20 when I got up and it's all the way up to 24 now and I'm not stepping foot out of the house....


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## Brokenhandle (Dec 18, 2022)

JLeonard said:


> Brokenhandle
> But...But...But you got to understand we southerns aint as hardy as you northen folk. It gets close to freezing and we get miserable! LOL!
> Jim


We aren't all thar tough either Jim...just add about 10 pounds of heavy coats and coveralls! Sadly it's 9 degrees out, sunny and no wind...feels pretty nice out!

Ryan


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

gmc2003 said:


> Population 650,000
> Power outages: 60,000+
> Snow accumulation: 6" of wet heavy snow. Not sure about the southern part of the state.
> Casualties: My ten year old snow blower bit the dust.
> ...


Sorry about your snowblower, time for a Christmas present to yourself maybe??
Power outages are never good! By some miracle, we didn't lose power with all the ice and winds! Won't be happy till all the ice falls off the lines though.


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

Cody_Mack said:


> Wifey makes hamburger soup several times per year...doesn't have to be cold outside either for us....heck it don't get that cold here anyway...Ha!


Totally agree, enjoy soup or stews or chili all year long!


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## JLeonard (Dec 18, 2022)

Yikes! They are predicting 70% chance of wintery mix Thursday night with lows in the single digits that night with a high Friday of like 22. 
Jim


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

smokeymose said:


> I like this!! Kind of like a stew using ground meat. I've never had anything like it, but now I have another bookmark LOL! I made Haluska (Cabbage & Noodles) yesterday, which also uses bacon and plan on trying this. I'm going to have to make more bacon soon. I seem to be running low :-(
> Yep, we're into the time of year that food like this is made for. It was 20 when I got up and it's all the way up to 24 now and I'm not stepping foot out of the house....


Thanks smokeymose! Your Haluska sounds delicious!! And never have enough bacon!


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

JLeonard said:


> Yikes! They are predicting 70% chance of wintery mix Thursday night with lows in the single digits that night with a high Friday of like 22.
> Jim


Sure hope you can somehow miss out on any ice Jim!


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## SecondHandSmoker (Dec 18, 2022)

tbern

That is a hearty soup for cold weather that will stick to your bones.  It sure does remind me of some of the Depression era meals that my mother would make.  

Stu


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

Thank you Stu! Agree, and it is a favorite comfort food of mine!


SecondHandSmoker said:


> tbern
> 
> That is a hearty soup for cold weather that will stick to your bones.  It sure does remind me of some of the Depression era meals that my mother would make.
> 
> Stu


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## tx smoker (Dec 18, 2022)

Chilly, overcast, and overall a pretty yucky day in Central Texas. Got my batch of this on the stove and starting now. Will update as it comes together.

Robert


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

tx smoker said:


> Chilly, overcast, and overall a pretty yucky day in Central Texas. Got my batch of this on the stove and starting now. Will update as it comes together.
> 
> Robert


Sounds good!!


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## jcam222 (Dec 18, 2022)

That’s a mama soup for sure and I’d love a bowl.


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

jcam222 said:


> That’s a mama soup for sure and I’d love a bowl.


Thanks for your kind words!


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## tx smoker (Dec 18, 2022)

Alrighty then. It's going full bore now. House smells amazing!! You can smell the bacon simmering, the tomatoes, and seasonings. Kinda makes you want to curl up on the couch with a Hot Totty and a good book....or your pretty wife   


chopsaw said:


> Yes , but ,,,,,, the tomato / water base is what makes it what it is .
> Adding beef broth gives you something else .


Being that you are a person I trust and have the utmost respect for, I took your words to heart. Used water instead of the beef broth. Having tasted it, I gotta say I absolutely love the deep, rich, tomato flavors. I can only think that the beef broth would negate some of that. Thanks so much for the sage advice!!!


tbern said:


> Sounds good!!


Thanks. Smells and tastes pretty darned good too  I had to make a couple of audibles though. First one was to use the big Dutch Oven. Only thing I had large enough for this. Only had 2 cans of tomato paste so used those and a small can of tomato sauce. Shouldn't change much of anything I wouldn't think. Also, after I got it all put together and it started simmering, I could tell it wasn't gonna have the depth of flavor or richness that we enjoy. Added just a touch of coriander, cumin, and smoked paprika. Man oh man did that make a difference!! Brought it all to life without changing the flavor profile in the least. In closing, at least for now, I will say this meal is 100% legit. I know it has a ways to go yet but I'll tell you now, I know we are gonna love this!! Thankyou once again 

 tbern
 for posting this. A little sneak peek:







Robert


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

tx smoker said:


> Alrighty then. It's going full bore now. House smells amazing!! You can smell the bacon simmering, the tomatoes, and seasonings. Kinda makes you want to curl up on the couch with a Hot Totty and a good book....or your pretty wife
> 
> Being that you are a person I trust and have the utmost respect for, I took your words to heart. Used water instead of the beef broth. Having tasted it, I gotta say I absolutely love the deep, rich, tomato flavors. I can only think that the beef broth would negate some of that. Thanks so much for the sage advice!!!
> 
> ...


Robert your words are most kind!! Yours is looking so good!!! Your added spices of coriander, cumin , and smoked paprika have intrigued me, as I like all 3 of those!  Should make a great supper for you tonight!


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## tx smoker (Dec 18, 2022)

tbern said:


> Robert your words are most kind!!


Well sir, that is what this forum is all about. Let's face it, you've replied positively to a lot of my threads. The least I can do is jump into one of yours and make some factual statements 

Ok....been simmering a couple hours now. Flavors did develop quite a bit but still needed a bit more depth. Just a tad more coriander, cumin, paprika, and a dash of kosher salt. We have now attained soup perfection    My original plan was to use some of my beef belly bacon but thought about it and changed my mind. Couldn't help but think that the pork bacon brought something to the party that was intended to be there. Went with a pack of my homemade pepper crusted bacon. Wow!! The smokiness of the bacon is really starting to develop in the soup and it is fantastic. I'm almost thinking of not adding rice, noodles, or anything else because this stuff is so good as it is. If I do put something in, it'll be orzo. That stuff just has so much more flavor than rice and a nice texture. Will need to add more water though if any of the above are added.

Robert


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

Had to look up what Orzo was as I had never heard of it (I live a sheltered life). It sounds very good!!


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## chopsaw (Dec 18, 2022)

tx smoker said:


> Being that you are a person I trust and have the utmost respect for, I took your words to heart. Used water instead of the beef broth.


My childhood was ready to be ruined one Tbls at a time . Lol . 
My Mom , ( and now myself ) use 2 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce then use the cans to top off a 6 qt dutch oven . Always stew beef for the meat .


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## Brewandque (Dec 18, 2022)

Looks really good. My mom used to make something called autumn soup. This looks very similar.  That recipe had all the same ingredients except for the bacon.


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

Brewandque said:


> Looks really good. My mom used to make something called autumn soup. This looks very similar.  That recipe had all the same ingredients except for the bacon.


Yes, truly believe this is a mom recipe and it's tweaked in many different ways, but all ways are very good!


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## Hijack73 (Dec 18, 2022)

Hell yeah 

 tbern
  - now I have a name for the hamburger soup I've been making for years lol.  I have never added bacon but that's my fault.

Last time I made it I used a box of beef rice a roni instead of plain rice.  It was a hit.


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

Hijack73 said:


> Hell yeah
> 
> tbern
> - now I have a name for the hamburger soup I've been making for years lol.  I have never added bacon but that's my fault.
> ...


Lol, yeah its a fitting name for it. Give the bacon a try, I think it adds a lot to the finished taste! Your rice a roni  idea sounds very good too!!


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## xray (Dec 18, 2022)

That soup looks absolutely delicious 

 tbern
 , and I know exactly how that tastes! There's a similar soup my grandmother would make for us, minus the bacon. We called it Goulash soup (I know, I know... it's not the real thing before someone corrects me) We do a lot of soups around here and this one gets made every winter.


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

xray said:


> That soup looks absolutely delicious
> 
> tbern
> , and I know exactly how that tastes! There's a similar soup my grandmother would make for us, minus the bacon. We called it Goulash soup (I know, I know... it's not the real thing before someone corrects me) We do a lot of soups around here and this one gets made every winter.


Thanks xray! Nothing wrong with your name of goulash, no matter what everyone calls it, it's great comfort food to enjoy!


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## bauchjw (Dec 18, 2022)

Looks awesome, absolute comfort food! Great thread and amazing looking soup! Points!


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

bauchjw said:


> Looks awesome, absolute comfort food! Great thread and amazing looking soup! Points!


Thanks for your very kind words bauchjw, appreciate it a lot!


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## Fueling Around (Dec 18, 2022)

That is a hearty soup and pretty easy to see where it got the name.
Never had hamburger soup growing up that I recall.
Now hamburger hotdish I got at home, church suppers, and school. Same concept just much thicker to serve on a plate instead of a bowl.
All great comfort food.
Well done.  



tbern said:


> ...
> not much for smoking in this meal, except i had ground up some leftover pork roast that i had smoked for a short time and made that into sandwich meat with pickles and miracle whip. i forgot to get a picture of the sandwich i made with that.
> ...


I have tried using smoked meat in soups including smoked meatballs in my version of minestrone and I just don't care for the flavor.  I think it violates my comfort food rules.
I only like a bit of smoked meat flavor in chili, too.


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## tbern (Dec 18, 2022)

Fueling Around said:


> That is a hearty soup and pretty easy to see where it got the name.
> Never had hamburger soup growing up that I recall.
> Now hamburger hotdish I got at home, church suppers, and school. Same concept just much thicker to serve on a plate instead of a bowl.
> All great comfort food.
> ...


Thanks John! Lol, I love hamburger hot dish too. Another Minnesota/Midwest staple.
Yes, no smoked meat in the soup,except for the store bought bacon, just in the sandwich meat I had with it.


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## tbern (Dec 19, 2022)

wanted to say thank you to all of you who gave me likes on this post!  very kind and i appreciate all of your comments and ideas!


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## dr rat (Dec 19, 2022)

Looks Great 
In for a bowl..........or 2
Mike


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## tbern (Dec 19, 2022)

dr rat said:


> Looks Great
> In for a bowl..........or 2
> Mike


Thanks Mike, appreciate it!  Yep, hard to stop with just one!


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## tx smoker (Dec 19, 2022)

Man oh man, you have gotten a lot of traction with this thread, and understandable so.

I decided to add 1/2 cup of orzo about 30 minutes before we were ready to eat. We love that stuff!!

All done and the sloppy pot shot.







A big bowl full garnished with parsley and served with some cheesy garlic toast.






And of course the close up shot.






Man this stuff was good!! Hearty, filling, and true comfort food to warm the soul.

Robert


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## tbern (Dec 19, 2022)

Robert, yours looks amazing and delicious!! Thanks for sharing it!


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## tx smoker (Dec 19, 2022)

tbern said:


> Robert, yours looks amazing and delicious!! Thanks for sharing it!


I appreciate the kind words and the accolades but it is me who should be thanking you. That stuff is amazing and I'd have never made it if you had not done the thread.

Robert


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## dr rat (Dec 19, 2022)

You guys need to stop
I'm starving 
to tired to cook tonight and no good leftovers
Mike


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## chopsaw (Dec 20, 2022)

tx smoker said:


> Man this stuff was good!!


You nailed the broth . I can taste that one too . Bad weather rolling in so I'll be doing it sometime this week . 



 tbern
  I agree . Great thread .


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## tbern (Dec 20, 2022)

thank you tx smoker and chopsaw!


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## tbern (Dec 23, 2022)

thanks JC for the like!


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