Pick through the beans to remove any foreign objects, like small stones.

Add the beans to a colander and rinse them well with cold water and let drain.

For the Overnight method: Add the white beans to a pot. Cover the beans with 3-4 cups of water. Let the beans soak overnight. Drain the water completely and rinse the beans well with fresh, cold water and drain.

For the Quick soaking method: Add the beans and 6-8 cups of water to a large pot. Place the pot over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Boil the beans for 2 minutes, then remove them from the heat, cover and allow them to soak for one hour. Drain and rinse the beans well.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the onions and carrots. Cook the vegetables for 3 - 4 minutes, stirring frequently until the onions become translucent and start to soften.

Add the garlic, dried oregano and cumin to the pot. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.

Sprinkle the beef with ½ teaspoon of salt.

Add the beef and chorizo to the pot. Cook the meat for 5 minutes, until the beef is brown. Stir and turn the beef pieces occasionally to brown on all sides.

Add the chicken broth, water and bay leaf to the pot. Stir to combine the ingredients well, while gently scrapping any bits off the bottom of the pot.

Add the ham shank/hocks and white beans to the soup. Raise the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil; it will take about 10 minutes.

Once boiling, lower the heat to medium, cover and cook for 20 - 25 minutes. Keep the liquid boiling, but not too vigorously. Lower or raise the heat as needed.

Set the ham on a cutting board and allow it to cool.

Continue cooking the beans, covered and on medium heat while you chop the ham.

When the ham is cool enough to handle, remove the skin, fat and bone. Chop the remaining meat and add it back to the soup. Discard the skin, fat and bone.

Cover the pot and cook the soup for approximately 45 - 60 minutes, or until the beans are just about tender. Stir the soup occasionally, more often as it starts to thicken so that the ingredients don’t stick and burn on the bottom.

Add the potatoes and chard to the white bean soup. If you had the potatoes in water remember to drain them before adding them to the soup.

Continue cooking the soup for 15-17 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the chard is wilted.

Stir the soup more often from this point forward, as it should be thickening.

Taste the Cuban white bean soup and add salt to taste if needed. As a reference we added 1½ teaspoon to ours.