Fresh Unsmoked Ham Hocks (2024)

FAQs

Can you buy non smoked ham hocks? ›

avg. 1.75 lb. Slow cooked Pastured Ham Hock gives a soup or stew tremendous flavor.

A ham hock, or pork knuckle, is the joint that attaches a pig's foot to its leg. While a hock is not technically an ankle, its anatomical location corresponds to that of a human ankle or lower calf region. Ham hocks are not to be confused with the pig's shank (shin) or trotter (foot).

Both pork knuckles and ham hocks are from the shank part of the pig's leg, that is the section between the knee and the ankle/top of the trotter. Generally it is known as a pork knuckle or pork hock if it is fresh and uncured, and as a ham hock if it is cured.

If you're in the market for ham hocks, you get to choose from raw or smoked and cured varieties. While cured or smoked ham hocks can be incorporated into any dish without further preparation, raw ham hocks need to be properly cooked before they're safe for serving.

Hams can be fresh, cured or cured-and-smoked. The term ham refers to the cured leg of pork. A fresh ham would be an uncured leg of pork. The fresh ham will have the term “fresh” in the title of the product.

Ham Hock Substitutes

If you can't get your hands on ham hocks, or are in a cooking pinch, you can use bacon, pancetta, guanciale, or smoked pork sausage in place of them. You can also use other parts of the pig that are packed with flavor but less prized like jowl bacon, pig trotter (the feet), or the ears.

A ham hock, sometimes called pork knuckle, is the joint between the tibia and fibula and the metatarsals of a pig's foot where the foot was attached to the hog's leg.

The nutritional benefits of ham hock

Ham hock is high in protein, but also brings with it a share of fat, saturated fat, so should therefore be eaten in moderation. In terms of minerals, ham hock also contains sodium and potassium.

Ham hocks are inexpensive, thick cuts of leg meat that can be cooked and used in a variety of ways. They can be smoked for a flavorful option, roasted in the oven until crispy, or boiled on the stove.

Ham hocks can be cooked separately or braised in the dish provided enough time is allotted for the connective tissue to break down. The meat can then be picked off the bones and removed from the skin, but the skin is delicious too, if cooked long enough.

Should ham hock be soaked before cooking? ›

meat in a ham hock that is very tasty, but there is also a lot of high quality fat, collagen and cartilage that melt away and add lip-smacking savoriness to your dish. Ham hocks are usually sold pre-cooked, and often smoked. If you get a smoked hock you may want to soak it overnight to get rid of some of the saltiness.

Use braised, smoked, or raw ham hocks to make a delicious comforting dish with wonderfully tender meat and fantastic flavor. The key to phenomenal ham hocks is to crisp them up then let them braise in broth in the oven for a few hours. The result will be perfectly cooked ham hocks every time.

Ham hocks are smoked, and require a lot of cooking to make them palatable as a stand-alone dish; they are not often served on their own but instead are used as an ingredient to enhance soups, stock, and pots of beans, adding a smoky, meaty, and rich essence.

Using a smoked ham hock, like usual, and I always just add the skin and blend it all. Why remove the skin? It just adds more body to the soup and tastes fine.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine ham hocks, onions, garlic, and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook at a bare simmer until hocks are very tender, 2 to 3 hours. Remove ham hocks from liquid, transfer to a cutting board, and pull bones from meaty and fatty parts.

Most ham shanks are cured and smoked already so you still get some of that great smoke flavor.

Ham hocks are usually sold pre-cooked, and often smoked. If you get a smoked hock you may want to soak it overnight to get rid of some of the saltiness. Otherwise, they are ready to use. You can braise a ham hock, trim it up and serve it as a meat course.

The shank refers to a fairly meaty part just below the pork shoulder (if it is the front of the hog) or the hip (if it's from the back of the hog). The hock refers to a much bonier cut taken from just above the feet. Both have a thick, tough skin (which is left on) and contain a lot of tendons, ligaments and fat.