If you’ve ever had slow-cooked collard greens or stewed pinto beans or navy beans, there’s always that deeper, saltier flavor lingering in the background. Sometimes it’s due in part to bacon or pancetta, or if you’re a vegetarian, miso paste and mushrooms, but often the flavor comes from a ham hock, which is a cut of pork that’s also known as pork knuckle.
What Are Ham Hocks?
On first read, they’re not the most appealing cut of meat. Pork knuckle is the joint that attaches the ankle and calf of a pig; this cut of meat contains plenty of connective tissue, skin, tendons, and ligaments. This is why hocks take a lot of cooking to become tender. Ham hocks are typically cured with salt and smoked, which brings out the very best flavor of the knuckle. However, as all of the collagen and fat in the hocks breaks down and caramelizes, it renders a smoky, savory flavor that enhances soups, stews, and sauces.
Where to Find Ham Hocks
While you might now see them on display at your local grocery store, ask any butcher and they should be able to provide you with ham hocks. They're usually sold in pairs and are an inexpensive cut of meat, which makes them a great alternative to pricier, smoked pork products like bacon, pancetta, or guanciale.
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.
For a vegetarian or kosher substitute, there are plenty of other ways to build heat and smokiness in a recipe. Try spices like smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, or red chile flakes, or other robust umami ingredients such as tamari, miso paste, dried mushrooms, fresh ginger, chile paste, or a pinch of saffron.
Ham HockRecipe
“There’s not a single meat I love using to flavor a pot of beans more than smoked pork hocks (so far),” says recipe developer Jarrett Melendez. “Since they’ve already been cooked low and slow, the tissues have been broken down, easily releasing collagen and gelatin into the mix. Simmering smoked hocks with your beans is going to draw both of those out and into the broth, making it rich, thick, and sticky.”
Have you ever tried cooking with a ham hock before? Let us know in the comments below!
FAQs
Pork Hocks are pig's ankles. They can come from the front or rear legs, though usually from the front. If they come from the rear legs of the pig, they're called “ham hocks”, but you treat them the same. They are sometimes sold fresh, sometimes smoked or cured.
What is a ham hock? ›
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).
What is a ham hock called in a grocery store? ›
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.
What is a good substitute for a ham hock? ›
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.
Can you eat the ham off a ham hock? ›
Is there meat on ham hocks? Ham hocks are mostly bone, fat, and tendons, but there is a small amount of meat that can be coaxed off of them with enough slow cooking. They aren't usually meant to be a main source of meat for a recipe, however.
Are smoked ham hocks ready to eat? ›
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.
Is a ham hock a ham joint? ›
Also known as a ham hock, coming from the hindquarter shank, it's cured and cut to form this ideal on the bone joint for one or two to share. An easy to cook, simple joint of tastefulness – just how grandma used to make.
Do supermarkets sell ham hocks? ›
Love this shredded ham hock, great quality and flavour. Very useful for sandwiches and wraps, omelette and more.
Is ham hock a cheap cut of meat? ›
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.
Are ham hocks unhealthy? ›
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.
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.
Do you remove the skin from ham hock? ›
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.
Can I use bacon hock instead of ham hock? ›
Ham Hocks vs.
Because ham hocks and bacon can be used almost interchangeably when it involves soups, stews, braised vegetables, or casseroles, ham hocks tend to get overlooked. However, often ham hocks prove cheaper and add less fat to the dish, so in some cases, they may be the better option.
What is the white stuff on my ham hock? ›
Nature: As mentioned above, the white specks in ham are crystals of tyrosine, an amino acid that results from the breakdown of proteins during the curing process. Appearance: These crystals are firm to the touch and have a shiny appearance, almost like small pebbles embedded in the ham.
How long should you soak a ham hock before cooking? ›
Soak out the salt: Soaking the ham hocks in cold water for at least half an hour or more before cooking them will help draw out excess sodium so they don't overwhelm your palate with salt. Go low sodium: If you plan on braising your smoked ham hocks, use a low sodium broth or the salty taste may be too much.
Who eats ham hocks? ›
The Germans are very fond of hock, which is more often than not called pork knuckle on their menus (and some Chinese menus, too). You can go any which way in terms of what sides you prepare to serve with your hock, but I often sauté cabbage with a little balsamic vinegar.
Are ham hocks healthy? ›
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.
Do ham hocks taste like ham? ›
Ham hocks have a rich, smoky, and porky taste similar to bacon. They add a meaty essence to any dish, and even if the actual pig knuckle isn't consumed, the flavor remains in whatever it's cooked with.
Is ham hock the same as pork leg? ›
Okay, but what is a ham hock? Cut from the bottom half of the pork leg, it's a chunky, 4-inch section of bone surrounded by collagen, connective tissue, and some meat, all encased in a thick band of fat and skin.
