Can I Use Pork Neck Bones Instead Of Ham Hocks? 62 Most Correct Answers

If you’ve ever eaten slow-cooked kale or braised pinto beans or kidney beans, there’s always that deeper, saltier flavor that lingers in the background. Sometimes it’s partly due to bacon or pancetta, or if you’re a vegetarian, miso paste and mushrooms, but often the flavor comes from a ham shank, a piece of pork also known as pork knuckle.

What are ham hedges?

On first reading, they’re not the most appealing cut of meat. Pork knuckle is the joint connecting a pig’s ankle and calf; This cut of meat contains a lot of connective tissue, skin, tendons and ligaments. Because of this, hocks require a lot of cooking to become tender. Ham shanks are typically salt cured and smoked, which brings out the best flavor in the shank. However, as all of the collagen and fat in the hocks breaks down and caramelizes, the result is a smoky, hearty flavor that enhances soups, stews, and sauces.

Where to Find Ham Hocks

Now, while you might see them at your local grocery store, ask any butcher and they should be able to get you ham drumsticks. Usually sold in pairs, they’re an inexpensive cut of meat, making them a great alternative to more expensive, smoked pork products like bacon, pancetta, or guanciale.

Ham Hock Substitute

If you can’t get hold of a ham shank or are in a cooking quandary, you can use bacon, pancetta, guanciale, or smoked pork sausage instead. You can also use other parts of the pig that are full of flavor but less valuable, like cheek bacon, pig feet (the feet), or the ears.

For a vegetarian or kosher substitute, there are many other ways to build heat and smokiness in a recipe. Try condiments like smoked paprika powder, cayenne pepper, or red chili flakes, or other robust umami ingredients like tamari, miso paste, dried mushrooms, fresh ginger, chili paste, or a pinch of saffron.

Ham Hock Recipe

“There’s not a single meat (yet) that I use to flavor a pot of beans more than smoked pork knuckle,” says recipe developer Jarrett Melendez. “Because they were already cooked low and slow, the tissue was broken open, easily releasing collagen and gelatin into the mixture. Simmering smoked knuckles with your beans pulls both out and into the broth, making it rich, thick, and gooey.”

Have you ever tried to cook with ham? Let us know in the comments below!

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Pork, also known as pork, is very popular in many parts of the world, especially in China and many developed western countries.

Some popular cuts are pork belly, pork cheek, pork shoulder, pork knuckle and ham knuckle. But wait, aren’t pork knuckle and ham knuckle the same thing?

Well, for starters, you need to understand that while all ham is pork, not all pork is ham.

Pork is basically meat from any part of the pig, while ham comes from a specific part that has been preserved by either salting, wet-curing, or smoking.

With that out of the way, let’s shift our focus to pork knuckle and ham knuckle. Hock is the joint that attaches the pig’s foot to its leg, which may be the anatomical equivalent of an ankle or lower calf region of a human body.

So what is the difference between pork knuckle and ham knuckle? While both are part of the pig’s “ankle,” ham knuckles are made from the back knuckles, while pork knuckles can come from either the back or front pig knuckles.

However, this is not the only difference. Read on for a detailed explanation of how pork knuckle differs from ham knuckle and how they are used in cooking!

What is ham?

Ham knuckle, also called pork knuckle, is made from the back knuckles of the pig between the tibia, fibula and metatarsal bones. It is usually cured or smoked to preserve the meat and imparts a bacon-like flavor to anything it is added to.

What is pork knuckle?

Pork knuckle is made from either the front or back knuckles of the pig and is not cured or smoked. It differs from ham hock in that it’s raw, more versatile, and doesn’t add flavor to any recipe it’s added to.

Difference between pork hock and ham hock

Aside from the part of the pig body that pork knuckle and ham knuckle come from, there are a few other key differences between the two.

For starters, ham knuckle is cured or smoked while pork knuckle is raw. Because of this, substituting one for the other is not ideal as they each impart their own flavor and differ in the way they are used in recipes.

Because ham goes through a curing or smoking process, it is typically used to flavor a dish, either by adding back the meat or by keeping it separate. Typical cooking time for ham shank is around 4-5 hours.

Most stools are bone-in, meaning you can cook the ham shank in a soup or stew and remove it at the end to either separate the meat and add it back to the recipe, or enjoy it on its own.

Some common recipes that ham hocks soup goes well with are potato ham hocks soup, ham hocks stew with white beans, and pea ham soup.

Pork knuckle is raw and uncooked, offering versatility and allowing it to be used in a variety of applications. It can be roasted, braised, or boiled, and typical cooking time is around 2-4 hours.

Schweinshaxe is popular in Germany, where it is enjoyed at Oktoberfest in the form of a dish called Schweinshaxe. It’s also popular in China, where it’s commonly eaten during Chinese New Year in a dish called ti pang.

What can you substitute for Ham Hock?

Ham hock is a fatty cut of pork that has a rich, smoky flavor. If for some reason you can’t find it at the grocery store, there are several great meaty options you can use as a substitute.

Bacon is one of the best alternatives to use in place of ham shank since it’s a similar greasy cut. Just make sure the bacon you use is smoked to get the same flavor.

For a pork-free alternative, you can use turkey leg. Like ham shank, it is greasy, full of skin, and is usually smoked. It is not only a good alternative to ham, but also a healthier one.

Next: Is flatbread vegan?

On the list of pickled pork products that you should definitely have in your freezer, ham shank is my number one.

Other people might advise you to have bacon, pancetta, or guanciale handy, and while those things are a great improvement, ham drumsticks are a quadruple threat: They’re smoky, they’re high in collagen, they’re salty, and they’re inexpensive. (And pork. But that goes without saying, right?)

Okay, but what is a ham? Cut from the bottom half of the pork thigh, it’s a chunky, 4-inch section of bone surrounded by collagen, connective tissue, and some meat, all surrounded by a thick band of fat and skin. Hocks are usually salted and smoked so they add a bacon flavor to whatever you add them to. Ham legs are usually sold in pairs, which are pre-weighed and stored in the butcher’s box with the other pre-packaged items. And they won’t set you back in price either (they’re typically less than $3 a pound).

Unlike bacon or pancetta, shanks aren’t particularly meaty, so they’re a great addition to long-cooked items—soups, of course, but also casseroles, stewed vegetables, and beef or chicken broth. They need all this time to become beautiful and tender. When ham shank is cooked in a liquid environment for a long time, collagen and fat slowly dissolve, adding richness, saltiness, and smokiness to its environment. You won’t necessarily want to eat the chunks of fat that are still attached at the end of cooking, but you can easily peel it all off to reveal the few pockets of real meat stuck to the bone. Shred or dice the meat and add it back to what you cooked.

What if you’re a vegetarian and still want to make a soup or stew with ham? Just leave it out and add a few more tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to what you’re simmering to even out the renderings, and be sure to look for spices as well, as you’ll be missing some salt. My ham and chickpea soup is seasoned with a measured amount of kosher salt only once, at the beginning of the cooking time, because the knuckle rounds things off nicely. As it melts, the collagen in the hock also adds body to the soup; If you omit it, you may want to simmer another 15 minutes or until the liquid thickens a bit.

Most recipes only require one leg of ham, but since they’re sold in packs of two, you’ll always have an extra on hand. Pop it in the freezer for another lazy soup-and-stew Sunday. You are the ultimate humble boast.

Get the recipe:

Ham shanks are a tasty part of pork and are used in a variety of savory dishes. Because this cut of meat comes from the joint on the pig’s trotter, or foot, it’s tough, with most of the ham leg being skin, bone, fat, and collagen. Ham legs are smoked and require a lot of cooking time to make them tasty as a standalone dish; Not often served alone, they are used as an ingredient to enhance soups, broths, and pots of beans, adding a smoky, meaty, and rich essence. They’re inexpensive, sold fresh and frozen, but hard to find.

What are ham hedges?

Ham knuckles, also called pork knuckles, are cut from the bottom part of the pork leg. They are thick, about four inches long, and part of the leg surrounded by collagen, connective tissue, and some flesh, all surrounded by a thick layer of fat and skin. Ham shanks, while substantial, are not prime cuts of meat and tend to cost less than more popular options like bacon, chops, and loin.

Ham legs are often cured with salt before smoking, a technique that gives them a salty, bacon-like flavor. Even without this process, ham drumsticks will impart a rich, pork-like flavor when cooked for a long time through stewing or braising. Ham drumsticks are used in cuisines from around the world, including in the American South, where they are commonly cooked with cabbage or pinto beans.

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How to cook ham shanks

The best way to cook ham shanks is low and slow, e.g. B. in a slow cooker, which allows the meat to cook in its own juice and become tender and pliable. The pork can then be shredded or shredded and used in soups, quiche, or on top of a salad. Braising also produces the same results, although it’s a more practical approach. Marinating or curing makes the meat more tender, and cooking makes the meat malleable and juicy. To get a crispy skin and remove some of the pork fat, frying proves to be best.

Ham legs are used in a variety of cuisines. In Pennsylvania, ham drumsticks are the main ingredient in scrapple, a type of meatloaf popular with the Pennsylvania Dutch. In some cultures – such as Eastern Europe – hams are boiled, roasted or fried and presented whole. In Germany there is Schweinshaxe or roasted leg of ham and Eisbein which is pickled leg of ham. Bavaria has similar dishes, and in Austria a caraway and garlic broth is used to simmer ham legs before they are roasted for a dish called Stelze. In Poland there is Golonka, a kind of grilled ham.

Switzerland and Sweden both have famous dishes featuring ham, wadli and fläsklägg med rotmos, the latter being a cured version served with mashed root vegetables and sweet mustard. Chinese cuisine also features ham drumsticks in a variety of ways, from fried, braised, roasted and steamed, where they are served whole, sliced ​​or chopped.

How do ham legs taste?

Ham shank has a rich, smoky, and porky flavor similar to bacon. They add a meaty essence to any dish, and even if the actual pork knuckle isn’t eaten, the flavor lingers in whatever it’s cooked with.

Ham Hocks vs. Bacon

Both ham shank and bacon can be used to infuse a dish with smoky, salty flavors that add richness to almost anything they’re mixed with. But unlike bacon, ham drumsticks have less rendered fat and more collagen, a direct result of the presence of a bone. Because ham and bacon can be used almost interchangeably when it comes to soups, stews, stewed vegetables, or casseroles, ham and bacon are often overlooked. However, ham drumsticks often turn out to be cheaper and add less fat to the dish, so they may be a better option in some cases.

Ham Hock Recipes

Whether you use ham as a main dish or as an ingredient in a soup or casserole with beans, this smoky, umami-rich food makes a great addition to many recipes. Use ham shanks to slather veggies, serve glazed with honey and beer, or cook slow and slow to pry each meaty morsel off the bone.

Where can you buy ham shanks

Any good butcher has ham legs, and many well-stocked grocery stores also stock pork knuckles. In the meat department, look for fresh or frozen ham drumsticks, often pre-packaged in pairs. Don’t be surprised if ham shanks sell out, though, as they’re not a popular cut of meat. You can always call a local butcher and reserve in advance or buy one if you see one and freeze until ready to use. Due to the small amount of meat compared to bone and collagen, and the fact that ham shanks take a long time to cook, this is a very inexpensive cut of pork.

Store ham

Like any cured meat, ham should be kept cool and dry, preferably in the refrigerator. Fresh ham drumsticks must be kept refrigerated and used within a week or kept in the freezer until ready to cook. Ham drumsticks retain flavor well and freezing doesn’t affect it too much. Once cooked, the ham leg will keep in the fridge for about a week and longer in the freezer.

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This tough meat might be hard to sell, but after braising, the silky flesh falls right off the neck bone.

Neckbones are the Effie Whites of the meat world, full of potential for brilliance but often sidelined in favor of mainstream alternatives. Sure, many of us have encountered chicken and turkey necks in offal bags and turned them into sauces or fried them into a chef’s snack, but pork necks and beef necks are much rarer sights.

I first came across pork neck bones almost two years ago while wandering the aisles of my local C-Town in Astoria, Queens, on a Sunday afternoon looking for meal inspiration. While browsing through the meat section trying to decide what to cook for dinner that day, my eyes landed on pork neck bones, which were on sale for about $1.50 a pound. The price caught my attention, but the marbling and pleasing meat-to-bone ratio really won me over.

I had never eaten pork or beef necks before, but that has never stopped me from experimenting with something new in the kitchen. The neck bones presented a new challenge to my cooking skills, but like any other tough cut, all it really took was time to coax out all the good locked inside. I took her for a test drive with a simple pot roast made with cabbage, onions, sage and chicken broth. It yielded tons of silky, flavorful meat—so much that I ended up having to freeze some of it for later—and I was a firm believer in the Church of the Neck Bones from then on.

The collagen from the bones and connective tissue from the tough meat broke down as the stew was cooked, making the broth rich and buttery. While I view all of these traits positively, it also limits the use of neck bones. You can’t sear them up and turn them into a quick dinner — it takes a little patience and care to make them great.

At the grocery store, neck bones are sold cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces along with the other prepackaged cuts of meat and can be prepared with no prep work. On average, about a third or half of each piece is bone, so I try to look for the packs with the highest percentage of meat. (If you have a butcher that deals in whole animals, you can also request neck bones cut into cross-sections about two inches thick.) After braising, the flavor and texture of the meat that comes from the neck bones is similar to the short one Oxtail ribs or a shank. Like their pig brothers, beef shoulder bones are also quite affordable — I found them at my local grocery store for $3-4 a pound, which is a steal compared to the cost of comparable cuts.

But if there’s a downside to neck bones’ peaceful existence away from the limelight, it may be that the lack of demand can mean they’re hard to find in grocery stores. As Lyz Pfister of Eat Me Drink Me wrote in a blog post, “If your grocer doesn’t sell pork neck bones, you probably aren’t poor enough.”

As much as we try to break away from the stigmas surrounding cheap food and perceived socioeconomic class, neck bones still carry the association — they haven’t yet been considered “cool” the way oxtail or pork belly have. I’m here to do my part to change that.

question

How do raw pork neck bones smell?

Community Response

I’ve always used a basic rule of thumb for meat, fish, poultry, or bones: there shouldn’t be any smell at all! I make a lot of bone broth and after removing the meat, throw the bones in a ziploc bag, then they go in the freezer! Once I have enough bones, I throw them in a pot of spices and cover with water. Add 1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (organic with the “mother” is best), let sit for 30 minutes (helps pull the nutrients out of the bones and doesn’t affect the flavor at all), then bring to a boil, turn the heat down so the broth is barely simmering and let it sit for 48 hours. Some cook for as little as 24, I just think more time = more nutrients.

Lower cholesterol and salt by substituting ham for smoked turkey drumsticks (see above). Photo courtesy of CVSOP.com. Get the recipe for Bean Soup with Ham Knuckle or Turkey.

But many people don’t eat ham, and many of them should limit cholesterol and salt.

As we prepared to make 12-bean soup this weekend, we remembered a tip from Top Chef crowd favorite Carla Hall: Use smoked turkey drumsticks instead of ham drumsticks.

(If you want pork for your recipe but can’t find a shank, substitute two to four ounces per shank with: chopped bacon, guanciale [cured smoked pork cheek], diced ham, chopped cured pork, a ham bone, or smoked sausage.)

Carla, who is from Nashville, loves southern food and eats lots of vegetables. To make them healthier, she uses smoked turkey instead of ham drumsticks and adds Brussels sprouts — leaves separately — for extra nutrition.

Ever wondered what gives some of your favorite soup recipes such a deep, meaty flavor? It can be a ham shank! This unassuming cut of pork is super important in soups that traditionally need a little extra flavor, like pea or bean soups, or in dishes like slow-cooked vegetables or beans. In most recipes like this, the ham shank is only used for flavor and is removed once the dish is finished cooking – there isn’t really much edible meat on a ham shank. When you make homemade ham broth, you need—you guessed it—a ham shank. So before you start shopping and cooking, let’s discuss: What is a ham shank anyway?

Ham knuckles are also known as pork knuckles. They come from the bottom of the pork leg and are mostly bone, fat, connective tissue, and some meat. Ham legs need a long simmer to soften and add flavor, so they’re best used in dishes that cook low and slow. (Actually, they’re a popular dish served at Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, where they’re slow roasted to crisp the skin and then served over cabbage or with potatoes). Most ham shanks are smoked and cured, giving them a deep, smoky, salty flavor that’s perfect as a base for broths, soups and stews. Try using one in your next recipe!

Is a ham leg the same as a ham bone?

No, but they can definitely be used in the same way – both are usually smoked, so they add a similar flavor to a dish. There is more usable meat on a ham bone than on a ham leg.

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Which part is the ham shank?

The ham leg is the part of the pig where the foot attaches to the leg, at the very bottom of the leg bone, on both the back and front legs.

This is what a ham stain looks like! club photo // Getty Images

What can I use instead of ham?

Most ham legs are smoked. So if you can’t find a ham shank at the store, you can use chopped smoked bacon or ham, or a smoked pork knuckle (which is a lot meatier than a ham shank).

Is there meat on ham legs?

Ham shanks are mostly bone, fat, and sinew, but there is a small amount of meat that can be extracted by slow cooking. However, they are not typically intended to be the main source of meat for a recipe.

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Why It Works Simmering the ham shank until the meat falls off the bone creates a very flavorful broth.

Chicken broth adds even more flavor.

Collards, tenderly sautéed and rich in salt pork, is a dish that has become a symbol of Southern cuisine, and African American cuisine in particular. Trace its origins and traverse empires and colonies, trade routes and slave ships – delicious food with sometimes brutal roots.

According to Michael Twitty of Afroculinaria, Portuguese slave traders brought collards to their forts in West Africa and Angola. Because steamed leafy greens have long been a staple in much of Africa, cabbage — a leafy member of the cabbage family, like kale — was a natural addition to the local cuisine. Enslaved Africans then brought these vegetables to America and stewed cabbage and other vegetables in a very flavorful broth – known as “pot-likker”. The tradition spread from there and has continued to this day.

How cabbage should be cooked can be a contentious topic. Last year, after Whole Foods tweeted a photo of braised cabbage with peanuts, the company weathered a backlash from people who objected on two grounds. First, many claimed that peanuts had no place in the cabbage pot. Second, the tweet carried a faint hint of cultural colonialism (“Hey, check out this cool new vegetable I discovered,” the white person says to a nation of blacks who’ve known about it forever). As for the second reason, I’m not convinced that the original tweet was so off-key, but I see how it could have been taken that way. Read it here and judge for yourself.

However, those who objected on the basis of the first point were decidedly wrong. Twitty fact-checked her claim in an article on his website, pointing out that peanuts are a common addition to stewed leafy greens in Africa — nothing ahistorical about it.

Here we’ll cover how to make a pretty, traditional pot of cabbage with ham shanks, following closely classic recipes. For those of you looking for a vegan version, I’ve created another recipe that attempts to capture the same smoky, meaty flavors without the meat. Hopefully my unconventional approach won’t provoke a peanut-sized reaction.

How to make classic pork collards

The key to a classic casserole stew is that you must first cook the salt pork long enough to tenderize it and make a deep and smoky broth. This later becomes the pot-licker. I often use meaty ham thighs and cook them in chicken broth with onions for even more flavor and depth (although water works perfectly). For hocks, this can take about two and a half hours.

You can also use pickled bacon, pickled pork, or another smoked or cured fatty cut of pork, but be sure to avoid anything lean like a smoked pork loin—it will only dry out and become tougher as it cooks. Different cuts can take different amounts of time to fully tender, so it’s best to check regularly and pierce them with a fork; You will know when they are done.

Once the pork is tender, I remove it from the pot, pull the meat and other good stuff off the bones (which should just slide out), chop it into chunks, and add it back to the pot.

Then the cabbage comes in, the woody stalks are removed, and the broad leaves are cut into ribbons. This is another one of those great vegetable dishes for which you really want to overcook the veggies so they are very tender and infused with the flavor of the broth (and the broth, in turn, is infused with the aroma of the greens). ). About 30 minutes is a good starting point, but the veggies are very forgiving – once cooked, you can keep them hot and they just keep getting better.

At this point the greens are ready. You should have plenty of liquid left in the pot that you’re happy to drink like a broth on its own or soak it up with cornbread. Some people will add a little sugar to the greens, although I prefer their natural sweetness. Either way, feel free to toss them with a little vinegar if you like, whether throughout the batch or in each individual bowl to taste. Sometimes hot peppers find their way into cabbage too, so feel free to play with them; The idea is to adapt the dish to your own taste.

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure to learn more.

Who doesn’t love smoked pork! The smoky neck bones are a particularly flavorful cut of meat that also adds loads of texture.

What makes this cut of meat so versatile is that there are a few different ways to cook it that produce different results.

So, how do you properly cook smoked neck bones? The best way to cook smoked neck bones is to slowly cook them in a braising liquid, either salt water or broth. You can braise your neck bones in an oven, simmer them on the stovetop, or cook them in a pressure cooker.

In today’s article, we’re going to discuss what exactly neck bones are, how they’re made, and the best way to prepare and cook them.

We’ll also give you step-by-step instructions on how best to use these different methods, no matter the recipe or ratios. Ready to dive in?

What are neck bones?

Neck bone, also commonly referred to as pork neck bone, is a type of pork cut that is found from the top backbone of the pig and extends to the shoulders (also known as the neck).

The neck bone is removed from the shoulders and often portioned into smaller pieces. Like many other cuts of pork, neck bone is often smoked to add additional smoky and deep flavors.

The term “neck bone” applies exclusively to pork and is not used for other types of meat. Such cuts derived from beef are usually referred to as beef neck, and cuts from lamb are referred to as either lamb neck or neck chops.

How are neck bones smoked?

Neck bones can be smoked like any other cut of meat. Depending on the size of your cut or batch, you can use any type of smoking device.

There is also a wide range of incense woods that you can use to smoke your pork neck bones. A personal favorite of ours is Apple Smoker Chips or Maple Smoker Chips.

Both add a delicate and slightly sweet flavor that complements the natural saltiness of pork bones.

The exact method you need to follow to smoke your pork neck bones will depend on the incense burner you use, but basically they all work the same.

The meat is placed in a vessel over smoking wood, chunks, or chips.

The wood is ignited, creating smoke and sometimes even acting as a heat source to help cook the meat. Different woods behave differently and some smoke intensely while others only deliver delicate and light smoke.

Are smoked neck bones already cooked?

Smoked neck bones are technically already cooked when they undergo the smoking process.

They can usually be eaten fresh, but as the meat ages, it becomes tougher and eventually has a very unappetizing texture.

How to cook smoked neck bones

Unfortunately, smoked neck bones aren’t an extremely versatile cut of meat when it comes to different cooking methods.

A good rule of thumb when choosing a cooking method is to always make sure it’s wet. By this we mean that you should always be able to include a liquid in the cooking process.

Pork in general can be overcooked very easily and become extremely tough and dry. With pork neck bones you want to prevent that completely.

You can use any type of liquid in your cooking method, but we generally prefer flavored ones. This can be some sort of pork, vegetable or even beef broth, you can use a liquid red wine mix or just some salt water.

How to prepare smoked neck bones for cooking

There are a few steps you need to follow before preparing pork neck bones, regardless of the method you choose! These steps will ensure you have a wonderfully flavored and balanced final dish.

First you need to wash your pork neck bones. This is only to remove any contamination. Next, you can season your smoked pork necks with some salt, pepper, and other spices or dried herbs. Please be careful not to over-salt your meat. Since pork is naturally salty and those bones have already been smoked, it’s easy to overdo it. We recommend seasoning at the very end of the cooking process and simply adjusting the final taste. Then, sear your pork necks in a pan over medium-high heat to create a nice, more appealing color and a nice caramelized flavor that intensifies during the long cooking process. Once your meat is browned, you can set it aside and continue with the rest of the recipe. Recipes usually start with sautéing the veggies, adding the browned pork neck bones, and then the liquid base. The final step in this process is the cooking method. There are many different methods you can follow, all of which take some time to cook. Read on to learn more about the different methods out there!

Cooking smoked neck bones in the oven

Cooking smoked neck bones in an oven is arguably the most popular and common way to cook them and use them in various recipes.

The greatest benefit of this method is the ease with which you can do it. No need to follow excessive steps, you can just pop it in the oven for a few hours and forget about it, and it uses some easy-to-clean equipment.

Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. Line a baking tray or roasting tray with some parchment paper or foil. Prepare your pork neck bones by washing, seasoning, and browning them. Set them aside until ready to use. To cook your pork shoulder bones in the oven, you must first prepare the bottom on a stovetop. Fry your veggies, add any spices or flavorings, and finally add your browned bones. Make sure they are well incorporated into the base (vegetables and spices). Add your liquids like stock, broth, or water and mix well to fully incorporate all the ingredients. Finally cooking in the oven! Make sure your bones are completely covered with liquid. These bones need to cook for a few hours to become soft and tender, so they definitely lose a lot of moisture. Cover your baking or roasting tray with a lid or aluminum foil and bake in the oven for around 4 hours, depending on the size of the pieces and the batch.

Tips for Braising Smoked Pork Neck Bones:

Covering the bottom of your roasting pan or tray with aluminum foil will do you great good! If you stew the meat for hours, the juices and the meat itself tend to stick to the sides and bottom, dry out completely and be difficult to clean.

If you stew the meat for hours, the juices and the meat itself tend to stick to the sides and bottom, dry out completely and be difficult to clean. A simple layer of foil not only serves as a non-stick surface but also makes cleaning your tray a lot easier as you can simply remove it and throw it away.

since you can easily remove and throw it away. Don’t overfill your tray with ingredients. This causes some problems during the cooking process. First, it creates a very uneven cooking surface with varying densities and thicknesses. This results in some areas being fully cooked while others are still chewy. The second problem is that your dish will take longer to cook if it’s filled to the brim! Rather try to place your pork neck bones in a single layer. This promotes even and faster cooking.

. This causes some problems during the cooking process. First, it creates a very uneven cooking surface with varying densities and thicknesses. This results in some areas being fully cooked while others are still chewy. The second problem is that your dish will take longer to cook if it’s filled to the brim! Rather try to place your pork neck bones in a single layer. This promotes even and faster cooking. Try cooking your meat and vegetables in a cooking vessel that can be used on a stovetop and in an oven. This means you use a lot less equipment and therefore have less to clean!

. This means you use a lot less equipment and therefore have less to clean! Fry the veggies and spices in the same pan you used to sauté the meat. This adds a ton of umami flavors that will only enhance your dish.

Cooking smoked neck bones on the stove

Perhaps the best method for cooking smoked neck bones on the stovetop is by boiling.

Cooking pork neck bones is easy; They use pork neck bones and a liquid like stock or broth to cook for several hours.

First wash, season and fry the pieces of meat. Set them aside until ready to use. Then sauté your veggies, spices, herbs, and other flavorings. Return the browned bones to the saucepan and mix well. Lastly, add your liquids until your ingredients are covered. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 3-4 hours depending on the size of your pieces and batch. Be sure to stir about every 30 minutes to ensure your ingredients don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

Tips for Cooking Smoked Pork Neck Bones:

You should bring your mixture to the boil with a lid on to prevent too much moisture (cooking liquid) from evaporating. As you near the end of cooking, you can remove the lid to allow the liquid to reduce and the flavors to concentrate.

to prevent too much moisture (cooking liquid) from evaporating. As you near the end of cooking, you can remove the lid to allow the liquid to reduce and the flavors to concentrate. Use one pot for as many steps as possible to add additional meat flavors and increase the intensity of the smokiness of the pork cuts.

Cooking smoked neck bones in a slow cooker/pressure cooker

Our final method uses a pressure cooker to slowly cook the pork neck bones over a long period of time. In general, this method takes a little longer; However, the wait is definitely worth it.

Make sure you understand how a pressure cooker works, especially your own. It can be a potentially dangerous cooking utensil if you don’t seal it properly to allow steam to escape properly before opening.

Brown your smoked pork neck bones in a pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Remove the bones and place them straight into the pressure cooker. Add your liquids, making sure the bones are covered but that the entire mixture doesn’t overfill the vessel (there’s usually a maximum fill line). Place the lid on the boil, seal tightly and set the timer for about 4 hours. Depressurize the slow cooker and make sure all the steam is released before adding the additional ingredients. Replace the lid and set another timer for about 1-2 hours depending on how far through the meat is cooked. After the time has elapsed, carefully depressurize the slow cooker and remove the mixture from the container.

tips

Be sure to release the steam inside before removing the lid. Use a wooden spoon to depress the pressure release button.

. Use a wooden spoon to depress the pressure release button. You can sauté the veggies and spices before putting them in the pressure cooker, but they might be a bit overcooked because there’s no dry heat in the cooker.

How do these methods affect flavor and texture?

So all of these cooking methods for cooking smoked pork neck bones have similar effects on the meat as they all follow the same cooking principles and are wet cooking methods.

All of these methods will tenderize and completely soften your meat; However, there will be slight differences in texture and taste.

In general, when you braising meat in an oven, you get much tastier end results and a slightly drier, thicker end product—regardless of the ingredients used.

This is greater because an oven uses dry heat to cook food, which is why it’s so important to cover the tray or casserole dish and keep adding cooking liquid.

We love braising our smoked pork neck bones as it releases tons of flavor and drastically intensifies the smokiness.

Generally, when it comes time to cook or cook the bones on the stovetop, your flavor will be a bit more diluted and your final dish will be a lot more moist.

Cooking on the stove cannot reach the same temperatures as an oven, which means less moisture evaporates.

The smokiness is also often lost because of all the moisture inside the pot.

This is a problem that is easily solved by simply letting your mixture simmer uncovered for the last hour. This reduces the liquid and concentrates its flavors, resulting in a much thicker sauce and a soft, tender meat.

The pressure cooker leaves an even wetter recipe. It does not allow moisture to escape and you will therefore have a hard time preparing a thicker dish with an intense flavor.

Pressure cooking your pork neck bones gives you incredibly tender meat and succulent flavors.

Next up: 11 best pork rinds

If you love bacon, you’ll fall head over heels for ham shank. Smoky, salty, collagen-rich and inexpensive, Ham Knuckle is the ultimate cured pork product. In fact, having a ham shank or two on hand can help you whip up a delicious meal in no time if you know how to use the ingredients properly. To help you become a ham hock master, we explain what ham hocks are, how to make them, some common ham hocks uses, and some specific ham hocks recipes. Read on to discover some of the best ham hocks ideas and cooking tricks you may have never heard of.

What are ham hedges?

Essentially, a ham hock comes out of the joint that attaches the pig’s foot to its leg. Although a ham shank is not technically an ankle, its position on the pig’s leg corresponds to the ankle or lower calf region of a human leg.

More specifically, a ham shank is a chunky section of bone surrounded by connective tissue, collagen, and some meat, all wrapped in a thick band of fat and skin. Because this section of bone and tissue comes from the bottom half of the pork thigh, ham knuckles are commonly referred to as pork knuckles.

Ham shanks are typically salt cured and smoked, making them perfect for adding a rich, bacon-like flavor to any dish. After you’ve bought your ham shanks, you should keep them in the fridge and try to use them within a week or so – but always check the expiration date sticker to be sure.

Not only is ham shank smoky and delicious, it’s usually inexpensive and sold in pairs, so you can store the extra ham shanks in the freezer if you don’t need to use them right away. Freezing ham shanks gives them an indefinite shelf life, although they are best used within a few months to ensure the most delicious flavor.

Although ham shank is most commonly sold after it’s been cured and smoked, you can buy it raw if you want to smoke it yourself.

How to cook ham shank

If you’re in the market for ham shanks, you can choose from raw or smoked and cured varieties. While cured or smoked ham drumsticks can be incorporated into any dish without further preparation, raw ham drumsticks must be properly cooked before they can be safely served. Cooking methods for raw ham drumsticks include boiling, frying, simmering, braising, and cooking in a slow cooker. You can complete this preparation with the ham alone or with other ingredients.

When it comes to cooking ham drumsticks, low and slow is the name of the game. Depending on the cooking technique you choose, it can take anywhere from two to eight hours for a leg of ham to reach this deliciously tender texture. Because ham drumsticks take so long to cook, they’re a great addition to other long-cooking dishes like beans, stewed vegetables, soups, stews, and broths.

To get the most flavor out of the cooking process, a ham leg is traditionally cooked slowly. The longer a ham leg cooks in a liquid environment, the more fat and collagen slowly begin to dissolve, infusing the liquid with rich and salty flavors. The smokiness found in a pre-cured and smoked ham leg adds a deeper layer to a dish’s flavor profile.

Compared to bacon or pancetta, ham drumsticks aren’t particularly packed with meat, so you may have to dig for edible lean cuts of meat to keep in the bowl. Although you probably don’t want to eat the bits of fat left over at the end of cooking, you can easily peel off the bits of fat to reveal the pockets of meat hidden near the bone. Simply shred or dice the pieces of meat you want to keep and return them to the bowl.

The beauty of ham drumsticks is that you don’t have to worry about overcooking them. While this makes cooking ham shanks much easier and less stressful than many other foods, there are still some cooking strategies you can employ to improve your ham shank. Check out these five pro tips for cooking smoked ham drumsticks to perfection:

Dodge the salt: Soaking the ham shanks in cold water for at least half an hour or more before cooking them draws out excess sodium so they don’t salt your taste buds.

Soaking the ham shanks in cold water for at least half an hour or more before cooking them will help draw out excess sodium so they don’t salt your taste buds. Go low-sodium: If you plan on braising your smoked ham drumsticks, use a low-sodium broth or the salty flavor might be too strong. You can also add extra water to dilute the regular broth and lower its salt content.

If you choose to braising your smoked ham drumsticks, use a low-sodium broth or the salty flavor may be too strong. You can also add extra water to dilute the regular broth and lower its salt content. Spice things up: Give your ham drumsticks a flavor boost by adding some spices like garlic powder or bay leaf.

Give your ham drumsticks a flavor boost by adding some spices like garlic powder or bay leaf. Look for skinless: Using skinless cut ham drumsticks will give you a smoother texture and sometimes more meat.

Using skinless cut ham drumsticks will give you a smoother texture and sometimes more meat. Crisp the Skin: If you prefer skinned ham shank, try frying or boiling the ham shank after braising to get a crispy, blistered skin.

What can ham legs be used for?

Ham shank might not be a typical main course, but the amount of flavor they can add to other dishes is amazing. Adding ham shanks to a pot of soup or a pan of braised vegetables can take the whole dish to a new level of savory deliciousness. The rich and silky texture of a ham shank’s melted collagen also enriches your dish.

If you’re looking for an authentic sweet and smoky flavor that no barbecue sauce or liquid smoke can replicate, ham drumsticks are your new best friend. By using ham as your secret ingredient, you can spice up a variety of liquid-based dishes to wow guests or simply have a delicious dinner for one.

There’s no limit to the type of recipes you can incorporate ham shank into, but these are the three main categories of dishes that they pair best with:

1. Soups, stews, stocks and chowder recipes

Whenever you add ham knuckle to a soup, stew, broth, or chowder recipe, your piece of ham knuckle is usually cooked in a large pot along with some spices and spices for a few hours until the meat is tender . Once the ham has finished cooking, the remaining liquid can be strained off and used as the base stock for the recipe. The ham knuckle itself can be trimmed and added back to the dish later, or even used in a different dish altogether.

Soup recipes that commonly call for ham knuckle are black bean, split pea, and potato and ham soup. White bean stew and hambone corn chowder are other popular ham and knuckle dishes. In addition, when preparing chicken or beef broth, ham knuckle can be incorporated to give the broth a particularly velvety texture and taste.

Most soups or similar recipes that include ham knuckles can be made in the slow cooker, making them the perfect meal for a busy weeknight. Simply add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and simmer until you and your family are ready to eat. For a gorgeous easy weeknight dinner, use a pre-made bean soup mix to make a delicious ham, ground beef, and bean soup.

2. Recipes for vegetable side dishes

While veggies aren’t typically the most coveted item on the table, sneaking some delicious ham shanks into the recipe is a surefire way to get kids to eat their veggies. Because the salty smokiness of ham hexes can help balance the bite of most green vegetables and create a more rounded dish, ham hexes are most commonly used in recipes for bitter greens like kale, beets, and mustard.

Keep in mind that ham drumsticks take a lot more time to cook than vegetables, so you’ll need to cook the two separately. You should start by cooking the ham thighs first, then add the finished ham thighs to the vegetables during cooking to allow them to absorb the rich flavors. If you are using a cured or smoked ham shank, you can add it to the vegetables at the beginning of the cooking process.

Ham can also enhance the flavor of vegetables beyond bitter green. Consider cooking your Brussels sprouts, asparagus, cabbage, spinach, or onions with ham drumsticks to spice things up a bit.

3. Legumes Recipes

One of the reasons ham shanks are such a staple in soul food is that they perform well in traditional Southern side dishes like black-eyed peas, as well as white, red, kidney, pinto, and north beans. By adding some ham shank to the pot before you start cooking the beans, you can create a bold, deep flavor profile for your side dish.

Once you’ve added the ham shank to the pot, all that’s left to do is let it simmer with the spices and beans long enough to cook through and allow the flavors to meld. Once the dish is finished cooking, you can trim off any ham shank you plan to add to the dish before discarding the rest.

In addition to bean dishes, ham can be cooked with other legumes such as lentils and chickpeas. Cooking these foods in the same water as ham drumsticks gives them a meaty flavor that is second to none.

Ham Hock Recipes

Now that you have a general idea of ​​how ham knuckles can spice up any dish, let’s talk about a few specific recipes. Here are 12 of our all-time favorite ground beef recipe ideas:

1. Bean Soup

Want a warm winter meal that feels like a hug in a bowl? Try this bean soup recipe, which uses a blend of beans for a variety of textures, combined with ham shank to give the broth a rich, meaty flavor. This hearty soup is packed with plant-based protein and flavor, making it the perfect treat after a long afternoon of shoveling snow or sledding.

2. Creamy Potato Mince Soup

This Smoked Ham Shank and Potato Soup recipe is cozy, delicious and couldn’t be simpler. Just let all the ingredients rest in the slow cooker until they turn into a creamy soup. We recommend serving this soup with a crusty bread perfect for dipping.

Unlike many other ham hocks soup recipes, this recipe includes the meat of the ham hocks rather than just using it as a flavoring for the broth. Incorporating the meaty portions of the ham shank into the soup gives it a nice texture while keeping the overall dish smooth.

Keep in mind that if you don’t have an immersion blender for this recipe, you can still make it work. All you have to do is pour half of the soup from the slow cooker into a regular blender and then blend until smooth. When you’re done blending, pour the pureed soup back into the rest of the soup.

3. Ham leg and dumplings

What’s the only thing better than ham hocks soup? Ham and witch soup with dumplings, of course! With their fluffy and airy texture, it’s no wonder dumplings are a Pennsylvania Dutch favorite for completing soup dishes.

Take your ham witch soup to the next level with this ham witch and dumpling recipe that tops a delightfully simple broth-based soup with puffy homemade dumplings. As a bonus, these dumplings are fun and easy to make—all you have to do is cover and cook.

4. Leafy cabbage with ham shank

With a smoky pork flavor and a hint of cane syrup, this kale is unlike any other vegetable you’ve ever eaten before. Instead of suffering through your veggies, you can enjoy the process by spicing them up with a ham stool flavor boost. Whether you’re from the south or just want a bit of comfort food, this collard greens and ham shank recipe is for you.

5. Brown Ale Glazed Ham Shank and Brussels Sprouts

Get the greens ready with this recipe for Ham and Brussels Sprouts with Brown Beer Glaze. Using brown ale to glaze your ham shank gives it a unique flavor unmatched by any other meat you’ve tasted before. The braising process also makes the meat tenderer and tastier overall. Throwing some Brussels sprouts into the brown ale pot roast also makes this dish a bit healthier. Who says vegetables have to be boring?

6. Ham and beans

For an easy, crowd-pleasing side dish, nothing beats this ham and beans recipe. While it’s bold in its undertones of smoky ham and rabbit flavor, the dish’s main ingredient, beans, offers a subtle flavor to balance the richness. Hearty in flavor, soft in texture, this side dish might steal the show.

7. Cajun Red Beans and Rice with Sausage and Ham

Spice up your ham and beans with a little flavor with this Cajun Red Bean, Sausage and Ham Shank recipe. Drawing its bold flavor from andouille sausage and meaty tenderness from smoked ham shanks, this dish will make you feel like you’re on Mardi Gras. And with Cajun spices sprinkled in for added pizzazz, this dish truly has it all.

As if the flavor of the dish wasn’t enough, this recipe couldn’t be easier to make. This Cajun recipe made in an Instant Pot with red beans, sausage and ham shank can be ready to serve in record time.

8. Ham Hock Caesar Salad

Ham doesn’t need to do much to enhance a dish. In fact, the simple addition of some shredded ham knuckle turns a humble Caesar salad from a skippable side salad into a must-have plate-completer. Make your Caesar salad a hit at every meal with this easy ham and chicken Caesar salad recipe.

9. Smoked Ham Hock Nachos

When it comes to ham, don’t be afraid to think outside the box. These Smoked Ham Witch Nachos prove that with just some ham witches and a little imagination, amazing things can happen. Next time you invite some friends over for the big game or a Taco Tuesday Fiesta, pull out all the stops with these cheesy, smoky Ham Hocks Nachos.

10. Ham Hock Mac and Cheese

Make your macaroni and cheese a little more sophisticated by following this ham and cheese macaroni and cheese recipe. This ultimate comfort meal envelops macaroni pasta in a blanket of creamy, velvety cheese sauce and adds bite-sized chunks of ham knuckle for tiny flavor accents. If you want a treat after a hard day’s work or just want to treat yourself, this is the dish for you.

11. Ham Hock Terrine

For unusual occasions, the ham knuckle can be disguised as a tureen. Similar to pate, terrine is a French dish consisting of cuts of meat cooked along with other ingredients in a molded bowl in the shape of a loaf. This technique creates an aesthetic looking layered dish that is perfect for any holiday party. This Ham Hocks Terrine recipe includes tasty seasonings like bay leaves, thyme and parsley to give the meat a refreshing herbal flavor. Sprinkled with a few capers, this dish has a delicious salt blast that complements the ham shank and herbs perfectly.

12. Ham Hock, Sausage and Cider Raised Pie

For a fun twist on the traditional chicken pot pie, try this Ham, Sausage, Cider Raised Pie recipe. Filled with a robust mix of ham, mushrooms, sausage and apple cider, this cake is loaded with flavor. Whether you’re a fan of savory pies or not, this delicious concoction of ham, sausage, apple cider and flaky pie crust will quickly become a new favorite.

Where can you buy ham hock

If you’re planning on making one of these delicious ham witch recipes, you’ll want to know where to get good ham witches. For quality hams, S. Clyde Weaver offers hams with a rich smoky flavor that gives you unlimited slow-cooking possibilities. Using S. Clyde Weaver Ham Shank in your dishes is sure to make your kitchen stand out.

As a leader in the cured meat industry for 100 years, we’ve perfected the art of preparing ham drumsticks so you don’t have to worry about getting stuck with a tasteless, low-meat ham drumstick. S. Clyde Weaver Ham Shank is skinless, cured and smoked to produce an unforgettable flavor and texture.

Based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, we love to bring a unique blend of Pennsylvania Dutch and German culture to all of our products, especially our Lancaster favorites. And by using locally sourced ingredients as much as possible, we never fail to deliver a touch of home. Find out why S. Clyde Weaver is the best place for ham knuckles by ordering online today.

On the list of pickled pork products that you should definitely have in your freezer, ham shank is my number one.

Other people might advise you to have bacon, pancetta, or guanciale handy, and while those things are a great improvement, ham drumsticks are a quadruple threat: They’re smoky, they’re high in collagen, they’re salty, and they’re inexpensive. (And pork. But that goes without saying, right?)

Okay, but what is a ham? Cut from the bottom half of the pork thigh, it’s a chunky, 4-inch section of bone surrounded by collagen, connective tissue, and some meat, all surrounded by a thick band of fat and skin. Hocks are usually salted and smoked so they add a bacon flavor to whatever you add them to. Ham legs are usually sold in pairs, which are pre-weighed and stored in the butcher’s box with the other pre-packaged items. And they won’t set you back in price either (they’re typically less than $3 a pound).

Unlike bacon or pancetta, shanks aren’t particularly meaty, so they’re a great addition to long-cooked items—soups, of course, but also casseroles, stewed vegetables, and beef or chicken broth. They need all this time to become beautiful and tender. When ham shank is cooked in a liquid environment for a long time, collagen and fat slowly dissolve, adding richness, saltiness, and smokiness to its environment. You won’t necessarily want to eat the chunks of fat that are still attached at the end of cooking, but you can easily peel it all off to reveal the few pockets of real meat stuck to the bone. Shred or dice the meat and add it back to what you cooked.

What if you’re a vegetarian and still want to make a soup or stew with ham? Just leave it out and add a few more tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to what you’re simmering to even out the renderings, and be sure to look for spices as well, as you’ll be missing some salt. My ham and chickpea soup is seasoned with a measured amount of kosher salt only once, at the beginning of the cooking time, because the knuckle rounds things off nicely. As it melts, the collagen in the hock also adds body to the soup; If you omit it, you may want to simmer another 15 minutes or until the liquid thickens a bit.

Most recipes only require one leg of ham, but since they’re sold in packs of two, you’ll always have an extra on hand. Pop it in the freezer for another lazy soup-and-stew Sunday. You are the ultimate humble boast.

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