Ham Hocks?


 
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Rich G

Rich G

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Even though I live in CA, soup season is coming. Smoked hocks add great flavor to lots of different soups, so I was thinking about trying to smoke some myself. Anyone done this? Tips? Recipes?

I'm guessing that I'll need to brine them, perhaps with some cure in the brine. Would love any hints on brine strength, ingredients or time. If not, I'll make it up as I go along and post the results here if anyone is interested.

TIA,
Rich G -- Q'in in CA!!
 
Hi Rich,
The hock is the lower portion of a hog's hind leg, made up of meat, fat, bone, gristle and connective tissue. In the market, ham hocks are often cut into 2- to 3-inch lengths. Most have been cured, smoked or both, but fresh hocks can sometimes also be found.

You can brine them, but I think that will be too salty for such a small piece, so I just rub them with a favorite seasoning and smoke them until the internal meat temp for the biggest meat portion of the hock is 140F. The 140F will ensure that you have cooked the meat thoroughly so if you want to refrigerate for a day or so or freeze then you will be ok. The lower internal temp will also allow you to cook them a little longer when placed in your soup or stew and ensure that more flavor is imparted into the dish when stewed. Higher internal temp will render too much fat and flavor out of the hock...

Hope this helps...and enjoy!
PrestonD
 
Rich, I believe that Preston has nailed it.

If you want to cure an uncured ham hock, use some Tender Quick, brown sugar, and (maybe seasonings) as a dry rub for a relatively short time.

Ham hocks won't require a lot. Smoke an hour or two (depending on how much much smoke you like) then freeze for use later.

Smoked ham hocks make great split-pea soup.

Good luck.
 
Thanks, guys!! That's pretty much the route I had decided on. Depending on how many fresh ones I can locate, I'll do some w/brine some w/o and see which way I like better. I'll post and let ya know.

Rich G. -- Q'in in CA!!
 
I agree that ham hocks and split pea soup are hard to beat, except if you use ham shanks. I stopped using hocks because smoked shanks have more meat on them which I cut up and add back to my split pea soup. YUM! /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
 
Dave,

I'll try the ham shanks next time I make a pot of split-pea soup.

By the way, a couple of weeks ago, I made up some tri-tips, Santa Maria salsa, and pinquitos beans. For the pot of pinquitos, I put in a half-pound of Buckboard Bacon, homemade butt bacon, I made from a curing kit available from Hi Mountain Seasonings. They came out really good.

May try the Buckboard Bacon in some split-pea soup, too.

This is the time of year to start thinking about soups.
 
John, I pretty much use the same recipe, except I add a couple of carrots, a whole jalapeno or two (this is Arizona), a tad of garlic, a "smidge" of black pepper, not so much celery, and a "whole lotta love."

Usually, I cook this soup in a crock pot overnight. Let it set another night (in the frig of course), then eat it heated on the third night with some good Arkansas cornbread. "Cain't hardly beat it with a stick." Redneck 2:14

This, of course, comes of America's southern half, which believes God created okra on the first day.
 
My recipe is adapted to cooking all day in a crockpot and is really the only way I like to make it.

1 pound green split peas
1 smoked ham shank (1 - 1 1/2 pounds)
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced carrots
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp crushed dried marjoram
5 cups water

Rinse peas and soak overnight in about 2 quarts of water. The next morning drain peas and discard soaking water. In a 5 quart or larger crockpot add all the above ingredients. Set on high and cook for approximately 8-10 hours. Stir occasionally if you remember. In the last hour, or before serving, remove the ham shank, cut all the meat off the bone and return the meat to the soup.

Its that simple. I usually prep everything the night before and add it all to the crockpot the next morning before I head off to work. Dinner is ready when I get home. Easy and a great fall/winter meal.
 
Ok, here are the results of the ham hock smoking experiment:

I found a supplier of fresh hocks (ChrisA, I'll bet you know who that is...) I made vertical slits in the skin of two of them down to the meat, and then put them in a brine (1.5 gal water, 1/3 cup salt, 1/3 cup sugar) for about 6 hours. I peeled the skin of the other two about 90% (leaving it attached), rubbed with salt, pepper and garlic powder, then wrapped them back in their skins.

I had them on the pit for about 4.5 hours or so at temps ranging from 205 - 230. When I took them off, the internal temps were at about 170. I was not too concerned with bringing the temps up too high as they will tenderize even more in my soup recipes, and a little extra pork fat in the soup can't be bad. I tasted tested one of each, and they were both good. The brined ones had more of the flavor I am used to with smoked hocks, and both had much better smoke flavor than the ones you can find around here in the supermarket.

All in all, this was a good experiment. I may not do it often, but then again, I can get through most of the soup season with 8 lbs of hocks, and if I find that's not enough, I'll smoke twice that much in the fall next year!

Thanks to everyone for their tips on this one. Feel free to ask me any questions if I missed anything.

Rich G -- Q'in in CA!!
 
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