ALL ABOUT HAM HOCKS
Ham hocks are an excellent and affordable way to boost flavor and add body to myriad dishes, including our Smoky Chicken, Sausage, and Shrimp Gumbo (page 17).
In that recipe, we use them to build a flavorful stock. They store exceptionally well, particularly in the freezer; they’re cheaper than bacon (at less than $3.00 a pound); and they have even more to offer.
A ham hock iscollagen, which adds a luscious, silky body to their cooking liquid and imparts a deeply meaty flavor. They’re often salt cured and smoked, but they can be found fresh too. Smoked hocks impart more flavor than fresh—adding a salty, smoky richness similar to bacon—so we typically default to those. Because they’re composed primarily of bone, skin, and connective tissue, ham hocks require long cooking to release flavor and to tenderize. This makes them especially suited for slowly braising along with beans, hearty greens, or other tough cuts of meat. Once the hocks are tender, the skin and fat can be easily removed so that the meat can be picked off the bones and added back to the dish.
