ham hocks - ideas?

[dharmama]

my very kind farmer friend gave me a couple of pasture-raised ham hocks to try.

now i just need to figure out how to cook them/what to do with them!

he said make soup or put them in beans...which sounds great. just curious if i cook them first and if so, how? or if i just throw the raw hock into the stew pot with the beans?

anything else i can do with them?

[Junegoddess]

I *think* the hocks need to be smoked or otherwise cooked first. They are generally sold smoked. My BIL makes some awesome green beans that are cooked for a long time on low, with a smoked ham hock. Before serving the ham hock is shredded up, I think... need to check his recipe.

[dharmama]

yes...these are smoked.

i decided to go with baked beans. they are simmering now!

[dharmama]

oh and i'd love to check out your bil's recipe if you find it!

[Junegoddess]

Well, I'll let ya know after Thanksgiving... I'm trying to TF the recipe, as the original calls for canned beans and bouillon. I'm going to use fresh green beans and... I dunno... stock isn't as concentrated in flavor, but maybe it'll be ok.

But I know I'll probably forget to share the recipe... after Thanksgiving is past my big GET READY FOR BABY blitz begins. I've been feeling nesty already, but had to put it off until after the big feast.

[heidirk]

Ham hock make the best split pea soup!

You cook the ham hock on low for a long time with a very little water. take it out, and chop ip, remove whatever you don't want, bone, etc. Then you take lots of split peas, and the amount of water the package says to cook them in, and add it to the pot with some diced onion and garlic. My mom always added just a bit of oregano, but when I make it, I use savory. another good addition would be dried celery bits.

You need almost no salt, just cook until the peas are the consistency you like. I use a little less water, and cook them until they disintegrate.

[velcromom]

I do a similar recipe - simmer the hocks in my big dutch oven all day then in the afternoon remove the bones and add the meat back in. Then I add a couple pounds of sprouted white beans & cook them til they are tender. I toss in grated carrot & minced leaf celery & onion, thyme, bay leaf, rosemary. If you love the meat from hocks, next time ask for smoked shanks, there is a lot more meat on the shank.

[dharmama]

so what i ended up doing was just throwing the ham hocks in the crockpot with the beans, tomato paste, syrup/brown sugar etc.

i it all cook (on and off) for two days.

i wasn't feeling too great the night we ate it so i kind of just picked at it but my husband and son went wild for them!

i definitely plan to make them again. super easy and inexpensive.

[roostery]

Depending on how much meat is on them you could bone them and then stuff the meat with greens and bake them. Then toss the bone into a pot with soup fixings. The Victory Garden Cookbook has a great recipe for smoked ham butt stuffed with collards that is fabulous, I think that you could easily do something similar with a meaty hock.

[yitlan]

I throw one in with split peas or lentils, chopped onions, carrots whatever else I have on hand. Sometimes I throw in some curry powder. Sometimes I do pinto beans and onions and maybe some green chile.