FOOD NEWS
What's The Best Technique For Cooking Ham Hocks?
By C.A. Pinkham
Ham hocks connect the shank to the foot of the hog, which has a ton of collagen, requiring time to break down in order to reap its savory goodness.
It's best to cook ham hocks slowly, and they react particularly well to being braised for hours. Cooking them is not labor intensive, as you only need to let them simmer in a pot.
Ham hocks are great for dishes like fresh butter bean and smoked ham hock soup, where collagen breakdown thickens and imparts body into the liquid stock.
Collagen takes time to break down and provide its savory goodness, so you don't want to rush the process when cooking ham hocks.