Smoked ham hocks [General]

2011 Oct 30
Just curious as to where folks are buying their smoked ham hocks in Ottawa?

2011 Oct 30
Sausage kitchen in the byward has great smoked hocks, jowl and turkey. I recommend it strongly.

2011 Oct 30
Pretty sure Lavergne sells smoked hocks, but call first

2011 Oct 31

Stittsville Meat Market also sells smoked hocks.

2011 Oct 31
+1 for The Sausage Kitchen. They have all sorts of smoked meats hocks included. They have good quality meats and I have always been pleased with their products.

2011 Nov 1
I agree about Sausage Kitchen. We get all our hogs smoked there, and I am always very pleased, so I would think the smoked hocks they offer there would be top notch.

I'm curious, do they sell nitrate free there at the store? We always have ours done nitrate free, but I know some people shy away from that. So I wonder what they offer there.

2011 Nov 1
We (Manotick Village Butcher) also have smoked pork hocks on a fairly regular basis. Our hogs come from a local Spencerville farm (no antibiotics/artificial hormones). What are you making with them?

2011 Nov 2
Are you doing the smoking there, James? And if so, is this a service available to farmers?

2011 Nov 5
If I boiled a raw ham hock in a small pot for 3 hours what proportions of water and liquid smoke would I need to simulate smoked ham hock? Is there a better way to smoke a ham hock indoors?

2011 Nov 5
I won't comment on the amount of liquid smoke asiide from saying "not much", but would suggest braising as opposed to boiling.

Even better would be to roast with a liquid smoke baste sauce, then slow cook in whatever you plan...


2011 Nov 5
FFD; Best way ... Buy a Sausage Kitchen smoked hock INDOORS at their store. Liquid smoke, from my experience can be a real hit or miss. Best used in small amounts and as a subdued flavor ant not the main one.


2011 Nov 6
FFD: I am an irrational and ideological purist so take this with a grain of salt, but I think there are better ways to get smoke flavour into a dish than liquid smoke.

If you can`t get a smoked hock, four ideas come to mind specifically -

1. Liberally use real spanish/basque smoked pimenton (paprika). This would obviously work with a lot of techniques suitable for a hock including braising, roasting and boiling, pressure cooking;
2. Braise/boil/pressure cook the hock with chunks of smoked bacon or a smoked pig tail in the braising liquid;
3. Use blended chipotle peppers with the sauce they are packed in the braising liquid or...
4. This is an experimental idea I haven`t actually gone through with yet, although I think it could make up a component of a great American style BBQ sauce....use Laphroaig (or another super smoky, peaty scotch) in your braising liquid or in a post-braising glaze. I have also seen `smoked` beers in good beer shops that would make interesting braising liquids, particularly stouts and porters, not sure of any names, but those that fancy themselves beer experts can probably provide more info on that front.