As the best meat market in Walworth County (3 years running!), Lake Geneva Country Meats is the place to get hard to find cuts of meat, as well as get  all of your meat related questions answered. One of the otherwise hard to find cuts of meat that we regularly stock are Pork Hocks, both smoked and fresh. When people see these items in the case, they ask us “What do we do with Pork Hocks and for that matter, what the heck are Pork Hocks??” Excellent questions – here’s your answer.

Pork Hocks, or Pork Ham Hocks is the meat from the area right above where the hog’s foot was attached to its leg. It’s not a ham, but the very end of the leg and is a little tougher area of meat. If you give this cut some love and slow cooking, however, it’ll add rich, distinctive flavor to food and is a popular item in soul food, old world Europen cooking, and many Asian fares. Use ham hocks to give any soup or entree a “ham” flavor without the expense of having to buy a full ham. Here are a couple of our favorite Pork Hock Recipes for you to try:

Creole Red Beans & Rice with Smoked Hocks

Slow Cooker Split Pea and Hock Soup

Do you have more questions or a favorite Pork Hock recipe to share? Let us know in the comments below and feel free to share these recipes with your friends using the share buttons at the top of the page.