I picked up a coupla smoken ham hocks at Cub today. I'm thinking
sauerkraut. What do I do with the hocks before introducing them to an
intimate acquaintance with the kraut?

I await your counsel and advise.
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> Sweet Potato Follies added 2/24/05.
"I read recipes the way I read science fiction: I get to the end and
say,'Well, that's not going to happen.'" - Comedian Rita Rudner,
performance at New York, New York, January 10, 2005.

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> I picked up a coupla smoken ham hocks at Cub today. I'm thinking
> sauerkraut. What do I do with the hocks before introducing them to an
> intimate acquaintance with the kraut?
>
> I await your counsel and advise.


I've never cooked that combination before; it will be salty. I use
smoked hocks (or sometimes smoked neckbones) to flavor bean soups.

Sorry,
Bob

zxcvbob wrote:

> Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>
>> I picked up a coupla smoken ham hocks at Cub today. I'm thinking
>> sauerkraut. What do I do with the hocks before introducing them to an
>> intimate acquaintance with the kraut?
>>
>> I await your counsel and advise.
>
>
>
> I've never cooked that combination before; it will be salty. I use
> smoked hocks (or sometimes smoked neckbones) to flavor bean soups.
>
> Sorry,
> Bob

I'm not a "bob" so I probably shouldn't answer... but ;-) I wouldn't
recommend it either. As Bob said, it's going to be salty. For kraut,
I'd go with a pork roast, wursts, or something along those lines.

--
Steve

In article >, zxcvbob
> wrote:

> Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> > I picked up a coupla smoken ham hocks at Cub today. I'm thinking
> > sauerkraut. What do I do with the hocks before introducing them to an
> > intimate acquaintance with the kraut?
> >
> > I await your counsel and advise.
>
>
> I've never cooked that combination before; it will be salty. I use
> smoked hocks (or sometimes smoked neckbones) to flavor bean soups.
>
> Sorry,
> Bob

Hmmm, Lotta good you guys are. I can see I'll need to consult with
Brother Dan about this. I should've started with him.
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> Sweet Potato Follies added 2/24/05.
"I read recipes the way I read science fiction: I get to the end and
say,'Well, that's not going to happen.'" - Comedian Rita Rudner,
performance at New York, New York, January 10, 2005.

On Thu 24 Feb 2005 05:54:37p, Melba's Jammin' wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> In article >, zxcvbob
> > wrote:
>
>> Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>> > I picked up a coupla smoken ham hocks at Cub today. I'm thinking
>> > sauerkraut. What do I do with the hocks before introducing them to an
>> > intimate acquaintance with the kraut?
>> >
>> > I await your counsel and advise.
>>
>>
>> I've never cooked that combination before; it will be salty. I use
>> smoked hocks (or sometimes smoked neckbones) to flavor bean soups.
>>
>> Sorry,
>> Bob
>
> Hmmm, Lotta good you guys are. I can see I'll need to consult with
> Brother Dan about this. I should've started with him.

Naw, just do it this way, Barb... In a pot just a bit larger than the ham
hocks, cover with cold water and bring to a slow boil. Cook gently for 5
minutes, then drain. Cover with fresh water and bring to a medium simmer.
(If you want to add flavorings like onion, garlic, etc., this is the time
to do it.) Allow hocks to simmer, partially covered, for 1-1/2 to 2 hours
or until fork tender. Allow to cool in the liquid until tepid. Remove the
hocks, reserving liquid. Remove the skin and pull the meat off the bones
in largish pieces. Assemble your sauerkraut mixture, including the pieces
of meat (I would bury them for the most part.) Taste the cooking liquid
for saltiness. If it's not too salty, use this as part or all of the
liquid you add to the sauerkraut. If it's too salty, cut it with water or
other liquid. Trust me, it's worth the extra time it takes. If time is an
issue, prepare the hocks one day and the sauerkraut dish the next. If you
do that, cover the meat with some of the cooking liquid and refrigerate.

HTH
--
Wayne Boatwright
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

Barb wrote:

> I picked up a coupla smoken ham hocks at Cub today. I'm thinking
> sauerkraut. What do I do with the hocks before introducing them to an
> intimate acquaintance with the kraut?
>
> I await your counsel and advise.

Before? I can't think of anything I'd do BEFORE. I'd just toss the hocks
into a pot with about a tablespoon of pepper, a quart or more of apple
juice, and some gin (to taste; you're after the juniper-berry flavor), and
put the sauerkraut on top. Simmer gently for a couple hours, then add some
heavy cream or sour cream. Simmer another half-hour or so. Remove hocks
and let cool slightly, then separate the bones (which go back into the pot),
the meat (which goes back into the pot), and the fat (which you can keep in
the fridge for all your smoked-pork-fat needs).

Serve potato pancakes and pumpernickel on the side. Maybe sautéed radishes
or turnips, too.

Do whatever you like with the skin; I like to microwave it (covered with a
paper towel, since it'll spit like a cat in a washing machine) until it
starts to turn crisp, then have it with Tabasco and beer. But that's just
me.

Bob

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> I picked up a coupla smoken ham hocks at Cub today. I'm thinking
> sauerkraut. What do I do with the hocks before introducing them
> to an intimate acquaintance with the kraut?

If not-Bob's are allowed: you can slightly reduce the saltiness and
smokiness of the hocks by boiling them by themselves for about half an
hour before you combine them with whatever you're using them for.
Another possibility is a Hawaiian-style Portuguese sausage soup, which
uses hocks for underlying base flavor.

They also freeze well. We usually have some in the freezer because we
like them with pinto beans.

-aem

On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 17:08:33 -0600, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:

>I picked up a coupla smoken ham hocks at Cub today.

*sniffle* The subject made me think you meant the a capella group "The
Bobs"

--
Siobhan Perricone
Humans wrote the bible,
God wrote the rocks
-- Word of God by Kathy Mar

In article >, Siobhan
Perricone > wrote:

> On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 17:08:33 -0600, Melba's Jammin'
> > wrote:
>
> >I picked up a coupla smoken ham hocks at Cub today.
>
> *sniffle* The subject made me think you meant the a capella group "The
> Bobs"

Never heard them. I'm a Nylons fan. And Rockapella.
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> Sweet Potato Follies added 2/24/05.
"I read recipes the way I read science fiction: I get to the end and
say,'Well, that's not going to happen.'" - Comedian Rita Rudner,
performance at New York, New York, January 10, 2005.

Melba's Jammin' wrote:

> I picked up a coupla smoken ham hocks at Cub today. I'm thinking
> sauerkraut. What do I do with the hocks before introducing them to an
> intimate acquaintance with the kraut?
>
> I await your counsel and advise.

Depends on the hocks. If they're salt-cured and smoked, I'd simmer
them briefly (30 minutes or so if they're not honkin great things) to
get a good bit of the salt out. It'll also cut down on the smokiness,
but that's the breaks if you want to cook them this way.

Squeeze a good bit of the liquid out of the kraut and replace with
juice (apple or pear is what I'd use). I'd throw a couple sliced
apples in with the sauerkraut, some juniper berries maybe, pinch of
sugar, splash of white wine for a touch of acid, and bury the hocks
under the kraut. Simmer gently until a paring knife penetrates easily.
Should go maybe 2 hours or a bit more.

Serve with Eastern European side dishes...

Pastorio

In article >,
Melba's Jammin' > wrote:

> I picked up a coupla smoken ham hocks at Cub today. I'm thinking
> sauerkraut. What do I do with the hocks before introducing them to an
> intimate acquaintance with the kraut?
>
> I await your counsel and advise.

What I did:
Boiled the hocks for 3 hours while I was out and about. Defatted the
stock. Squeezed the juice from the kraut and saved it. Fried a small
onion, put the kraut in the skillet, put the hock meat bits (not the
skin and/or worst of the fat) in the skillet, buried a piece of chicken
breast from last night's deli chicken in the kraut, put a peeled potato
in there, laid a couple slices of Ingebretsen's mostly-meat bacon on top
of the spud pieces, dumped some apple juice and pork stock on it, threw
in some juniper berries (save the gin!) and ground some black pepper.
In a 300 deg oven -- told Rob to check it at 4:30 and follow appropriate
instructions I've left for him. Turn it off or add liquid and let it go
for another 30-60 minutes.
I'm headed north. He'll have it for himself. The real question is
where will the dirty pan be when I get back?
Reserved stock and juice will be used for Sour Soup next week.
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> Sweet Potato Follies added 2/24/05.
"I read recipes the way I read science fiction: I get to the end and
say,'Well, that's not going to happen.'" - Comedian Rita Rudner,
performance at New York, New York, January 10, 2005.

In article >,
Melba's Jammin' > wrote:
> Reserved stock and juice will be used for Sour Soup next week.

Couldn't wait until next week for the Sour Soup. I made some for
supper. I fried up a small onion, diced, in a tablespoon or so of oil,
then added a couple tablespoons of flour to it and browned it all (this
mixture is called 'zaprashka' and is something of a staple in peasantly
Slovak fare. Call it roux if you want to class it up.

I added about a pint of that hock stock to it, along with about half a
cup of chopped kraut and maybe 1 cup of chopped hock meat and chicken
breast meat (I was using some of what Rob hadn't eaten). Then added the
pint of reserved kraut juice and brought it all to a boil for a couple
minutes. Not having any homemade lechky (small noodle squares --
Margaret's got another name for them--I think fleckerln or something) on
hand, I poured this wunnerful soup over some cooked ditalini and enjoyed
all of it over the course of three bowls. It all came out even. No
soup left, no ditalini left. This soup, BTW, is best served scaldingly
hot with a fair amount of fresh-ground black pepper on top.

OT: Just found out that my grand-niece Cynthia won the MN State Girls
Gymnastics competition for her performance on the uneven parallel bars
last night. Star Tribune called her a one-event wonder. :-) She did
damage to her ACL a while back and couldn't compete for a year in a
couple other events. She got the title with 9.85something points. Go,
Sid!
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> Sweet Potato Follies added 2/24/05.
"I read recipes the way I read science fiction: I get to the end and
say,'Well, that's not going to happen.'" - Comedian Rita Rudner,
performance at New York, New York, January 10, 2005.