Braised Pork Hocks...Excellent!!

The following explanation is verbatim from Wikipedia quote: A ham hock is the joint between the tibia/fibula and the metatarsals of the foot, where the foot was attached to the hog's leg. It is the portion of the leg – also known as pork knuckle – that is neither part of the ham proper nor the foot or ankle, but rather the extreme shank end of the leg bone and the associated skin, fat, tendons, and muscle.....

Skinless Bone-on Pig Shanks

Boneless Pig Shank Part Of Muscle

Therefore basically the hock is part of the shank and both are cooked to eat the meat which is very tender once it is cooked long enough. Such tough meats as the muscle are usually brazed. 




A few days ago  I prepared a pot roast of veal, the noix, or the noce di vitello (in Italian) which was also pot roasted in a pressure cooker to take less time and save on gas.
To cook boneless hock you will need:
Serves 4 persons.
-  4 pieces boneless pork hock meat.
-  1 carrot diced.
-  1 onion diced.
-  3 celery sticks diced.
-  ¼ cup white wine.
-  1/3 cup olive oil.
-  1 tbsp. juniper berries.
-  1 pork cube dissolved in 2 cups of boiling water.
-  Salt and pepper to taste.
Method:
-  Preheat your oven to 140 -150 degrees C. The shelf ready in the middle of the oven.
-  Using an oven proof pot with a lid, heat your oil on high heat.
-  Coat your pork hocks with flour, and sear in hot oil till pork is brown on all sides.
-  Add wine and listen to the meat extinguishing noise.
-  Wait till all the alcohol odor evaporates and remove the meat pieces from the pot onto a plate.
-  Add your mirepoix and stir fry on high heat for about ½ minute then add the pork hock meat, stir than as well for another ½ minute.
-  Add the boiling broth, give it a boil, cover turn off the heat and transfer the covered pot into the middle shelf of the preheated oven.
-  Set your timer for 2 hours.
-  When one hour goes by, check for liquids.
-  Once the 2 hours are over, check for meat tenderness. The meat should by tender and ready. If not then prolong the roasting until it is tender the way you want it to be.
-  Take meat out and doctor the sauce. By doctor I mean, fix it by reducing it a little to thicken it, strain from the mirepoix and the juniper berries or incorporating them by crushing them with a vertical blender.
Serve individual pieces of meat sprinkled with fresh parsley and a saute of mushrooms, sliced baby potatoes and garlic. Serve steamed broccoli as a vegetable.
Enjoy,
Stelio