Fresh (uncured, unsmoked) hocks — the section between the leg and the foot. Packed with skin, bone, and collagen. The traditional secret ingredient for greens, beans, lentils, and any pot of stock you want to be rich and deeply flavored.
Hocks have always been a frugal cook's secret. They are dense with connective tissue, skin, and bone — everything that makes a long-cooked dish silky and full-bodied. A single hock will transform a pot of beans or a pot of greens into something memorable.
This is fresh hock, not smoked — meaning all that flavor potential is still in your hands. Add aromatics, time, and patience.
Brown in the pot first if you want, then simmer 2-3 hours with beans, greens, or stock vegetables. Pick the meat off the bone at the end and stir it back in.
Freezer up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.