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Pork knuckle with suneli hops in a saucepan on the stove

Stovetop Pork Hock "Ham" with Khmeli-Suneli

Make this pork hock and you can forget store-bought ham for good! This recipe won me over with how simple and approachable it is — plus I'd heard it turns out like ham. I love easy, no-fuss recipes and try to steer clear of processed deli meats with all their additives, so I couldn't resist trying it. The result blew me away: a very tasty, tender, faintly spiced natural "ham." And it took just 10 minutes of hands-on work — the rest is cooking time and time under a weight.

nasstin

Recipe author

Pork knuckle with suneli hops in a saucepan on the stove

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Pork hock (mine is small — about 1 kg)

1.2

Onion

Carrot

Garlic

Khmeli-suneli

Mixed peppercorns

Allspice

Bay leaf

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 41 % 16 g

Fats 54 % 21 g

Carbohydrates 5 % 2 g

263 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

Here's everything you'll need — some right away, some about 3 hours in. But first things first...
Step 2:

Wash the pork hock well and scrape the skin clean with a knife if needed.
Step 3:

Change the water and set the hock to cook.
Step 4:

Bring it to a boil and skim off the foam — this keeps the broth clear. It'll cook a total of 2–3 hours, until the hock is tender.
Step 5:

After 1.5 hours, add the peppercorns.
Step 6:

And the bay leaf.
Step 7:

Add the onion and carrot.
Step 8:

Add salt. Cook until the hock is done, about another 1–1.5 hours. Be careful not to overcook it, so it stays intact and doesn't fall apart when you lift it out of the pot.
Step 9:

Carefully lift the hock out of the broth — and save the broth to make a tasty borscht, for instance.
Step 10:

Cut the hock open lengthwise along the bone.
Step 11:

Pull out the bone — the hock is so tender this is very easy.
Step 12:

Sprinkle on a little salt and ground black pepper and press the garlic over it. Rub the meat all over, evenly, with the garlic, khmeli-suneli, pepper, and salt. At this point you could put it in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 20 minutes for a slightly different flavor.
Step 13:

Now roll the hock up tightly and tie it with kitchen twine. It's handy that the skin stays on — it acts as a casing.
Step 14:

Put the roll in a bag or wrap it in plastic wrap.
Step 15:

Weight it down and refrigerate overnight.
Step 16:

In the morning, slice it and dig in! So tender and tasty. Enjoy!