Editing Ham hock

{{short description|Joint on the hog's leg between the ham and trotter}}
__NOTOC__[[Image:Schwein-Eisbein.png|thumb|267px|Ham hock position]]

A '''ham hock''' (or '''hough''') or '''pork knuckle''' is the joint between the tibia/fibula and the [[metatarsals]] of the foot of a pig, where the foot was attached to the [[Domestic pig|hog]]'s leg.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/05/the-nasty-bits-ham-hock.html | title=The Nasty Bits: Ham Hock | publisher=Serious Eats | date=8 May 2012 | access-date=8 February 2014 | author=Wang, Chichi}}</ref> It is the portion of the leg that is neither part of the [[ham]] proper nor the ankle or foot ([[Pig's trotters|trotter]]), but rather the extreme [[Shank (meat)|shank]] end of the leg bone.

==Uses==
Since this piece generally consists of much skin, tendons and ligaments, it requires long cooking through stewing or [[braising]] to be made palatable. The cut of meat can be cooked with greens and other vegetables or in flavorful sauces. It is often added to soups, such as pea and ham soup, with the meat being added to the soup prior to serving. It can also be added to savoury pies. The meat of particularly meaty hocks may be removed and served as is. Ham hocks, like [[hog jowls]] (pigs' cheeks), add a distinctive flavor to various dishes. This is particularly true for collard greens, mustard greens, cabbage, green beans and navy beans.

Ham hocks are essential ingredients for the distinct flavor in [[soul food]] and other forms of American Southern country cooking. In the [[Appalachian Mountains]], it is common to add ham hocks along with chopped onion and spices to pots of [[pinto beans]] to make the meal more hearty. In the [[Mid-Atlantic States]], in rural regions settled by the [[Pennsylvania Dutch]], hocks are a commonly used ingredient for making a kind of meat loaf called [[scrapple]]. [[Eisbein]] is the name of the joint in north [[German language|German]], and at the same time the name of a dish of roasted ham hock, called [[Schweinshaxe]] in [[Bavaria]], [[Stelze]] in Austria and [[Wädli]] in Switzerland. The dish is very popular in [[Polish cuisine|Poland]], using this cut. The dish is also popular in the [[Czech cuisine|Czech Republic]], where it is most popular in Ostrava, close to the Polish border. It is the most popular dish in Polish-Czech Silesia, where it is served in a soup made from sauerkraut called Golonka (Czech: Vepřové koleno). Ham hocks are also popular when boiled with escarole, more commonly called [[endives]], in [[Italian-American cuisine]]. [[Fläsklägg med rotmos]] is a Swedish dish consisting of cured ham hocks and a mash of [[rutabaga]] and potatoes, served with sweet [[Mustard (condiment)|mustard]]. In Canada, and particularly Montreal, ham hocks are referred to as "pigs' knuckles" and are served in bistros and taverns with baked beans.{{cn|date=April 2017}} In northern Italy ham hocks are referred to as stinco, and is often served roast whole with sauerkraut. In the UK ham hocks are used to make soup.<ref>{{Cite web |title=London particular |url=https://londonist.com/2015/02/london-food-history-london-particular}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery class="center" widths="175px" heights="167px">
Image:Ham hock with bok choy 2.jpg|Chinese-style ham hock with [[bok choy]] in [[gravy]]
File:Schweinshaxe Chiang Mai.JPG|[[Schweinshaxe]] served with roasted potatoes (Bratkartoffeln) and [[Sauerkraut]] at a Bavarian restaurant in [[Chiang Mai]], [[Thailand]]
Image:schweizerhaus04.jpg|Roasted Austrian style Stelze
Image:Eisbein-2.jpg|Pickled Eisbein with Sauerkraut
File:Khao kha mu 01.jpg|Ham hocks stewed in [[soy sauce]] and [[five-spice powder]] at a street stall in [[Chiang Mai]], [[Thailand]]
File:Polish pork knuckle with grilled oscypek cheese.jpg|Ham hock (golonka) with grilled [[oscypek]], [[horseradish]] and a slice of [[beetroot]] in [[Poland]]
File:Ham hock and beans 082919.jpg|Ham hock cooked with pinto beans, served with white rice and cornbread.
</gallery>

==See also==
{{portal|Food}}
* {{annotated link|List of ham dishes}} 
* {{annotated link|List of smoked foods}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{commonscat-inline|Ham hock}}
*{{wiktionary-inline}}
{{Pigs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ham Hock}}
[[Category:Cuisine of the Southern United States]]
[[Category:Soul food]]
[[Category:Cuts of pork]]
[[Category:German cuisine]]
[[Category:Czech cuisine]]
[[Category:Polish cuisine]]
[[Category:Swedish cuisine]]
[[Category:Ham]]
[[Category:Chinese cuisine]]
[[Category:Smoked meat]]