Ham hocks are delicious and are very inexpensive, slowly cooked in a stock until they are tender and falling off the bone, served with a mustard cream sauce and then glazed they make a delicious supper. In this recipe I state two ham hocks to serve 6, however you could do this recipe for less people and use the leftovers to make a salad or for sandwiches or to make pea & ham soup (see recipe link below)
I would also recommend if you are cooking for six people to cook an extra couple of hocks at the same time, use 2 for maple glazed recipe and use the stock and other 2 hocks to make pea & ham soup the next day. It is best to start this recipe the day before you want it but can be made in one day if you start first thing in the morning.
Ingredients:
50g butter
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large ham hocks
For the maple glaze:
200g soft brown sugar
100ml maple syrup
2 tsps English mustard powder
60ml cider vinegar
Mustard cream sauce:
150ml double cream
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp maple syrup
Method:
The day before (or first thing in the morning) melt butter in a large saucepan over a low-medium heat, add onion & garlic and sauté until tender. Add ham hocks, cover with cold water, around 4 litres, as soon as it starts to boil, cover and simmer for at least 2-3 hours over a low heat (Aga simmering oven) until meat is very tender and virtually falling off the bone. Leave to cool in cooking liquid, preferably overnight or for at least 4 hours.
50g butter, 2 onions chopped, 4 cloves of garlic chopped, 2 large ham hocks |
When cold, preheat oven to 180˚C (Aga baking oven/4 oven Aga, roasting oven with cold shelf/2 oven Aga) Remove ham hocks from water (keep stock to make pea & ham soup). Carefully remove skin from hocks, leaving as much fat as possible on the hock. Put hocks in a roasting tin, lined with foil or baking paper, cover with foil and heat in the oven for 15 mins. While ham is heating, make the glaze. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine. Baste ham hocks with a 1/3 of the glaze and bake in the oven uncovered for 20 mins, increase temperature to 190˚C (2 oven Aga, remove cold shelf but keep an eye on it, making sure the glaze doesn't burn, if it is starting to burn replace cold shelf) and cook for a further 30 mins, basting regularly with remaining glaze until all used up.
200g soft brown sugar, 100ml maple syrup, 2 tsps English mustard powder, 60ml cider vinegar |
Whilst ham hocks are glazing, make mustard cream sauce. Put cream in a small saucepan, bring to a gently simmer and simmer for a few minutes, add remaining ingredients and stir well to combine, simmer until warmed through.
150ml double cream, 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp maple syrup |
Serve ham hocks, sliced with mustard cream sauce.
Buttered cabbage is an ideal accompaniment, thinly slice a Savoy cabbage, put 1 tbsp olive oil and 100g butter in a sauté pan, heat until melted, add cabbage, season with sea salt flakes & freshly ground black pepper and sauté until it is starting to soften, don't cook too much, you still want a bit of bite to the cabbage.
Sourcing Ingredients:
Ham hocks from Kathleen Noonan, The English Market, Cork €3 each
or all good butchers
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