If you've ever ventured into the world of comforting soups or hearty stews, you've probably come across recipes that call for either a ham bone or a ham hock. While these two might sound interchangeable, they come from different parts of the pig and provide unique flavors and textures. A ham bone comes from the upper part of pig's leg.
It's left over after carving a ham. It's mostly bone with some fat and meat clinging to it, adding a mild, savory essence when simmered to make a broth or enhance a soup. Ham bones can be smoked or unsmoked, which changes the type of flavor they bring to a dish.
A ham hock comes from the lower leg near the ankle (also referred to as the pork knuckle). It's almost always cured and smoked and has connective tissue, collagen, fat, and skin, making for a heartier texture and more pronounced pork flavor. Ham bones bring subtle flavor to dishes Ham bones can come from your leftover carved ham, or they can be bought fresh, smoked or frozen at the butcher or grocery store.
If you end up having a leftover ham bone , you can use it immediately or freeze it for future recipes. Ham bones contain collagen, marrow, and fat, so simmering them slowly creates a silky, flavorful broth or stock. Some ham bones can have 1.
5 to 2 cups of meat on them. Though they do have meat, ham bones are primarily used for liquid-based recipes, enriching broths and soups. Once simmered, any meat can be removed from the bone an incorporated into recipes like ham and bean soup or .
