This recipe was first published in The Sunday Times on Dec 14, 2014.
GLAZED HAM HOCK
By Ryan Huber, managing director of Huber's Butchery in Dempsey Hill
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GLAZED HAM HOCK
By Ryan Huber, managing director of Huber's Butchery in Dempsey Hill
-
Ingredients
2 hind pork knuckles, skin on (1.2 to 1.5kg each)
For brining solution:
About 2 litres of water
100g curing salt (available at Huber's Butchery)
10 cloves of garlic, peeled
10 juniper berries
20g black peppercorns
50g honey
For cooking and glazing:
Water (for boiling the pork knuckles)
Juice, such as apple juice (optional)
200g honey
80 to 100 cloves
Method
Brining:
1. Start brining the pork at least a week before you plan to cook it. Bring the water to the boil in a large pot. Remove from heat and add the salt, garlic, juniper berries, black peppercorns and honey. Stir until the honey and salt dissolve. Leave to cool and refrigerate overnight.
2. The next day, put the pork knuckles into an air-tight container. If you do not have one large enough, use two separate ones. Pour the brining solution over the knuckles. Make sure that they are fully submerged. Seal the container and refrigerate for seven days.
Cooking and glazing:
1. After seven days, remove the pork knuckles from the brine.
2. Submerge them fully in a pot of water and simmer for six to eight hours at about 90 deg C. You can also add juice to the simmering solution to give more flavour to the pork knuckles.
3. When they are cooked and have softened, remove from heat. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
4. Using a sharp knife, remove the skin, keeping as much of the fat on the meat as possible.
5. Score the fat in a diamond pattern. Cuts should be about 5mm deep.
6. Preheat oven to 220 deg C for 15 minutes.
7. While the oven is heating up, brush honey all over the pork knuckles. Set remaining honey aside. Insert cloves into the corners of the diamond-scored fat.
8. Before putting the pork knuckles in the ove, turn down the temperature to 200 deg C. Place pork knuckles in the oven for 10 minutes.
9. Remove from oven, glaze with more honey, then return to oven for another 10 minutes. Repeat until the fat begins to melt, some edges begin to char, and a shiny, deep orange colour is achieved.
10. Cool for 10 minutes before carving.
Serves eight, with other dishes. Recipe can be halved.
