A Luxurious Homemade Broth Starts With Ham Hocks - Tasting Table

Part of what makes ham hocks tough is that it's full of tendons, wrapped around a bone, and covered in skin. While that makes cooking them a pain, those things are overflowing with collagen, gelatin, and fat, which are what give broths that glossy, almost buttery texture. Similar to making a bone broth, slow-cooking ham hocks gradually melts these tough muscles and infuses it into the broth or soup, lending the gelatin and collagen's thickening power to your dish. That tissue and muscle also lend a rich depth to any broth ham hocks are simmered in, with a shimmering coat of fat that boosts every other flavor in your broth.

Ham hocks are no slouch in the flavor department, either. While there isn't much meat on them, they still add a nice smokey, porky element to your food. Not unlike bacon, hocks also have a fair amount of salt, so you should hold back on adding extra salt until you've tasted the final product. Even if you remove a ham hock and don't shred the meat, it will still lend some nice savory notes and umami to the whole thing. So next time some soup is calling your name, grab a ham hock along with everything else, and treat yourself to broth in its highest form.

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