Smoked Ham Hocks

These smoked ham hocks are cooked low & slow in a barbecue, the same way as pulled pork! They’re super tender & work great in terrines, pies, soups & more…

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Ham hocks are an inexpensive cut of pork but cooked low & slow on the barbecue like pulled pork & they turn into something rather special! They’re incredibly tender & full of flavour…

To cook our ham hocks, we’re going to be smoking them over several hours, until they’re incredibly tender & almost falling apart. Once they’ve rested, we’re pulling/shredding the meat, mixing it up with those resting juices then serving!

Smoked ham hocks are super versatile! They can be used in pie fillings, terrines, pea & ham soup, broths, stews & a whole lot more. And because we’ve treated our ham hocks like pulled pork, they can be used the same way. Whether that’s in a sandwich with homemade bbq sauce, on nachos or in bao buns…

For more smoking & grilling recipes, take a look at our barbecue recipe collection! There’s lots to choose from here, from classic pulled pork & lamb to spatchcock chickens & grilled steaks.

What You’ll Need

• Ham Hocks – Ham hocks come from the bottom part of a pig’s leg & are the knuckle joint between the leg and the trotter. Ham hocks are an inexpensive cut of pork, that are full of bones, collagen & skin so are best suited to low & slow cooking. Ham hocks tend to be cured, so it’s best to soak overnight them in cold water before cooking, or you can use uncured ones instead.
• Rub/Seasoning – We’re coating our ham hocks with a homemade barbecue rub. This is the same rub that I use for smoking pulled pork! Feel free to use a different rub if you’d prefer though.
• Slather – A slather is used to make the rub stick to the meat. I like to use French’s mustard but you could use oil, water or even mayonnaise instead.
• Spritz – Spraying the meat throughout it’s smoke helps with bark formation. With pork, I like to use apple juice & water but you could use beer, cider, cola or water instead. Something with a high sugar content helps caramelise the outside of the meat.

A Note On Barbecues

I cooked my pulled pork on my Weber smokey mountain smoker but this recipe will work on any type of barbecue, as long as you can cook on it indirectly. If you’re using a charcoal smoker like me, I’d recommend throwing in a chunk of wood just before adding in the pork. I used apple wood!

How To Smoke Ham Hocks

The full, printable recipe card for these ham hocks can be found at the bottom of this post! Here’s a quick rundown of the recipe…

1. Rub & Slather

Before smoking the ham hocks, we need to coat them in a rub. This seasons the meat & helps with bark formation.

To do this, we rub a thin layer of mustard all over the outside of the hocks (this helps the rub stick) then coat the pork in a generous amount of rub. I used the homemade rub from my pulled pork recipe but feel free to use a different rub if you’d prefer.

Once seasoned, we stick the ham hocks back in the fridge & let them sit (uncovered) for 30 minutes or so, whilst your smoker heats up. Alternatively, the pork can be rubbed several hours in advance.

2. Lighting The Smoker

Next, we light our barbecue with charcoal or wood (depending on the type of smoker you’re using), set up for indirect cooking then leave to preheat to 250°f/120°c. Make sure that you’re barbecue is fully up to temperature & producing clean smoke before adding in the ham hocks.

Clean smoke will be a light blue colour & is vital for proper bark formation & the best smoked flavour. Dirty smoke is thick & white and will make your smoked meat taste bitter.

3. Smoking The Ham Hocks

When the barbecue is up to temperature, we add in the ham hocks then let them cook undisturbed for 3 hours, making sure to maintain a consistent bbq temperature at all times.

After 3 hours have passed, we continue cooking the ham hocks but spray them with an apple juice & water based spritz every 45 minutes until a decent bark has formed and the internal temperature of the pork is at least 165°f/74°c. The first stage of the cooking will take around 5-6 hours, including the first 3 hours.

4. Wrapping

Now that our ham hocks have got a decent amount of colour, we’re going to be wrapping them in tin foil, to push them through the stall. This is known as the “Texas Crutch” in barbecue & is used to speed the latter part of the cook up & keep the meat juicy.

At this point, the pork won’t take on any more smoke so the rest of the cook can be done either in the smoker or in an oven.

The Stall – This is where the internal temperature of meat stops rising for a period of time whilst it is smoking. This is due to moisture loss on the meat’s surface cooling the meat down. With pork, this tends to happen when the internal temperature is around 165°f/74°c.

5. Continue Cooking

Once wrapped, we continue cooking the ham hocks at 250°f/120°c until they are nice & tender. You’ll know when the hocks are done because they’ll feel soft like butter when probed & the internal temperature will be around 195°f-205°f (90°c/96°c).

This part of the cook will roughly take between 2-3 hours, taking the entire cook to a total of 7-9 hours. This is just an estimate though! With barbecue, cook times depend on the size of the meat, the temperature of the smoker & even the weather. It’s important to cook to temperature & feel, not time!

6. Resting

Once our ham hocks are cooked, we let them rest for at least an hour before pulling them. This allows the juices to redistribute through the meat, making it juicier & more tender.

7. Pulling

Now it’s time to pull/shred the smoked ham hocks. To do this, we first remove & discard the skin from the outside then pull out the bones (they should come out clean!). Next, we shred the meat, mix it with the resting juices then serve.

A quick tip! It’s a lot easier to shred smoked meats by hand. A pair of gloves come in handy here…

Smoked Ham Hocks Tips & Tricks

• Soak your ham hocks overnight in cold water, to remove some of the salt from when they were cured. Or alternatively, use uncured ham hocks.
• Maintain a consistent barbecue temperature throughout the whole cook. This is key to proper bark formation.
• Let the pork smoke undisturbed – As the saying goes, if you’re looking you ain’t cooking! Try to open your smoker as little as possible as this brings the temperature down, increasing the cook time.
• For smoked pork, I like to spray the meat with apple juice as the sugars in the juice help caramelise the bark as the meat smokes. Apple & pork is also a classic combination!
• Wrap the ham hocks in foil towards the end of the cook. This is known as the Texas Crutch in bbq & helps the meat retain moisture.
• Use a digital food probe – When cooking bbq, it’s important to be able to check the meat’s internal temperature. A good digital food probe like a Thermapen is a crucial bit of kit!
• Let the ham hocks rest for at least an hour once they’ve finished cooking. This lets the meat relax & the juices redistribute which makes the pork more tender & juicier once pulled.

Serving Suggestions

Smoked ham hocks can be used the same way as regular ones but they’ll add even more flavour! Some of the most popular ways to use ham hocks is in terrines, stews, soups, broths & pies. However, ham hocks can also be used in omelettes, salads, sandwiches, in potato cakes & loads more!

Frequently Asked Questions

Equipment Used

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• Thermapen Food Probe
• Spray Bottle
• Gloves

More Barbecue & Grilling Recipes To Try!

• Black Garlic Hanger Steaks
• BBQ Bangers & Mash With Caramelised Onion Gravy
• BBQ Lamb Kofta Meatballs
• Smoked Pulled Lamb Shawarma
• Grilled Spatchcock Chicken With Chermoula Sauce
• Smoked Pulled Pork
• Smoked Pork Belly

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