In article >,
Melba's Jammin' > wrote:

> I picked up a coupla smoken ham hocks at Cub today. I'm thinking
> sauerkraut. What do I do with the hocks before introducing them to an
> intimate acquaintance with the kraut?
>
> I await your counsel and advise.

What I did:
Boiled the hocks for 3 hours while I was out and about. Defatted the
stock. Squeezed the juice from the kraut and saved it. Fried a small
onion, put the kraut in the skillet, put the hock meat bits (not the
skin and/or worst of the fat) in the skillet, buried a piece of chicken
breast from last night's deli chicken in the kraut, put a peeled potato
in there, laid a couple slices of Ingebretsen's mostly-meat bacon on top
of the spud pieces, dumped some apple juice and pork stock on it, threw
in some juniper berries (save the gin!) and ground some black pepper.
In a 300 deg oven -- told Rob to check it at 4:30 and follow appropriate
instructions I've left for him. Turn it off or add liquid and let it go
for another 30-60 minutes.
I'm headed north. He'll have it for himself. The real question is
where will the dirty pan be when I get back?
Reserved stock and juice will be used for Sour Soup next week.
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> Sweet Potato Follies added 2/24/05.
"I read recipes the way I read science fiction: I get to the end and
say,'Well, that's not going to happen.'" - Comedian Rita Rudner,
performance at New York, New York, January 10, 2005.