Has anybody else (from NZ ) been watching Get Fresh with Al Brown on Saturday nights? I love the idea – how he travels to different regions of New Zealand and prepares a three-course meal based on local ingredients. It’s pretty neat!
I was watching it last weekend (before the 1st RWC semi-final of course!) and was struck with a chord of inspiration when he served roast pork hock as the main course in Dunedin. I thought, pork hock? I can pick one one of those up at the supermarket for about five dollars!
That, I did.
Five bucks later, it was on the menu for dinner last night. Boy, it was good. Tasted like a million dollars. Ok, I exaggerate.
At least twenty, though.
I went ahead and just roasted it the way I know how. Although now that I look, his recipe is actually on the TVNZ site right here.
I’ll share my “recipe” anyway. Your call whether you want to go with his or mine…
Although whichever mode of roasting you choose, please do make it! It is slow-roasted, so the meat becomes deliciously tender and just falls of the bone. It’s melt-in-your-mouth kind of stuff.
(Please excuse the terribly grainy iPhone photos)
Roast Pork Hock
I used an 800g pork hock (keeping in mind that at least half of that is just the bone), and this served two. With enough left over to make a roast pork sandwich for lunch today.
Score the skin of the pork hock and rub lots of salt in. You will get the crispest of crackling if you leave it for a few hours/overnight like this – I forgot, but it still turned out wonderfully.
Preheat oven to 220*C
Rub the hock with about 2 tbsp olive oil, and sprinkle on some kind of seasoning of your choice. I used about a tsp of dried basil (although I reckon sweet smoked paprika would be out-of-this-world!).
Place in a baking tray and cook in the oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 160*C and continue to cook for about 2 hours.
I chopped up some kumara, potatoes and onions and threw them into the same tray with a bit of extra oil, when there was about an hour to go.
When the hock is cooked, leave to rest for about 10 minutes.
Serve with the roasted veg and something green.
Now I’m kind of kicking myself that I gave Rian the leftovers to take for lunch today… it was just so tasty!
Have you ever cooked a pork hock? What are some other good ideas to do with them?
Xx Christie
p.s. I’m headed to the post office shortly to pick up a parcel of new makeup I’ve been expecting for a while. Stay tuned for a beauty post coming up!
