This 5-ingredient oven ham hock supper is the kind of no-fuss, stick-to-your-ribs meal I leaned on when the kids were little and money was tight but appetites were big. Smoked ham hocks were a staple in our rural Midwestern kitchen, usually tucked into a pot of beans or split pea soup. Here, they take center stage in a simple roasting pan with just four trusty pantry companions. The low, slow baking coaxes out all that smoky, salty richness, turning the meat tender enough to pull apart with a fork and giving you a pan full of savory juices that taste like Sunday supper at Grandma’s. It’s the sort of meal that perfumes the whole house and has your husband wandering into the kitchen asking when dinner will be ready—and heading back for seconds.
Serve these oven-baked smoked ham hocks spooned over creamy mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or a bed of hot cooked rice so all those pan juices soak in. On the side, I like simple country vegetables: green beans simmered with a little onion, sweet corn, or a crisp coleslaw to cut through the richness. A pan of cornbread or warm dinner rolls is perfect for sopping up the smoky broth. If you enjoy something tangy, set out a little dish of pickles or pickled beets, just like we did at church potlucks back in the day.
5-Ingredient Oven Ham HocksServings: 4
Ingredients
3 to 4 smoked ham hocks (about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds total)
1 large onion, sliced into thick rings
4 medium russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
2 tablespoons salted butter, cut into small pieces
Directions
Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C). Place an oven rack in the center position so your baking dish will sit in the middle of the oven.
Lay the onion slices in the bottom of a deep oven-safe ceramic baking dish or roasting pan, spreading them out to make a bed for the ham hocks. This keeps the meat up off the bottom and flavors the juices.
Nestle the smoked ham hocks on top of the onion slices in a single layer, meaty side up if they have one. If they are crowded, that’s fine—they’ll shrink a bit as they cook.
Scatter the potato chunks all around the ham hocks in the baking dish, tucking some down alongside the meat so they can soak up the smoky flavor as they bake.
Pour the chicken broth (or water) into the baking dish, aiming for the bottom of the pan rather than over the top of the meat. You want the liquid to come up about 1/2 inch or so along the sides; this helps everything stay moist without boiling the hocks.
Dot the tops of the ham hocks and potatoes with the pieces of salted butter, spacing them around so they melt and baste everything as it cooks.
Cover the baking dish tightly with a lid or a double layer of aluminum foil, crimping the edges well to trap the steam. This is what helps the tough connective tissue in the hocks soften and turn tender.
Place the covered baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until the ham hocks are very tender and the meat pulls away easily from the bone with a fork. Check once about halfway through; if the pan seems dry, add a splash more broth or water to keep a shallow layer of liquid in the bottom.
When the ham hocks are fork-tender, remove the lid or foil and spoon some of the pan juices over the meat and potatoes. Return the uncovered dish to the oven and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the tops of the hocks and potatoes take on a bit of color and the edges sizzle lightly.
Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes. The juices will settle and cool slightly, making them easier to spoon. Serve the smoked ham hocks whole or pull the meat off the bone in the dish, spooning the onions, potatoes, and pan juices over each serving.
Variations & Tips
If you like a touch of sweetness with your smoky meat, tuck a few peeled carrot chunks in with the potatoes or add a sliced apple to the onion layer. For a little extra flavor, sprinkle a teaspoon of dried thyme, rosemary, or black pepper over the ham hocks before dotting with butter. You can also swap the potatoes for peeled, thick-cut turnips or parsnips if that’s what you have in the root cellar. If your smoked ham hocks are very salty, rinse them briefly under cool running water and pat dry before cooking, and be sure to use low-sodium broth or plain water so the dish doesn’t become too salty. For a richer, darker flavor, replace half of the chicken broth with a splash of apple cider or a bit of strong brewed coffee, a trick some old Midwestern cooks used to deepen the taste of smoked meats. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days; cool them quickly, store in a covered container, and reheat thoroughly until steaming hot before serving. Because ham hocks are a cured pork product, always bake them until they are piping hot all the way through and the meat is pulling away from the bone; discard any meat that has been left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. If you prefer to skim off some of the fat, chill the cooking juices separately, remove the hardened fat from the top, and reheat the leaner juices to pour back over the meat and potatoes.
