Ham Hock Stock

Total Time: 3 hrs 5 mins Preparation Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ham hocks
• water, to cover
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 large yellow onion, quartered
• 2 carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 stalks celery, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, cut in half
• 3 black peppercorns

Recipe

• 1 place the ham hocks in a large stock pot, and add the remaining ingredients.
• 2 add water to cover the hocks by at least 2 inches.
• 3 bring to a boil over high heat, stir and reduce heat to medium low.
• 4 simmer, uncovered, over medium low heat for about three hours. you want the amount of liquid in the stock pot to reduce by half.
• 5 strain the stock through a fine sieve into a large bowl. cool, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
• 6 in the morning, the fat will have solidified on top of the stock. remove the fat from the top of the stock.
• 7 if desired, portion the stock out into 2 cup amounts and place into freezer bags.
• 8 stock can be kept in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for 4 months.