Time: 10 days and 2-3 hours smoking time

These are easy although they take at least 8 days…. but so flavorful alone, or in a sauerkraut dish or baked beans.

Music Selection: Willie Nelson – A Woman’s Love

Ingredients:

4 pork / ham hocks

8 cups water

1 cup salt

4 bay leaves

2 tsp black peppercorns

2 tsp pickling/curing salt

¼ cup brown sugar

Directions:

Stir the water, salt, peppercorns and sugar together until well dissolved.

In two ziplock bags, place two pork hocks each with the bay leaf. Pour half the water into each bag and seal. Place in fridge for 8  – 10 days, flipping daily.

On smoking day, preheat smoker to 300 degrees. Remove hocks from brine and pat dry. Place in smoker and smoke until they reach 150 degrees F. Once done, remove and let cool.  You can individually wrap and freeze them. Use in sauerkraut with bratwurst or in baked beans!