These crispy oven-baked pork hocks are the ultimate in comfort food. With succulent, fall-apart meat, wrapped in crispy crackling, piled on a mound of mashed potatoes and smothered in my delicious red wine and vegetable gravy, this is a hearty and satisfying meal that will have everyone asking for seconds!
Pork hocks (or pork knuckles) are one of my favourite cuts of meat, and I've been cooking them for years. I used to get my hocks from the local German butcher, who always had the best cuts, thick and meaty with a generous layer of the all-important skin. I can never decide which is my favourite part - the tender, succulent meat or the crispy crackling!
Of course, as we all know, the most iconic of all German foods is a crispy eisbein or Schweinshaxe, and if you are looking for something like that, you might like to try these recipes:
Both of those recipes are made using a pressure cooker. For this recipe, however, I decided to give the pork hocks a more British twist by slow-roasting them in the oven in my special vegetable and red wine gravy. And just like that, this recipe for crispy pork hocks in red wine gravy was born!
Even though these crispy oven-baked pork hocks take around 3 hours to roast and crisp, it's all hands-off work. Apart from preparing a few vegetables and removing the lid to crisp the skin for the final half hour, there's nothing else to do. Because the hocks are cooked in stock and red wine, there's no need to brown them first - simply dump everything into a Dutch oven and let the oven take care of all the work.
The red wine and vegetable gravy is made from the stock and red wine that the pork was cooked in. Once cooked, the pork is removed, and the cooking liquid is blended with the vegetables to form a smooth, hearty gravy. The result is a deep, robust sauce with natural sweetness from the vegetables and a richness from the red wine, perfectly suited to complement the pork.
And once everything is done, you will end up with the most tender and succulent meat you will ever have the pleasure of eating! Pair that with the crispy crackling on a mound of mash, pour over the gravy, and enjoy! I can practically guarantee the only conversation at the dinner table will be 'OMG - this is good' and 'You have to make this again' and 'I hope there are going to be leftovers for tomorrow'. Well, that's what happened in my house anyway!
There's a LOT of meat on one pork hock! You will probably find that one hock will serve 2 people. The above image is just one hock that I pulled apart and piled onto a plate!
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Why you'll love this recipe
How long have you got? There are so MANY reasons why these crispy oven-baked pork hocks are going to become your new family favourite!
- Crispy skin and tender meat - an absolute winning combination.
- The best gravy (in my opinion) - try it for yourself and let me know in the comments if you agree!
- Budget-friendly - pork hocks are (still) relatively cheap. For 2 x 1kg hocks, I paid around £7.
- Hands-off cooking - let the oven do all the work - no need to brown or stir.
- Leftovers (what leftovers?) can be turned into this delicious roast pork in garlic sauce.
- Versatile - try cooking the hocks in beer instead of red wine.
- Make-ahead and freezer-friendly - ideal for batch cooking or prepping ahead of time.
Recipe information
Prep time: 10 minutes max! If you can peel and chop vegetables in less time, then fair play to you.
Cook time: 2.5 hours in the oven plus 30 minutes for crisping the skin.
Yield: 4 people, and depending on the size of the hocks, you may even get leftovers.
Ingredients
These are the ingredients you will need to make these crispy pork hocks with red wine gravy. There are not too many, I like to let the flavour of the basic ingredients shine!
- Pork hocks or pork knuckles - pork hocks are the cut of meat above the ankle but below the shin of the pig. Try to get hocks with a good covering of skin and plenty of meat. The average weight of a pork hock is around 1 kg (or 2.25 pounds), and a hock this size will easily feed 2 people if you want to scale the recipe down.
- Carrots, celery and onion - these should be finely diced, approximately half an inch or just over a centimetre in size. The vegetables will be blended into the gravy and are not intended to be served as a side.
- Red wine - use a good wine that you would drink - my local supermarket sells a very good Malbec house wine that doesn't cost the earth and tastes really nice. You could use any full-bodied red wine; Shiraz, Pinotage or Merlot would all be suitable.
- Stock cubes - for convenience, I tend to use stock cubes to make the stock. I would suggest using chicken or vegetable stock cubes with the pork rather than beef.
- Salt and pepper - for seasoning and to your own taste.
- Caraway seeds - these are optional, and add a slight liquorice flavour which cuts through the fattiness of the pork nicely.
- Tomato puree - I forgot to add this to the image. A tablespoon of tomato puree enhances the flavour of the gravy. This is also referred to as tomato paste.
**You can find the exact ingredient quantities on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Instructions
Step 1: Peel the vegetables and dice them finely. Arrange them at the bottom of a Dutch oven or large casserole dish (with a lid).
Step 2: Score the skin of the pork with a sharp knife and rub salt and black pepper well all over the pork. Place the hocks on top of the vegetables and sprinkle with the caraway seeds. Try to get as much of the skin as possible on the top.
Step 3: Combine the stock, tomato puree and red wine and pour it into the casserole dish around the edges. Do not pour it directly over the pork.
Step 4: Cover the casserole dish with a lid and place it in a pre-heated oven (160C / 320F) for 2 and a half hours. Check halfway through and top up with extra stock if necessary.
Step 5: Remove the lid and use a spoon to skim off as much fat as possible. Turn the heat up to 220C / 430F and leave for another 20 to 30 minutes to crisp the skin.
The final step is to blend the gravy.
- Remove the crispy hocks from the casserole to a serving dish, cover loosely with tin foil and leave to rest while you make the gravy.
- Use a stick blender or transfer the stock and vegetables to an upright blender, and blend until smooth.
- Take care if using an upright blender; the gravy will be hot and may splash out as it blends.
Prepare in advance
If you would like to prepare the pork hocks ahead of time, remove them from the oven after 2 and a half hours - ie before you have allowed them to brown and crisp.
- Allow the hocks to cool before storing them, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Blend the stock and vegetables with a stick blender until smooth, and store it separately.
- When you are ready to finish cooking the hocks, place them on a baking tray in a hot oven (220C / 420F) for 20 to 30 minutes to crisp the skin, turning if necessary to crisp all over.
- Warm the gravy in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.
Tips for a successful outcome
Here are my top tips to ensure that your crispy pork hocks always turn out perfectly:
- Don't forget to score the skin! This makes it easier to break into smaller pieces once it has crisped.
- Cook the pork hocks on a low heat (160C/320F) for the first 2 and a half hours. This gives plenty of time for the pork to tenderise and turn succulent and juicy. Only increase the heat for the final 20 to 30 minutes (and remove the casserole lid) to give the skin time to crisp.
- I find the hocks crisp up nicely if left in the Dutch oven. If you prefer, you could transfer them to a baking sheet to crisp. Turn halfway to allow them to crisp all over.
- You could also crisp the skin under a grill or broiler, but watch them closely so they do not burn.
Serving suggestions
My favourite way to serve these pork hocks is on a mound of fluffy mashed potatoes, with a side of sauerkraut or braised red cabbage, with lashings of gravy. But of course, you could serve your vegetables of choice.
Why not serve the hocks on a pile of vegetable mash instead of mashed potatoes? Here are a few recipes:
- spring green potato mash
- rumbledethumps (root vegetable mash)
- mashed green beans
Optionally add a side dish of wholegrain mustard to accompany the pork.
And don't forget a glass of ice-cold beer!
Equipment
Here are the main items of equipment you will need to make crispy oven-baked pork hocks:
- A cast-iron Dutch oven or heavy casserole dish with a lid. The dish should be large enough to hold all the vegetables, the pork hocks and at least 3 cups of liquid (stock and wine). The Dutch oven I used was a little on the small side, and there wasn't enough room to pour in all the stock. I left the casserole in the oven for an hour before topping it up with the remaining stock.
- A sharp knife and a chopping board to dice the vegetables and to score the skin on the pork hocks.
I added this image so you could see the texture of the pork once the hock has been pulled apart.
Storage
Leftover meat can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days and used for sandwiches.
I like to cut leftover pork into bite-sized pieces and freeze it in a freezer bag. It can be frozen in this way for up to 3 months. I use it to make this amazing leftover roast pork in garlic sauce.
Leftover gravy can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. It does thicken on standing, so when you want to use it, thin it down with a splash of water or stock and reheat it in a saucepan on the stove. Any leftover gravy can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
FAQ
Yes, pork shoulder can be used instead, but you may not get the same crackling as you do with a pork hock.
You should aim for an internal temperature of at least 85 to 90C (or 185 - 195F) for succulent, tender meat. It doesn't matter if the temperature goes higher than this, as there is a lot of connective tissue in this cut of meat that will benefit from long cooking.
Schweinshaxe - is roasted pork hock with crispy skin, typically from Southern Germany / Bavaria.
Eisbein - is boiled or braised pickled pork hock, which has a soft skin and is more common in Northern Germany.
No, you will find that some of the skin (especially those parts that are submerged in the gravy) do not crisp in the hot oven. The bits of skin that are submerged in the cooking liquid turn soft and sticky and are just as delicious as the crispy bits!
For extra crackling, remove the hocks from the cooking liquid and place them on a baking tray before attempting to crisp them. Turn them frequently so all the skin has a chance to crisp.
To remove the bone from the meat, simply pull it out. If the hocks have cooked perfectly you will find the bone slides out easily with no meat attached.
Save for later
If you would like to make these crispy oven-baked pork hocks, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Related recipes
Visit my pork recipes page for other pork recipes. Here are a few you might enjoy:
📋The recipe
Crispy oven-glazed pork hocks with red wine gravy
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Dutch oven OR
- large casserole dish with lid
- Sharp Knife
- Chopping Board
Ingredients
- 2 large pork hocks approx 1kg or 2.25 pounds each
- 1 large carrot peeled and diced
- 1 stalk celery washed and thinly sliced
- 1 medium onion peeled and diced
- 2½ cups / 600 ml chicken or vegetable stock you can make it with a stock cube
- ½ cup / 120 ml full-bodied red wine
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree (tomato paste)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
Instructions
- Peel the vegetables and dice them finely. Arrange them in the bottom or a Dutch oven or large casserole dish (with a lid).1 large carrot, 1 stalk celery, 1 medium onion
- Score the skin of the pork with a sharp knife and rub salt and black pepper well all over the pork. Place the hocks on top of the vegetables and sprinkle with the caraway seeds. Try to get as much of the skin as possible on the top.2 large pork hocks, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- Combine the stock, tomato puree and red wine and pour it into the casserole dish around the edges. Do not pour it directly over the pork.2½ cups / 600 ml chicken or vegetable stock, ½ cup / 120 ml full-bodied red wine, 2 tablespoons tomato puree (tomato paste)
- Cover the casserole dish with a lid and place it in a pre-heated oven (160C / 320F) for 2 and a half hours. Check halfway through and top up with extra stock if necessary.
- Remove the lid and use a spoon to skim off as much fat as possible. Turn the heat up to 220C / 430F and leave for another 20 to 30 minutes to crisp the skin.
Make the gravy
- Remove the hocks from the casserole and transfer them to a serving platter. Cover loosely with foil and leave to rest while you make the gravy.
- Use a stick blender or transfer the stock and vegetables to an upright blender, and blend the stock and vegetables until smooth.
- Serve the hocks with mashed potatoes and pour over the gravy.
Notes
- Don't forget to score the skin! This makes it easier to break into smaller pieces once it has crisped.
- Cook the pork hocks on a low heat (160C/320F) for the first 2 and a half hours. This gives plenty of time for the pork to tenderise and turn succulent and juicy. Only increase the heat for the final 20 to 30 minutes (and remove the casserole lid) to give the skin time to crisp.
- I find the hocks crisp up nicely if left in the Dutch oven. If you prefer, you could transfer them to a baking sheet to crisp. Turn halfway to allow them to crips all over.
- You could also crisp the skin under a grill or broiler, but watch them closely so they do not burn.
- Leftover meat can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days and used for sandwiches.
- I like to cut leftover pork into bite-sized pieces and freeze it in a freezer bag. It can be frozen in this way for up to 3 months. I use it to make this amazing leftover roast pork in garlic sauce.
- Leftover gravy can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. It does thicken on standing, so when you want to use it, thin it down with a splash of water or stock and reheat it in a saucepan on the stove. Any leftover gravy can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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