Badger Beers offer a recipe to liven up your summer picnics ..
Potted Ham Hock
This delicious potted ham is the perfect accompaniment to a summer picnic and will keep for up to 5-6 days in the fridge.
SERVES 4-6
2 x 1kg unsmoked ham hocks
2 x 500ml bottles of Badger Golden Champion Ale
1 large onion, peeled and halved
2 sticks of celery, trimmed and halved
1 large carrot, halved
3 large bay leaves
15 whole black peppercorns
40g flat leaf parsley, large stalks removed and chopped
40g gherkins, drained and finely chopped
1.5 gelatine leaves
500ml sealable jar
- Place the ham hocks in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Drain the hocks of the water so that some of the salt is removed.
- Add the ale, onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves and peppercorns to the pan. Add enough water to completely cover the hocks and cover with a lid.
- Simmer for 2.5 – 3 hours until the meat is very tender. You should be able to wiggle the main bone when it is ready. Remove the ham from the pan and set aside. Allow the stock to cool.
- Once the ham is cold, tear the meat off the bone into strips and discard as much fat as you can. There is no need to chop the meat. Place in a large bowl and mix through the parsley and gherkins, and season well with freshly ground black pepper, but no salt.
- Soak the gelatine in plenty of cold water for about 5 mins. Measure 200ml cooking stock, pour through a sieve into a saucepan and warm through, being careful not to boil. Take the gelatine out of the water and squeeze out the excess water. Drop into the cooking stock, off the heat, and stir until melted and leave to cool back in the measuring jug.
- Half fill a 500ml jar with ham, pour over half of the stock and then top with ham pushing it down so it just comes to the top of the rim and finish with the remaining stock, tap a little to remove any air bubbles. Seal and refrigerate to set.