Location

• The ham shank is the foreleg of a hog. When a hog is butchered, the foreleg is cut away from the shoulder, which is usually used in roasts. The hog's feet, or trotters, are also cut away. The portion remaining, between the shoulder and the foot, is the shank. The lower portion of the shank is referred to as the hock, and it is often sold separately.
  
  

Description

• The meat of the shank is very dense and filled with connective tissue, because these are well-used muscles. Despite their reputation for laziness, pigs are very active animals when they are permitted to be, and use their forelegs to dig for food. All of this means that the meat of the shank is extremely tough and chewy, but it is also very flavorful. Those two factors determine the uses of shank meat.
  
  

Typical Usage

• Because the shank meat is both tough and flavorful, it is often used by butchers and meatcutters to make ground pork. Toughness is immaterial once the meat is ground, and the rich flavor of shank meat is excellent in any recipe calling for ground pork. Shank meat is often mixed with other, less flavorful pork to improve its qualities. The hock, or lower portion of the shank, is often sold separately either as a fresh or smoked piece of pork, and is used in many European peasant dishes.
  
  

Slow-Cooking a Shank or Hock

• Shanks and hocks are tough because of the density of their muscles, and the large quantity of collagen-based connective tissues they contain. Slow-cooking allows the collagen to slowly melt and soften, while the density of the muscles allows them to retain a pleasantly firm mouth feel even when they've cooked to fork tenderness. The shank or hock is typically immersed in a flavorful liquid such as wine or broth, and cooked in an oven or slow-cooker for several hours. They are sometimes cooked in sauerkraut, which lends itself to a rich and tender result.