Ham Hock

Also called pork knuckle in English, this sometimes underestimated pork cut, regarded as cheap and low- quality, is an important ingredient in Brazilian feijoada (hearty meat and beans stew), as well as in the German-inherited culinary icon found in several locations in Southern Brazil: the eisbein, traditionally served with sauerkraut and potato salad. Containing a good amount of fat, skin and cartilage, it can be prepared in the oven, stewed, fried, smoked, or À Pururuca (said of a pork dish in which the skin has been subjected to intense heat to produce “cracklings”, or chicharróns – called “pururuca” in Portuguese).