Hock.
The ankle. Tough, gelatinous, mostly skin, bone and collagen. Flavour for beans, greens and stock; smoked hocks are the classic.
Pork hock is done when it is bone slip, usually between 195 and 205 F. The number is a checkpoint. USDA FSIS calls pork safe at 145 F with a 3 minute rest. Tenderness comes later.
Where it comes from
FSIS lists the smoked hock under the shoulder primal. It is not a slicing cut; it is simmered or braised until the meat falls away, and it flavours the pot. Whole smoked hocks are sold fully cooked or uncooked; read the label, because the safety rule differs (145 F plus rest for uncooked, 165 F reheat for cooked).
USDA FSIS primal: shoulder (fore hock) or leg (hind hock). Seven regions, matching master pork-A.
- Best methods:
- simmer, braise, smoke then braise
- Slice:
- Pulled off the bone.
- Rest:
- Not applicable; served from the pot.
Scores are Pit Log editorial, anchored to FSIS tenderness notes.
What you will see at the counter
| Cut | Methods | Finish | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh hock | smoke then braise | bone slip, 195 to 205 F (craft) | Smoke 2 to 3 hours, then simmer in the pot. |
| Smoked hock (check cooked or uncooked on the label) | simmer | 165 F (USDA) | Cooked: reheat to 165 F. Uncooked smoked: 145 F plus rest, then simmer for tenderness. |
Safe. Then done.
145 F (62.8 C), then rest at least 3 minutes before carving or consuming
Steaks, chops and roasts (whole muscle). Food thermometer in the thickest part, away from bone, fat and gristle, read before removing from the heat source. This is a food safety floor, not a preference. Where any other number on this page is lower, this one governs.
Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart, page updated 2025-04-14, read 2026-09-02.
195 to 205 F, bone slip
For pulled pork, backyard convention finishes shoulder at 195 to 205 F when the bone slips clean and the meat shreds. The National Pork Board's own smoking table gives 185 to 190 F with the bone-slip test. Both are above the 145 F minimum; the difference is texture, and Pit Log shows both.
- Probe where:
- thickest part away from the blade bone
- Pit:
- 225 to 275 F
- Planning time:
- National Pork Board: about 1 hour 15 minutes per pound. Backyard planning: 8 to 14 hours for an 8 lb butt at 225 to 250 F. Approximate.
- Stall:
- Pronounced. 150 to 170 F for two to six hours is normal.
Two sources disagree: pork-board-smoking: 185-190 F, bone slips vs. convention and the previous Pit Log printable: 195-205 F. Neither is a safety figure. Print the Pork Board figure as the sourced one and the higher window as the common pulled-pork convention. Let the bone-slip test decide.
More on the pork temperature page and the full chart.
Cook it
No Pit Log recipe for this region yet.
- Dutch ovenSmoke-then-braise for shanks, hocks, goat.
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Then write down what happened
Pit temp, wood, wrap, final temp, rest, result. The chart says what usually works. Your log says what worked for you.