Our Ukrainian Christmas this year included this tradition Ukrainian delicacy. Jellied pork hocks are not exactly the most visually appealing dish BUT they are very tasty. You're probably not going to get the picky eaters to try this. Just saying.
Here's the thing though - IF they try it.... they will probably like it. The flavor is delicious. Garlic and pork, what's not to love? Sue made this recipe and had to change it a bit as we didn't have access to some of the ingredients. You can go HERE - Food Geeks, for the original recipe.
Ukrainian Studinetz (Jellied Pork Hocks)
Adapted from Food Geeks
Ingredients
4 large, fresh pork hocks
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 a red onion
3 stalks celery, diced
2 bay leaves
onion powder
salt & pepper
4 cups chicken broth
water to cover
2 pkgs unflavored gelatin
For serving
dish of vinegar
dish of finely diced onion
Directions
Place pork hocks in a large pot
Add in the garlic, onion, celery, bay leaves, and spices.
Pour in the chicken broth and enough water to cover the pork hocks completely (to about 1/2 inch above). Bring to a boil and let simmer for 3 - 4 hours, until meat is falling off the bone.
Remove the meat from the pot and let cool. Once cooled, cut the meat and skin into small, chunky pieces and place in a good sized bowl - meat should cover the entire bottom of the bowl.
Strain the liquid through a cheesecloth into a bowl. Discard the vegetables.
Sprinkle the gelatin over the warm liquid and gently stir in.
Ladle the broth over the chopped meat in the bowl to fill the bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to let gel form.
In the morning, you can gently scrape the solidified fat from the top, if desired.
Dunk the bottom of the bowl in warm water to help release the studinetz. Run a spatula around the edge to loosen it and then flip bowl onto a serving platter.
Serve with rye bread (or your favorite crackers) and a dish of vinegar and onions.
If your jelly is thick enough you can slice the jellied pork hocks for sandwiches. If it is not thick enough, it still works great as an appie with bread or crackers.
We had mixed reviews at Christmas dinner. It is definitely one of those dishes that gets a conversation started. If you are a visual eater and are usually scared off by not-so-pretty looking food, I would say do your best to give it a try anyway! The flavor won't disappoint.
It is a strange texture though. No getting around that.
My verdict? I liked it. Sue's verdict? She couldn't get past the texture and only tried a minuscule piece of the meat with the jelly scraped off. But, she said the flavor was good.
We're sharing over at Carole's Chatter. Be sure to pop over and say hi.
I love it. Mom and Dad made it all the time but both of them died this year and I am going to try to make it.
ReplyDeleteOur Ukraine friends & dad use to make it, now there gone years ago, im going to give it a go, i didnt like it then but Ukraine heritage is coming out & i m going to try it again, looks good.
ReplyDeleteMy grandma used to make this dish I just love it can’t wait to make my own thanks
ReplyDeleteI was scrolling pinterest and came upon the pin for this... I yelled out "meat jello". That is what us kids called it.
ReplyDeleteMy cousins were evil. Any new boyfriend that would come to dinner would have to try a piece of the meat jello.
My aunt, uncle, and mom are the only ones who still eat it. The rest of us and our kids pass on it every holiday.
"Meat Jello" I love it lol It is an accurate description lol
DeleteI make something similar except I use an 8 qt. pressure cooker. The hocks cook in about an hour. I also defat the stock as soon as its cool enough to do so. I prefer to course grind the meat and place in small loaf pans. I also add gelatine powder to the gelatine stock. It makes for a firm meat loaf that is easily sliced with a sharp knife.
ReplyDeleteI am going to try it your way. It sounds like what my family called souse or head cheese.
DeleteMy grandmother madeit with plgs feet I loved it
ReplyDeleteI’ve been making this for 50 years. I always cube the meat rather than spread it; it makes the finished product more attractive. Curiously, we’ve never added gelatine to ours. I don’t think they had access to it in the old days. There is plenty of gelatine in the pork hocks naturally.
ReplyDeleteIf you need stronger jelly put some pigs feet in with the hocks, I’ve been making it for 60 years this way.
DeleteMy Mum made studinetz when I was a child. She made it from chicken necks and parts. My job was to help remove the little bits of meat off the necks. The broth has enough of it's own gel to work. She made it in a glass loaf pan. She was half Ukrainian and half Polish. I'm 76 now and still miss it. Will have to try this recipe. You don't get neck bones with each chicken purchase as we used to.
ReplyDeleteMy mom used to make this with pigs feet. She boiled them with bay leaves, salt and pepper. There was enough gelatin in the meat and bones for it to gel without adding extra. She would put it in a 9x13 glass casserole dish. We would eat it with either apple cider vinegar or malt wand rye bread and butter,
ReplyDeleteMother made this all the time. She would simmer the pork hocks with all the seasoning, remove the meat (we
ReplyDeletewould all grab a piece as we walked through the kitchen lol) pour the broth over the meat in containers and refrigerate it. I never liked the consistency of the jell but would make it for mother when she was no longer able to do it.
Love this stuff been making it for years got recipe from my mother family recipe used to use pigs feet in the recipe but not no more was not worth the extra work 😋
ReplyDelete