Hamming the Hocks

4 ham hocks

4 cups onion

2 garlic cloves – chopped into pieces

1 cup red chile pepper – cooked and chopped

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ cup hot sauce

Italian bread

India Pale Ale beer

Place the ham hocks in a large pot and fill the pot with enough water to cover the meat. Place the pot over “Medium” heat and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to “Low” and cook the ham hocks for 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Remove the meat from the pot. Keep 4 cups of the broth produced by the ham hocks. Combine the garlic cloves, red chile pepper, salt and pepper with the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil. Let the broth stand for 3 minutes. Remove the meat from the ham hocks. Place the meat in the broth mixture and add hot sauce to the mixture. Stir the ham hock mixture until well blended. Enjoy this soulful dish with some Italian bread and some India Pale Ale beer.