Hock & trotter, Braising, 92°

Cook Hock & trotter as “Braising” until the centre reads 92 degrees. The mark to keep is 92°. Before you pay, check once that the cut named on the package matches the cut on the slip. If the seam of sinew is badly split, change the slip from a short sear to a long cook. Ankle and foot: skin, tendon and bone with very little muscle. Almost pure collagen, which is why it turns broths silky and why chilled versions set into jelly on their own. Germany roasts it, Korea braises it in soy and At the butcher, open Hock & trotter so the slip shows 92° first, 92 next, and “Braising” beside them.

This week, before you enter the butcher, write the cut, the method, and the core temperature at the top of the shopping slip, and at home keep the heat until the thermometer shows that figure. If the grain is coarse, give more time at the same temperature, and do not time a thin slice and a chunk the same way. The order is Hock & trotter, 92°, 92, then “Braising”. When the thermometer is done, look again only at 92° for Hock & trotter and leave 92 on the slip.

Do not call the meat done from color alone, and do not read the temperature as a grade score. Check that the core temperature on the slip and the thermometer match, and do not kill the heat before that mark even if the color changes first. If the seam of sinew is badly split, change the slip from a short sear to a long cook. Match Braising with 92 at the butcher before you close 92° for Hock & trotter. Cook Hock & trotter as “Braising” until the centre reads 92 degrees. The mark to keep is 92°.