Hocks › Ham hock food safety: cooking, cooling and leftovers
Ham hock food safety: cooking, cooling and leftovers
Ham hock is safe and simple to cook, but pork needs cooking through and leftovers need handling properly. This page summarises the Food Standards Agency's advice for home cooks.
The short version
- Cook pork all the way through.
- Cool leftovers and refrigerate them within two hours.
- Eat leftovers within 48 hours, or freeze them.
- Reheat only once, until steaming hot.
This is general information based on the Food Standards Agency (FSA). If a pack gives its own instructions, follow those.
Cooking pork thoroughly
The FSA says pork can carry bacteria throughout the meat, so it must be cooked all the way through. Use a food thermometer where you have one and test the middle, away from any bone. Without one, check that the juices run clear, that there is no pink, fleshy meat and that the meat is steaming hot throughout. A hock braised or boiled for hours will be well beyond that point, but it is still worth checking the thickest part.
What "steaming hot" means
The FSA describes steaming hot as the middle of the food reaching 70°C for 2 minutes, or an equivalent combination such as 60°C for 45 minutes or 75°C for 30 seconds. Without a thermometer, look for steam rising from the surface and from the middle when you cut into the food.
Cooling and storing leftovers
Bacteria multiply fastest between about 8°C and 63°C, which the FSA calls the danger zone. So do not leave cooked hock, soup or stock to cool for hours on the hob.
- Cut large pieces into smaller ones, or put soup into shallow containers, so they cool faster.
- Get leftovers into the fridge within two hours.
- Eat within 48 hours, or freeze if you may not manage that.
- Cover and store cooked meat away from raw food, on a shelf above or separate from raw meat.
Reheating
Reheat leftovers only once, and make sure they are steaming hot all the way through. Warming is not enough. Stir or turn the food while reheating, particularly in a microwave, to avoid cold spots. A hock cooked once, cooled, then reheated is fine, but do not repeatedly warm and cool the same portion.
Handling raw hock
- Keep the raw hock covered at the bottom of the fridge so juices cannot drip onto other food.
- Wash your hands, boards and knives after handling raw pork. Use separate boards for cooked and raw meat if you can.
- Do not wash raw meat under the tap, because that splashes bacteria around the kitchen. Cooking kills them.
- Soaking a cured hock should be done in the fridge, not at room temperature.
Vulnerable groups
Pregnant women, older people, young children and anyone with a weakened immune system are at greater risk from food poisoning. For this group, serve hot dishes properly hot, and check NHS and FSA advice before serving cold cooked meat dishes such as terrines that have been stored for a few days. When in doubt, ask your GP or midwife.
Salt and health
Cured hock and its stock can be high in salt. If you have been advised to limit salt, for example for blood pressure, soak the hock, dilute the stock and season sparingly. This is general information, not medical advice; ask your GP or a dietitian if you have concerns.
Related pages
Back to the main method in how to boil a ham hock, or see our recipes for pea and ham soup and ham hock terrine.
Frequently asked questions
How long can I keep cooked ham hock?
The Food Standards Agency advises refrigerating leftovers within two hours and eating them within 48 hours, or freezing them.
Can I reheat ham hock more than once?
No. Reheat only once, and make sure it is steaming hot all the way through.
How can I tell pork is cooked?
There should be no pink, fleshy meat, the juices should run clear and the meat should be steaming hot in the middle. A thermometer is the most reliable check.