Smoked Ham Hock Stuffing

Erik Sather’s Ham Hock Stuffing, Photo by Matt Lien // Growler Magazine

Smoked Ham Hock and Confit Gizzard Stuffing
By Erik Sather, Lowry Hill Meats

Stuffing:
1 smoked ham hock
2 yellow onions, medium dice
1 garlic head, peeled and crushed
2 leeks, cleaned and sliced
2 baguettes (day old), cut into 1-2” cubes
1 quart chicken stock
1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt
½ pound butter (Hope Creamery High Fat is wonderful!)
Fresh sage, thyme, and rosemary, picked, rinsed, and rough chopped

Confit Gizzards:
1 quart rendered duck fat
Gizzards, hearts, and livers from 2–3 birds (I used duck; goose or turkey are good, too)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
6 tablespoons kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoons garam masala

Erik Sather, Photo by Matt Lien // Growler Magazine

Erik Sather (center), Photo by Matt Lien // Growler Magazine

The night before, cure the gizzards, hearts, and livers in the salt and sugar in the refrigerator. If you have extra fresh herbs, feel free to throw them in the cure as well.

The next day, rinse the gizzards thoroughly, place in a baking pan with the rendered duck fat, cover with parchment and foil, and cook at 325°F for four hours. Let cool to room temp before handling. (You can do this step in advance, leaving everything submerged in the fat, in the cooler.)

In the dish you plan to bake the stuffing in, sweat the onions and garlic with some butter, add the chicken stock and ham hock, and bake covered in the same 325°F oven for one to two hours, until the meat is tender.

Once cooked and tender, pull and chop the hock meat, as well as the gizzards (reserve the fat for another time), toss all the ingredients together with the herbs, leeks, and bread, and place everything back in the roasting dish. Melt the butter and pour over everything; add just enough of the hock cooking liquid to moisten the bread.

Turn the oven up to 350°F, bake covered for 30 minutes, then uncover and let finish baking for another 15 minutes until golden.