Chef Mashama Bailey’s Braised Pork Shank Recipe

Mashama Bailey is the James Beard Award–winning chef of The Grey in Savannah, Georgia, a fine-dining restaurant housed in a former Greyhound bus station. After leaving her career in social work to train as a cook in France, Chef Bailey honed her skills in New York City, but she found herself returning to the Southern food that her grandmother made.

“I never really was looking at French chefs or American chefs for inspiration. I was always looking at my family, because I thought that they were the best cooks that I knew.” — Mashama Bailey

Pork shanks, otherwise known as ham hocks, are the fatty part of a pig’s ankle. They come from a highly worked part of the animal, so they’re best cooked low and slow such as in a braise. Pork shanks contain a high amount of marrow and collagen that melts when cooked, adding richness to many a pork dish. When preparing pork shanks for cooking, a simple dry rub of salt and black pepper will do, but brining them infuses the meat with even more flavor.

Pork shoulder and pork shank are two different cuts of meat taken from a pig. Pork shanks, also called ham hocks (or pork hocks), are the fatty part of a pig’s ankle. Pork shoulder, also called picnic roast or pork butt, is the primal cut of meat from a pig’s shoulder above the forelegs. Both cuts are from highly worked parts of the animal but favor slightly different cooking applications. Many cooks will braise pork shanks to make them tender and juicy; pork shoulder is ideal for roasting or smoking.

“When you think about Black cooking in America, you really think about big pork roasts. You know, there’s a saying that we have called ‘high on the hog.’ So [if] you can eat sort of the best parts of the pork, then you are doin’ well in life.” — Mashama Bailey

“Pork is really a major part of Southern cooking,” Chef Bailey says. “You think of bacon. You think of lard. You think of smoking whole pigs.” Braising pork shanks is a more accessible way to capture the spirit of communal eating with your family and friends. Here’s how to do it:

1. 1. Make a brine. Brining is a technique that involves submerging meat in a salt solution before roasting or grilling. Assemble your brine ingredients—Chef Bailey adds garlic, thyme, and black peppercorns—in a container with enough room to submerge the pork shanks fully. Submerge the pork shanks, cover, and refrigerate for twenty-four hours.
2. 2. Allow the shanks to dry. The next day, remove the pork shanks from the brine and let them fully dry on paper towels or a rack at room temperature. Chef Bailey says two hours of drying on the rack works well. Any excess moisture will create steam in the pot and prevent the pork shanks from developing a proper sear.
3. 3. Sear the pork. Once the shanks are dry, add them to a pot with a couple of tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil starts to smoke, add the pork shanks to the pot. Sear the pork shanks on all sides. The goal is to get consistent browning, but some extra-dark spots are nothing to worry about. “Listen, your family don’t care if it’s messy,” Chef Bailey says. “They just care if it’s delicious. So we don't have to worry too much about making it perfect.”
4. 4. Deglaze the pot. Once the pork shanks are sufficiently seared, remove them from the pot and set them on a rack to rest. Discard the oil from the pot. Add onions to the pot and stir. The onions should help scrape off the fond from the bottom of the pot. Once the onions have slightly reduced, pour in the cane syrup and white wine. Let cook until the onions have caramelized slightly and the wine smells sweet rather than alcoholic. Put the seared shanks back in the pot and add the herb sachet and just enough warmed pork stock to cover the meat.
5. 5. Braise the pork shanks. Put the lid on the pot and cook in an oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about four hours. The meat will pull away easily from the bone when they're finished. Serve on a bed of collard greens, mashed potatoes, or polenta. For added flavor, ladle the reduced braising liquid on top.

When it comes to side dishes, the options are practically endless, but here are a few tried-and-true suggestions:

• Collard greens: “My mother cooked the best collard greens,” Chef Bailey says. “My grandmother cooked better collard greens. It was one of the quintessential dishes that really reminds me of my childhood.” Chef Bailey’s recipe for smoked collard greens incorporates smoke and alliums to mimic the mouthfeel of her grandmother’s collard greens stewed with pigtails—without any protein. She likes to plate braised pork shank on a bed of collards.
• Grits: Grits are a type of porridge made from cornmeal and chicken broth. They provide a velvety vessel for fall-off-the-bone pork shanks. Chef Bailey’s fish and grits recipe outlines her preferred method. If you don’t have grits, substitute Italian polenta.
• Mashed potatoes: Creamy mashed potatoes are an ideal accompaniment to the savory richness of pork shanks. Learn how to make the perfect pomme purée with Chef Gordon Ramsay.
• Wine: Braised pork shanks pair well with full-bodied red wine, such as a Malbec or Cabernet Sauvignon.