Smoked pork neck bones are good for use in soups and stews and for adding smoky and deep flavor and richness to dishes that are slow cooked like beans, stews, soups and even collard greens to serve as a flavorful meat base or seasoning much like ham hocks or simmered down for rich gravies and broths.
The most popular use of smoked pork neck bones are to use them for seasoning greens like collards, mustard greens or simmering with beans like pinto beans or black beans for a savory and meaty flavor.
Smoked pork neck bones are also great for dishes like Gumbo or Gamjatang.
Smoked pork neck bones are commonly used in Southern delicacy add smoky and rich depth to greens, stews, soups and they can also be an even meatier alternative to ribs.
You can simmer smoked pork neck bones with collards, kale or cabbage flavorful pot liquor or add the smoked pork neck bones to pinto beans for a meaty base.
Smoked pork neck bones are also great for flavoring pea soup, broths or use in hearty bean stews.
You can also simply peel the smoked pork neck bone meat off and eat the smoked pork neck bones meat itself.
You should cook smoked neckbones for 2 hours to 5 hours, depending on your method of cooking the smoked neckbones, like slow cooker, oven or smoker and your desired tenderness and aim for fork tender meat where the meat falls easily off the bone.
This is often achieved by simmering the neckbones on low heat or by cooking the neckbones until the internal temperature reaches around 190 F.
If cooking the neckbones in a slow cooker or crockpot you should cook the neckbones on low for 4 hours to 6 hours or on high for 2 hours to 4 hours and add in any additional ingredients like beans or greens later.
If cooking the neckbones in the oven and braising them, you should brown the neckbones first, then bake the neckbones covered at 300 F for an hour and then lower the heat to 175 F to 200 F for 2 to 3 hours until tender.
When smoking the neckbones you smoke the neckbones at 225F for 3 to 5 hours, and spritz them occasionally until they are probe tender and reach 190 F internal temperature.
Pressure cooking the neckbones is faster and takes around 25 minutes to 30 minutes for the meat to become tender.
When the neckbones are done cooking the meat should pull away easily from the neckbones and for ultimate tenderness of the neckbones when cooking the neckbones in a smoker you should aim for around 190 F.
When you cook smoked neck bones it also best to rinse the neck bones before cooking to remove any bone fragments, excess salt and impurities as well as blanch the neck bones by doing a quick boil and drain to reduce the intense smoky flavor and scum for a cleaner taste.
Although even just rinsing the smoked neck bones before cooking is okay for cleanliness.
The temperature that is best for smoking neck bones is 225 F and use a low and slow method of cooking the neck bones until the meat of the neck bones are tender and reaches an internal temperature of at least 190 F, for fall of the bone results.
Smoke the neck bones at 225 F for 4 to 5 hours and spritz the neck bones occasionally with some apple cider vinegar or water to keep them moist.
Smoked neck bones take 4 to 5 hours to cook when using a smoker.
To cook neck bones in a smoker smoke the neck bones at a low temperature until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 190 F for tender, pull off the bone results.
Smoked neck bones need a good slow cook to become tender which takes between 4 hours to 5 hours in a smoker until the meat is falling off the bone.
When braising or boiling the neck bones it's also better to braise neck bones by slow cooking the neck bones in liquid after browning them for tender and more flavorful neck bones.
Braising the neck bones after browning them breaks down the touch connective tissue and creates melt in mouth meat and a rich sauce.
Although boiling and simmering the neck bones is also a step in braising or making broth.
Just boiling the neck bones often results in tough meat, and braising the neck bones like using a crock pot or stewing is best for coaxing out the flavor as well as the tenderness for dishes that are served over rice or with greens.
To know when neck bones are done cooking and ready to eat you can check the neck bones with a fork.
When neck bones are done and fully cooked, the meat of the neck bone should separate from the bone easily with little effort.
You can try peeling the meat from the neck bones with a fork and if the fork slides into the meat easily and the meat separates from the neck bone easily and with little effort then the neck bones are done cooking.
The meat of the neck bone should also start to crumble or fall off the bone as you handle it and there should also be no toughness to the neck bone beat as the neck bone meat should be soft and yielding and not chewy when it's done cooking.
Neck bones are tough cuts of meat, which need low heat and a long cooking time, which can be done by either braising or simmering or smoking in a smoker if you prefer to smoke the neck bones.
The long slow cooking process of the neck bones allow the collagen to break down.
Also when simmering or braising the neck bones you should ensure that there is enough liquid like broth, water or vinegar in the pot to cover the neck bones and keep the neck bones moist.
If the neck bones are tough, you should cook the neck bones longer and add more liquid as needed, and if the meat of the neck bones are tender, then the neck bones are cooked and ready to eat or serve.
For smoked neck bones you should aim for an internal temperature of 190 F of the meat for ultimate tenderness.
Simmering or braising neck bones takes around 2 hours to 4 hours of low and slow cooking until the connective tissue breaks down, although some recipes for neck bones also suggest that you check for tenderness of the neck bone meat around 90 minutes after beginning cooking of the neck bones and then add more liquid if needed.