Substitute bacon for ham hock???

Almost always. Usually just a tablespoon of bacon grease though, not the bacon. Though if I don't have any grease, I'll cook 3-4 slices of bacon, crumble it up and leave it there with the grease.

Never seem to have a ham hock. Just bought a few the other day. Still to be  smoked though.

I normally buy a ham steak and cube it. 

For me, a ham hock is just too salty.  Grainted I/we don't use a lot of salt in our meals.  I do salt my salad if that's weird.  

Try some smoked turkey wings in those pintos. You'll never regret it.

Tasso is also a great "condiment meat" for beans.

A lot of stores will have frozen smoked hocks, which work great.  The hock has a ton of collagen in the bones which make gellatin, and and a great texture that bacon or bacon fat will not.

Why would anyone even hesitate to add bacon to ... well, almost anything?

fishlessman said:

OhioEgger said:

Why would anyone even hesitate to add bacon to ... well, almost anything?

salt pork has more silky goodness (fat) than bacon

Fat back is an essential product to have in your fridge.  

I always save my ham bones and shoulder/butt bones from the Egg.  Wrap them well with aluminum foil and then zip lock to use for later items.  

Carolina Q said:

tarheelmatt said:

fishlessman said:

OhioEgger said:

Why would anyone even hesitate to add bacon to ... well, almost anything?

salt pork has more silky goodness (fat) than bacon

Fat back is an essential product to have in your fridge.  

I always save my ham bones and shoulder/butt bones from the Egg.  Wrap them well with aluminum foil and then zip lock to use for later items.  

@tarheelmatt, what do you do with the blade bone from a butt? That's the cut I usually buy and have never thought to keep the bone.

I save them too, try to leave some meat on them if possible.  Most times they come out clean.  I like doing whole shoulders, instead of just a butt though.  

You can take many, and make a stock out of it.  Then use that stock for what you will.  Cabbage, green beans, crowder peas, etc.  

For my Butt Blast dish last year, I used bone stock with my SV cabbage rolls.  I added bacon too for added flavor.  

Not only use hocks over bacon in beans i smoke my own hocks. 

GoldenQ said:

ham hocks get too much grease in the beans for me.

Maybe you could trim them down before smoking, but the gelatin in the bones is transformative to a pot of beans. 

Mickey said:

Not only use hocks over bacon in beans i smoke my own hocks. 

smoked hocks

350 indirect (I do so few indirect cooks). I like a mix of cherry and sugar maple wood. Use both with and w/o bones. Vac & Freeze. No rubs, no S&P, no nothing except smoke.  Just like I do my hams. 

But of course you do. 
+1 on not seasoning "condiment meat". Also, doing a big batch means you can always pull one out of the freezer.

@JohnEggGio, I rarely see them out on the shelf either, but sometimes they have 'em in the back. Ask the butcher.