It's 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.