Schweinshaxe (German Pork Knuckle)
Wonderfully crispy browned skin, boldly-flavored and succulent fall-of-the-bone meat, and a rich beer gravy make this traditional German dish a world-renowned favorite!
Ingredients
- 2 large meaty pork knuckles (roughly 2 1/2 pounds each), raw not brined, cured, or smoked
- 2 large onions , roughly chopped
- 2 ribs celery , cut in half
- 2 carrots , peeled and cut in half
- 1 leek , cut in fourths (to fit in pot)
- 4 cloves garlic , peeled and cut in half
- 1 bottle German Pilsner or other pale beer , optional but recommended
- water to cover pork knuckles
- 8 juniper berries
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons water , or more as needed to thicken gravy to desired consistency
Instructions
- Look over the pork knuckles and remove any hairs/bristles if there are any. Give them a rinse. Select a pot that fits the pork knuckles fairly snugly so that you end up having to use too much water to cover them and thereby dilute the final gravy. Place the pork knuckles in a large pot with the vegetables and seasonings and pour the beer over it. Then pour over enough water to come to nearly the top of the pork knuckles. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot.Cook the pork knuckles for 90 minutes, occasionally skimming off the foam that rises to the top. After 90 minutes carefully remove the knuckles and transfer them to a cutting board. Let them cool for a few minutes to allow some of the moisture to evaporate from the skins (this will help them become crispy as they roast). Optional: some cooks like to then take a sharp knife and score the skin around the hocks (most commonly they're sliced vertically and then horizontally to create squares, or in a diamond shape). This will further enable to skins to become nice and crispy. Sprinkle a little salt all over the skin.
- Towards the end of the pork knuckles simmering time, preheat the oven to 400 F/ 200 C (for optimal and the most even results, use your convection roast setting if you have it and reduce the temperature to 450 F / 190 C).Place the pork knuckles in a roasting pan (ideally it will have a rack to allow the air to circulate under the hocks, but this isn't a must) and roast them for 60-90 minutes until the skins are crispy and a very deep brown color. If you like eating the pork rinds and want them extra crispy, set your oven now to broil and broil the hocks for an additional 10-20 minutes until the skins are crispy and blistered, rotating the pan halfway through. Keep a close watch on them to make sure they don't burn. Once they are done tent the pan with foil and set aside while you're making the gravy (see below).
- To make the Beer Gravy:Strain the cooking liquid and place 3 cups of it in a blender along with some of the cooked vegetables (note: if you prefer a more pronounced beer flavor in your gravy, reduce that to 2 cups and add an additional cup of beer to the gravy). Blend until smooth. (Alternatively place the cooking water and vegetables in a saucepan and use an immersion blender.) Pour the puree into a saucepan and add the tomato paste. When the Schweinshaxe are done roasting, pour all of the juices (at least 1 cup) from the roasting pan into the saucepan. Bring the gravy to a boil, reduce it to a steady simmer, and let it simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes to reduce a little. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and simmer for another 2 minutes until the gravy is thickened. If the consistency is thicker than you like, add a little more of the cooking water. If the consistency is too thin, let it simmer until it's reduced to the desired consistency or add a little more cornstarch slurry. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the Schweinshaxe with the gravy on the side along with traditional German sides including Sauerkraut, Rotkohl, Semmelknödel or Kartoffelklöße.
Nutrition
Calories: 317kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 16gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 1835mgPotassium: 277mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 5488IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 2mg
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