Schweinshaxe Food

SCHWEINSHAXE

Steps:

• Place the carrot, onion, leek, celery, and pork knuckles into a large stockpot. Throw in the peppercorns, and season with salt to taste. Add enough water to the pot to cover the vegetables. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 hours, or until everything is tender. Remove the knuckles from the water, and drain. Reserve vegetables and cooking liquid.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F ( 220 degrees C). Melt the shortening in an enamel coated cast iron baking dish or pan. Place the drained pork knuckles, cooked vegetables, and about 2 cups of the cooking liquid into the pan.
• Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. During the last 10 minutes, sprinkle with beer in which a good amount of salt has been dissolved. Dust lightly with cumin to increase flavor. Serve with potato or white bread dumplings, or sauerkraut salad. In Bavaria, the cooking liquid and juices are strained, and served as an accompanying sauce.

SCHWEINSHAXE

Steps:

• Preheat the convection oven to 250 F (120°C).
• Using a mortar and pestle, crush the onions, garlic, cumin seeds, and peppercorns.
• Using a knife, cut the skin of the pork knuckles crosswise to obtain a crispy crust when cooked.
• Rub the meat with the crushed spice and aromatic mixture, along with the caraway, juniper berries, rosemary, and salt, and place in a deep baking dish.
• Pour over the broth and beer.
• Bake for 2h15, basting regularly with the sauce to prevent the meat from drying out.
• At the end of the cooking, put the oven in grill position and increase the temperature to 450 F (230°C).
• Grill for about 15 to 20 minutes, turning the meat occasionally until a nice crust forms.
• Take the meat out of the oven and let the meat rest, placing it under aluminum foil or in a large oven bag to keep it warm.
• Then filter the sauce and, if necessary, reduce it in a saucepan.
• Place the meat on a hot dish and do not cut it until the last moment.
• Serve with rotkraut (red cabbage) or sauerkraut (white cabbage) and semmelknödel (bread dumplings) and/or kartoffelknödel (potato dumplings), or a coleslaw and/or potato salad.

SCHWEINSHAXE (PORK KNUCKLES)

Steps:

• Wash and dice the leek, celery, carrot and onion.
• Cook pork knuckles, diced vegetables, salt and peppercorns in water to cover 2 to 3 hours or until tender; avoid overcooking.
• Remove from water; drain well reserving vegetables and cooking liquid.
• Preheat oven to 425F.
• Melt fat or shortening in an dutch oven.
• Add drained pork knuckles, cooked vegetables and a small amount of cooking liquid.
• Bake 30 minutes, moistening meat frequently with more cooking liquid.
• Just before meat is done, sprinkle with beer or water in which a good amount of salt has been dissolved.
• Add cumin to taste.
• Serve with potato or white bread dumplings or sauerkraut salad.
• Note: In Bavaria, the juices and cooking liquid are strained and served as an accompanying sauce.

SCHWEINSHAXE (GERMAN HAM HOCK)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F.
• Rinse the hocks and pat dry.
• Cut the fatty skin diagonally in both directions so that you have a diamond pattern. Season with pepper, salt and paprika.
• Heat the lard in a dutch oven and brown the hocks for approx 10 mins on all sides (quite hot).
• Peel and quarter the onion and add to the pot, add the bay leaf, juniper berries, cloves and mustard grains.
• Pour in 1/8 quart of boiling water and place the pot in the middle of the oven.
• The hocks will need approx 1 1/2 - 2hrs, depending on size, baste with beer from time to time and if required add a little water.
• Remove the hock from the pot and using beer and water make sure you scrape up the bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Thicken using a cornstarch/water paste and season with salt and pepper.
• Serve with sauerkraut and knoedel or mashed potatoes.

BAVARIAN PORK LEG (SCHWEINSHAXE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Rub pork legs with salt and pepper on all sides. Set into a deep-rimmed baking sheet. Pour boiling water on top.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Add onion, carrot, caraway seeds, and crushed peppercorns.
• Continue to roast until pork leg is cooked through, about 90 minutes more. Baste with liquids from the pork every 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).