Schweinshaxen

Roasted Pork Knuckles(Schweinshaxen)

One of the most popular dishes in Bavaria, this recipe is best suited for a weekend dinner with the family, since it requires a lot of preparation time.It also requires a trip to the butcher since a specific cut of meat is needed that typically cannot be found in your local supermarket. Attention to detail is necessary, as well as a hearty admiration for all things pork.

You should aim for about 6-8 pounds total weight . Consider as well that most butcher shops will need to "custom-cut" this for you, so plan ahead.

For about 4 persons:
· 1 front pig leg, bone-in, skin and fat still attached (IMPORTANT), 6 - 8 pounds total weight
· salt, fresh ground pepper
· Bay Leafs, whole peppercorns, 3- 5 twigs of Thyme, a few juniper berries
· 1 cup apple cider or malt vinegar
· 1 1/2 cups dark beer
· 1 small onion, chopped
· 1 stalk celery, chopped
· 1 medium carrot, chopped
· 2 cloves garlic, chopped
· 1 bottle cold beer of your choice

Fill a large pot with water and add the vinegar, 1 TBL salt, peppercorns, juniper berries, thyme and a few bay leafs and bring to a boil. Put in the pork knuckle and simmer until soft, approximate. 3 - 5 hours depending on weight.

Remove out of the brine and dry. With a sharp knife, score the skin and the fat, but be careful not to cut all the way through into the meat. Season liberally with salt pepper and some thyme and make sure to rub the seasoning well into the scores.

Heat a large roasting pan on your stovetop and sear the knuckle in a little oil, skin side down until the skin is nicely browned.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and roast the knuckle until the skin is crispy and internal temperature of the meat is 160 degrees. Brush with the dark beer every few minutes. Turn up the heat to 350F for the last 15 - 20 minutes and make sure the skin gets nice and crispy

Remove from the heat, cover with foil and let the meat rest while preparing the sauce:

On your stovetop add the onion, carrot and celery into the roasting pan and cook on medium heat until slightly brown.

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute.

Deglaze the roasting pan with the rest of the dark beer and strain the sauce into a sauce pot. Season with salt and pepper and taste. If the flavor is too intense, add some water. It should be clear and not too thick. Don't thicken the sauce with roux or starch, this would be a mortal sin in Bavaria.