The popularity of this dish is confirmed by the presence of numerous names in different countries: in the Czech Republic “boar knee”, in Germany “schweinehack and ice ice”, and in the UK - “pigs knuckle”. Some recipes will be given at the end of the article. It is worth noting that in the hands of only a skilled housewife, an excellent result will be obtained. First, we will figure out how to make a shank yourself at all stages of preparation to help a beginner.
Meat selection
The first thing the hostess always goes to the market to buy the necessary set of products. His choice should be approached responsibly so as not to spoil the taste of the dish.
We need the lower part of the pig’s ham, just from the back, which is more meaty. It is used for cooking independent dishes. From the front you get jellied meat and soups. Meat is usually sold in two versions - raw and smoked (for excellent peas).
It is worth paying attention to the following points:
- The color of fat. It should be bright. This indicates the youth of the pig.
- Smell. Ideally, it is sweet and pleasant.
- Density. After pressing with a finger, the meat quickly returns to its former shape.
Want to know how to make the pork knuckle more tender and not let it dry? Be sure to choose with a skin, which in the future will turn into a crisp.
Cutting
Make no mistake in the amount of meat purchased. 1200 g approximately weighs the standard part. Note that there is a lot of fat that will melt, the volume of the fillet will decrease and, of course, you need to take into account the weight of the bone. We begin the preparation.
A necessary step that should not be missed. We perform the following actions:
- Turn on the gas stove and burn the entire skin.
- Under a stream of hot water, wash it with an iron sponge or scrape with a sharp knife.
But do not immediately cook the pork knuckle. How to make meat more tender? Just soak for several hours in milk, which should completely cover all the pieces.
First heat treatment
Some housewives immediately after the marinade put the leg in the oven at a low temperature for three hours. The result is often only negative, since during this time the meat almost completely loses its juiciness.
We take advantage of the practice of restaurants and first cook the shank. How to do it right, we will analyze further.
To begin with, pour the right amount of water. To do this, dip the meat in the dishes, pour cold liquid and always salt. We take out the leg and put the pan on the fire.
As soon as it boils, we send the shank to boil. The process is just that, because salt water does not take away all the taste, as it happens during cooking of the broth.
Remove the foam, leave on low heat for an hour. At this time, she will be able to be saturated with all the aromas of spices and seasonings to be added. You can add the onion, cloves, celery and bay leaf. We get out and cool.
Marinade
This process is necessary when preparing the whole product.
After cooking, marinate the shank. To do as it should, it will work out only when the composition contains the necessary spices and sauces. It all depends on the selected recipe and the method of further heat treatment. More often taken garlic, various aromatic herbs, allspice. Sometimes everything is selected based on taste preferences.
Ice bein
There are several ways to make pork knuckle in the oven, as in Germany. Consider one of them.
We will need:
- very large pork drumstick;
- smoked sausage - 0.3 kg
- fat brisket - 0.3 kg;
- hunting sausages - 0.3 kg;
- vegetable oil - 2 tbsp. l .;
- sauerkraut - 3 cups;
- head of fresh cabbage - 1 kg;
- tomato paste (or ketchup) - 4 tbsp. l .;
- burning adjika to taste.
We presume that the knuckle has gone through all the stages of preparation, that is, it has been cleaned and cooked with seasonings.
Now heat the pan over high heat with sunflower oil. We send there the brisket, which was previously cut into small cubes. After 10 minutes, add sausages and sausages. Fry a little more and remove from the stove.
The baking dish should not only be wide, but also deep. We mix sauerkraut and shredded fresh cabbage, put it on the greased bottom. Top with 1 cup strained broth, which remained in the pan after cooking the meat.
Spread our roast, mixed with adjika and tomato paste. We put in the oven warmed up to 180 degrees for about 20 minutes. Then we pull out and put the knuckle in the very center. Make as described, it is imperative that all products are extinguished at the same time.
In Germany, the dish is served on a wide plate with a glass of beer.
Boar Knee
Now plunge into Czech cuisine.
Ingredients:
- knuckle - 2 kg;
- coriander;
- apples with sourness - 2 pcs.;
- garlic - 3 cloves;
- celery (root) - 200 g;
- salt (preferably sea) - 2 tbsp. l .;
- soy sauce - 30 ml;
- bay leaf - 5 pcs.;
- black allspice;
- ginger (root) - 70 g;
- nutmeg - ½ tsp;
- light beer - 1.5 liters;
- bee honey - 2 tbsp. l
Let's figure out how to do it in the oven. Boil the pig knuckle and cool. Now we clean the garlic, cut into plates, which we stick into small cuts in the skin. Mix pepper, dry coriander and salt in a cup. This mixture should cover the entire knee.
We put a large container on the table, on the bottom of which we spread the chopped roots of celery and ginger. Put meat on top. We pour all the beer there. We cover with apples that were previously washed and cut into slices, sprinkle with nutmeg and put a bay leaf.
About a day will be pickled "boar knee" in a cold place. Do not forget at this time to sometimes shake the dishes and turn the contents. The next day we take out the shank and prepare for baking. We will need bee honey and soy sauce. We mix them with a whisk, preheating a little. We take a brush and apply the composition to the entire surface of the meat.
It remains only to completely wrap the leg in a large piece of foil and put in a hot (180 degrees) stove for a couple of hours. The roll is sometimes rotated. When 15 minutes remain until the end of cooking, remove the shell to get a crisp.
Stew with potatoes
You can make a shank at home, as many men like, with spices and potatoes.
We will need:
- pork drumsticks - 2 pcs.;
- vegetable oil - 4 tbsp. l .;
- potatoes - 4 medium tubers;
- bulb;
- ketchup - 3 tbsp. l .;
- garlic (6 cloves);
- seasoning to taste.
In this recipe on the topic "how to make a home shank" you will not need the first stages of preparation, which include boiling. It will be enough to chop the meat into portions, rinse under running water and dry with a kitchen towel. We put a frying pan with oil on a strong fire and fry the meat on the bones from all sides. We shift to a deep baking sheet.
In the same fat, fry the potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped, until golden brown. We send to the meat. Separately, pass chopped onions with garlic, add ketchup with spices. Simmer for several minutes over low heat and immediately send to the baking dish.
We put in the oven at 200 degrees for 40 minutes.
In pots
Such a serving of the dish is very convenient, as it is prepared initially in portions.
Ingredients:
- large shank;
- bell pepper of any color - 1 pc.;
- vegetable oil - 1 tbsp. l .;
- onion - 1 pc.;
- tomatoes - 2 pcs.;
- sour cream - 6 tbsp. l .;
- bay leaf - 3 leaves;
- butter - 50 g;
- hard cheese - 100 g;
- all your favorite spices.
To do a steering wheel at home, as in a restaurant, will be done right the first time.
Let's start by boiling the meat. To do this, immerse it in boiling and salted water with spices and leave over low heat for 1.5 hours. We get out, cool and separate from the bone. Cut into large pieces.
Fry on the fire with vegetable oil, bell pepper and onion. As soon as it turns golden, add grated tomato without a peel (which is easily removed after scalding). Stew for 10 minutes, reducing the flame.
Lubricate the inside of our pots with butter and begin to lay products. Vegetables will go first, then pieces of meat. We decompose one leaf of bay leaf and pour 2/3 of the broth in which the shank was cooked.
Top with sour cream mixed with grated cheese. We put in the oven for half an hour, warming up to 200 degrees.
Recipes of national cuisine help to make a shank, as expected, so that you can not only diversify the menu, but also tasty and satisfying to feed everyone.