Dinner of a real Bavarian, as a rule, does not differ in any kind of specialties. Although for some of us the Bavarian pork shank recipe may seem to be something exclusive and extravagant, but believe me, this is not at all. The situation is as follows: everything is simple. Firstly, this part of the pig carcass can be easily purchased in any self-respecting supermarket or on the collective farm market. Secondly, this product is inexpensive and affordable (as, indeed, beer and all other ingredients) for the widest sections of society. Therefore, the question begs: why not use the Bavarian pork shank recipe, for example, for the coming holidays? Well, are you ready to try? Then let's start!
Bavarian pork knuckle: recipe with photo
This part of the carcass (legs, usually the front), adjacent to the knee joints, is also called the lower leg or forearm. When preparing meat products, the butcher’s border for separation from other parts will be the knee / elbow joint. One of the most successful ways of making shank is pickling it in beer and subsequent baking in the oven. By the way, in Bavaria this dish is called Schweinshaxe, it is served, for example, at the Oktoberfest, the famous beer festival. In the Czech Republic, the knuckle is better known as the “Liver boar knee”. It goes well with beer and with any famous spirits. We will consider today the German "classics of the genre."
Bavarian pork shank recipe in beer
It will be desirable to use a fresh rather than frozen product, then the aromas will be richer, meat - softer and more tender. But in general - tastier. The skin of this part of the carcass must be carefully freed from the bristles (for example, you can scrape with a knife or even shave). You can’t remove the peel - for a part of the authentic taste will disappear.
A bit about beer. It is required to take only high-quality, with bright hop aromas, without an alcoholic tone. The Germans soak the shank in a dark foamy drink - it is considered the most saturated. But to get the most tender meat, they also take light beer, but not too strong. After the oven, by the way, all the alcohol should evaporate: the finished meal will be non-alcoholic.
Ingredients
We need: pork knuckle - the total mass is two kilos (you can take two small or one heavy), a half liter of beer - dark weak, a couple of onions, a couple of medium carrots, a head of garlic, a parsley, spices in the form of pepper peas and caraway seeds with cloves and coriander. You will also need sauerkraut in an amount of about a kilogram, a little vegetable oil (this is for garnish). And for the meat sauce, take a couple of spoons of mustard, the same amount of honey and broth in the amount of half a glass. A set of spices is allowed to be changed at will. These ingredients contain a traditional Bavarian mixture. It has been recognized by all gourmets that the most suitable garnish in the recipe for Bavarian pork shank is pre-prepared sauerkraut plus honey sauce. But according to the desire and personal preferences of the home cook, you can serve the meat yourself or with some other chosen side dish (for example, vegetables and rice).
How to cook meat
The recipe for making pork shank in Bavarian does not look too complicated: even a not very experienced housewife can do this in a kitchen.
- Wash, dried shank put in a pan. Pour beer. It should completely cover the meat, so you need to choose the size of the tank so that it uses up the required amount of foam.
- We put the dish with the knuckle on a large fire and bring it to a boil. In the meantime, boil, chopped peeled carrots in large pieces, as well as celery root. In a whole bulb (pre-peeled) we stick the buds of cloves, and we simply divide the garlic into teeth and peel it.
- We remove the foam from the boiling foamy drink, add peeled and cut vegetables along with spices to the container. Reduce the heat on the stove to a minimum. We stew meat in beer for about two hours, covering it with a lid. After an hour, the meat must be turned over.
Garnish
The recipe for pork shank in a Bavarian oven is also famous for the side dish served with meat.
- In a preheated frying pan with vegetable oil, fry the onion sliced in half rings (until golden).
- Sauerkraut (preferably acidic, but without the participation of vinegar) is squeezed from the brine, then put in a pan.
- Fry everything on low heat until soft, reduce the heat to a minimum, pour the beer broth (take from the pan), simmer for another half an hour.
Sauce
It is still simpler here. Mix honey with mustard and broth in a separate container. You can - just a fork or a whisk. And you can do everything in a blender for greater uniformity. By the way, some use mustard with grains for dishes - this will give the sauce a special piquancy.
The final
- We take out the boiled shank from the beer broth, cool slightly, grease liberally with mustard sauce with honey and spread on a baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 160 gr., Bake for 20-30 minutes, so that it has a golden crust. Every 5 minutes we pour meat with beer broth sauce. In the last minutes of the “match” you can turn on the grill.
- We take out the finished dish from the oven, put it in the center of a plate that is not too small in size, for serving to the table. The remaining space can be filled with a side dish - sauerkraut stewed with onions. You can also decorate, for example, vegetables with chopped herbs.
As you can see, there is nothing complicated in the Bavarian pork shank recipe. The only thing you have to stock up on is time. Well and also, of course, the corresponding ingredients. Yes, and enjoy your meal!