Many housewives, having studied the shank recipe, are afraid to cook this dish, considering the process too complicated and time-consuming. In principle, absolutely simple recipes for this treat really do not exist, since the knuckle is a part of the pig’s leg, and therefore it takes a long time to cook. But the end result, as a rule, amazes all guests, so sometimes it’s worth deciding and pampering them with such a spectacular and very satisfying meal.
To begin, the shank should be selected correctly. They sell it in chilled or frozen form, it is better, of course, to choose chilled. The knuckle of the front leg is more suitable for baking than the back, because it has more meat, a thin bone and a layer of fat. The back is usually used for jelly because it contains more gelling substances in the joints.
The recipe for shank in the oven usually consists of 3 stages: boiling, pickling and baking. In total, this procedure takes almost a day, so you need to start in advance of the arrival of guests. Some housewives who cook the shank often enough, boil it, pickle and freeze it as a semi-finished product. In this case, you can cook it in just a few hours, defrosting.
Among the many different options, the most successful is the shank recipe for dark beer. So it comes out the most juicy and fragrant. A medium-sized shank (about 1.5 kg) will require: 0.5 liters of
dark beer, salt, bay leaf, different types of peppers, 1 onion and carrot each (celery and parsley roots can be added, if desired), a head of garlic, 2 tbsp. honey and Dijon mustard, 50 ml of soy sauce.
To begin, the knuckle should be washed and left in cold water for 2-3 hours, periodically changing it. Then pour fresh water and put on fire. After the water boils, add salt, 5-6 peeled cloves of garlic, spices and vegetables, cook over low heat at the rate of 1 hour per 1 kg of meat, then take out and leave to cool.
This
recipe for making pork shank suggests that it remains on the bone, in some cases it is removed, then you need to cook a little longer (for 30-40 minutes), so that it can be easily done. During the cooling of the meat, you can cook the marinade. To do this,
Dijon mustard, honey are added to soy sauce, the remaining garlic is squeezed out and everything is thoroughly mixed. Through the entire surface of the skin, punctures are made with a sharp knife, after which it is coated with marinade and sent to the refrigerator for several hours (you can leave for a day).
Since this shank recipe assumes that the meat is already fully prepared at the pre-bake stage, it will spend no more than 40 minutes in the oven. Before sending it there, it should be placed in a deep form, pour over the remaining marinade and beer. Bake should be in a moderately hot oven, first for 20 minutes, covered with foil, and then, removing it, until the beer is completely evaporated.
You can serve the dish both hot and chilled, with boiled vegetables or a light salad. Beer is also possible without a side dish. If you use the shank recipe for bones, then before serving you need to make several longitudinal cuts with a sharp knife, and then divide the transverse into pieces of the required size. In the case when there is no bone, bake it, turning on the principle of roll, and cut accordingly.