Some citizens of the former Soviet Union first tried this delicious dish in Germany in the 70s of the twentieth century. We are talking about the military, serving there, and members of their families. Now we have the opportunity to travel around the world and enjoy iceberg (another name for this food) with great pleasure not only in Germany but also in other countries, including in our homeland, visiting a German restaurant. Many, having fallen in love with this dish, begin to master the preparation of pork knuckles at home.
By the way, an iceberg in translation means "ice road (foot)". Not because it is cold, but because the cooked shank is shiny with fat, like ice in the bright sun. The dish is especially popular in the winter, when there is a frosty cold outside and a strong wind blows. It should be noted that before you start studying the
preparation of pork knuckles, you have to choose a recipe, since in Germany there are as many options as we have in relation, for example, to pancakes. At least each of the 16 federal states has its own.
Nevertheless, the preparation of pork shank in German has general rules and requirements. Firstly, you can use only the shanks from the front of the carcass; and for stews, soup or fries will come from the back. Secondly, the mandatory procedure is to soak the workpieces in brine or marinade. Also, the longer it lasts, the better. Thirdly, the finished product is traditionally served with stewed sauerkraut and beer - German, velvet. One mug. There is no modern addition to this dish of this low-alcohol drink, no soy sauce.
Well, prepare the pork knuckle. Given that this lasts a very long time - in the region of three days - we are gaining patience. For brine we need: pork shanks - 2 pieces; cold water - before coating the workpieces; salt - 5 liters of water - 5 tablespoons; sugar - one teaspoon; juniper berries - one glass; dry mustard - one teaspoon; bay leaf, peppercorns, onion peel for a golden color.
For coating you need: a couple of tablespoons of honey, one tablespoon of dry mustard and 3-4 cloves of garlic.
And now the process itself: the preparation of pork shanks.
We wash them well, scrape them with a knife, fill them with cold water - and for two days in a cool place. Every 6 hours we change the water.
We prepare a salt solution. Dissolve salt and sugar in water, add juniper, bay leaf and peppercorns. Shanks - in brine, then in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
Drain half the water, put the onion peel and mustard powder, add clean water. We put the pan on the fire and cook for about two and a half hours.
We get the shanks and cool. Coat with a mixture of honey, garlic and mustard, spread on a baking sheet and bake until crisp. Baking sheet, of course, pre-lubricated with oil. With another option, the shanks can be smoked. Both ways are equally good.
As a side dish, as already mentioned, stewed cabbage is served , and even better - sauerkraut. Choose the most acidic one, rinse under running water, simmer, preferably in a cast-iron bowl with a small amount of vegetable oil and water. If desired, add celery root or parsley and onions.
With this, our fascinating process - the preparation of pork shanks - is completed. We spread the cabbage on a large flat plate, put the iceberg on top, squeezing it a little, and serve. Be sure to add a glass of cold beer.
Enjoy your meal!