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Schweinshaxe: Crispy German Pork Knuckles

Schweinshaxe

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Few dishes capture the essence of hearty German cuisine quite like Schweinshaxe, a slow-roasted pork knuckle with irresistibly crispy skin and tender, juicy meat. Making Schweinshaxe at home may seem daunting, but with the right techniques, you can easily achieve that perfect combination of crispy skin and flavorful meat. And if you want to learn how, then this is the recipe you need.

  • Total Time: 0 hours
  • Yield: 1-2 portions 1x

Ingredients

Scale

For the Dry Brine

  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp caraway seeds
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed

For the Schweinshaxe

  • 1 onion, cut into wedges
  • 1 carrot, cut into chunks
  • 1 whole garlic bulb, cut in half
  • 500 ml (2 cups) dark beer

For the Sauce

  • 1 tbsp cooking oil
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 2–3 dl (¾–1 ¼ cups) roasting juices from the pork
  • 2 dl (¾ cup) veal stock (or beef stock)
  • 1 tsp butter
  • Black pepper (to taste)
  • Salt (to taste)

To Serve

  • Boiled potatoes or potato dumplings
  • Fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

For the Schweinshaxe

  1. Crush the allspice if using whole ones. Mix with caraway seeds, salt, and black pepper.
  2. Season the meat side of the pork knuckle with the spice mix. Only use salt on the skin.
  3. Crush the garlic and spread it onto a plate or tray. Place the pork knuckle meat side down on top.
  4. Let sit uncovered in the fridge overnight.
  5. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F).
  6. Place the pork knuckle on a rack over a roasting tray and roast for 30 minutes.
  7. Remove the tray from the oven and lift off the rack with the pork knuckle. Add onion, carrot, and garlic to the tray.
  8. Place the rack with the pork knuckle back on top and pour ⅓ of the beer over the pork.
  9. Lower the temperature to 110°C (230°F) and roast for 2 hours.
  10. After 2 hours, pour another ⅓ of the beer over the pork and increase the temperature to 230°C (450°F).
  11. Roast for 15 minutes, then pour the remaining beer over the pork and roast for another 15 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden brown.

For the Sauce

  1. Heat oil in a pan and fry the chopped onion until it starts to brown.
  2. Add the roasting juices and veal stock. Season with black pepper and salt.
  3. Let the sauce simmer and reduce until thickened.
  4. Strain the sauce using a fine-mesh sieve.
  5. Stir in the butter off the heat.
  6. Serve the Schweinshaxe with boiled potatoes or potato dumplings. Drizzle with sauce and garnish with chopped parsley. Enjoy!
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Dry brining: 8-12 hours
  • Cook Time: 3 hours

Find it online: https://ivaneats.com/schweinshaxe/