DNX FOOD Food Culture Crispy German Pork Knuckle (Schweinshaxe) with Beer Gravy

Crispy German Pork Knuckle (Schweinshaxe) with Beer Gravy

Crispy German Pork Knuckle (Schweinshaxe) with Beer Gravy post thumbnail image

A hunk of impossibly tender, juicy pork meat on the bone, all wrapped in crispy crackling skin, you say? Be still my beating heart! Called Schweinshaxe, this slow-roasted German Pork Knuckle comes with a richly-flavoured beer gravy.

Of the many things Germans have perfected, pork roast is right up there. And key to this meaty art is of course amazing crackling, something most recipes fall short on with Pork Knuckle … but we cracked the code!

Close up photo of roasted German Pork Knuckle (Schweinshaxe) with really crispy skin!

German Pork Knuckle (Schweinshaxe)

Pork Knuckle – sometimes called Pig Knuckle – is as Bavarian as Oktoberfest, lederhosen and BMW. Called Schweinshaxen, these mighty hunks of roasted pork hock are a fixture of pubs and beer halls in Munich and this part of Germany, as well as nearby Austria.

Always served in a puddle of dark and malty beer gravy, Pork Knuckle is loved by Germans for its juicy, lip-smackingly rich meat on the bone, all wrapped in a sheath of golden crackling that shatters under a knife.

Don’t let appearances fool you! Pork Knuckle might not win many beauty pageants (except maybe in the eyes of a Bavarian! 😂) but one taste is all it takes to fall head over heels for this German classic. And once you have, nothing else ever goes down quite as well with a giant stein of cold German beer!!

Photo of pouring beer gravy over German Pork Knuckle (Schweinshaxe) with ultra Crispy Skin

The challenge: How to make crispy skin on Pork Knuckle

While producing deliciously tender meat in German Pork Knuckle is straightforward enough, very rarely do you see a Pork Knuckle fully encased with really good crackling. I mean the properly bubbly skin, the stuff that shatters delightfully into a thousand porky shards under the teeth. Not the rock-hard and flat sort of crackling where it’s your teeth more likely to be shattering!

It’s the shape of the pork knuckle that makes it hard to get perfect crackling all over. Crackling is easy enough when the skin is level and flat as in pork belly and shoulder, due to even heat distribution. With Pork Knuckle, the skin is wrapped around the bone and oriented vertically.

This means two things. Firstly, due to height and thus temperature difference in the oven, the top and bottom skin areas of the knuckle are harder to cook evenly. Secondly, the skin shrinks as it roasts, causing creases and folds which never turn into good crackling.

So how do you get perfect crispy crackling for Pork Knuckle?

Here’s how:

  1. Leave raw Pork Knuckle uncovered in the fridge overnight to let the skin dry out. This step I recommend for all my crispy crackling pork recipes such as this belly, also this belly and this shoulder;

  2. Prick the skin all over using a small sharp knife or a pin. This is a proven technique I’ve used for Crispy Chinese Pork Belly to make the crackling bubbly-crispy instead of a hard and flat sheet;

  3. High heat, always!;

  4. Use skewers to keep the skin stretched and flat. This is the GAME CHANGING TIP! Without the skewers, the skin shrinks as it roasts. This creates crevices and folds, which leads to bad crackling. 😞

Overhead photo of prepared pork knuckle, ready to be roasted
Skewers prevent the skin from shrinking and creasing as it slow roasts. This means superior crispy crackling!
Making German Pork Knuckle (Schweinshaxe) with ultra Crispy Skin
Without the skewers, the skin contracts as it slow roasts, creating folds in the skin that don’t become crispy.

Ingredients for Crispy German Pork Knuckle

1. Pork knuckle

First up, you need to get your hands on a pork knuckle. Here is what it looks like:

Raw Pork Knuckle

Firstly, pork knuckles are not pig’s trotters (feet)! Despite the name, it is actually the meaty upper part of the pig’s leg. Pork knuckle is variously known as pig knuckle, pork shanks, pork hock and ham hock (though this also refers to smoked or cured hocks). For German Pork Knuckle, we specifically need the rearleg knuckles / hocks because they are much bigger and meatier. Pork knuckles / hocks cut from the front legs of a pig are smaller and often smoked to make smoked ham hocks, for dishes like Pea & Ham Soup.

Note also that sometimes pork knuckles / hocks are sold brined (salted) as pickled hocks or ham hocks. Lightly brined knuckles may be suitable for this recipe, however I have not tested this. We also do not want smoked hocks. I recommend you stick to un-brined, raw pork knuckles / hocks.

One pork knuckle (around 1.2 – 1.3kg / 2.6 – 2.9lb) is enough to comfortably feed two. If it’s a particularly small knuckle, it will feed one very hungry eater!

Where to get pork knuckle – Here in Sydney, they are sold at some butchers though you usually need to ask for it, as they may have it out the back rather than in the counter display. However, I found it quite easy to get pork knuckle from Asian butchers. They may have it displayed or stored at the back. They are good value at around $8/kg ($4/lb)! Remember: Ask for rear leg hocks / knuckles. And show them the photo above! 😂

(Bit of food trivia for you: the reason why pork knuckles are easily found at Asian butchers is it’s a pork cut used in Asian cooking. In contrast, the pork knuckle is often part of the whole ham (leg) in Western cooking, hence why it’s not as widely available separately at Western butchers.)


2. Seasoning rub

Here’s what you need to prepare the pork for roasting:

Ingredients for Beer Gravy for German Pork Knuckle (Schweinshaxe) with ultra Crispy Skin
  • Juniper berries, caraway seeds and fennel – These are some traditional flavourings used when seasoning the Pork Knuckle. They are easy to find these days, though juniper berries are less common in mainstream grocery stores in Australia. Aside from spice shops, they are usually carried by delis and fresh produce stores with a good selection of herbs and spices (eg. Harris Farm);

  • Garlic – Because garlic is always welcome! These are cut into slivers and stuffed into small incisions made into the flesh of the pork; and

  • Vinegar – Vinegar is for brushing onto the flesh and skin of the pork to reduce strong pork odour that you can sometimes get roasting secondary pork cuts. It’s not a step you see with all pork recipes, but it’s worth doing as an insurance policy. It does not make the pork taste “vinegary” at all.


3. German beer gravy ingredients

A rich, dark, full-bodied gravy flavoured with beer is the traditional sauce served with Pork Knuckle . The base of the gravy is the pan juices remaining after roasting the pork knuckle. Here’s what you need to make it:

Ingredients in Beer Gravy for German Pork Knuckle (Schweinshaxe)

Dark German beer – The key flavouring for the gravy which also makes it a deep, dark brown colour. I used Weihenstephaner Tradition Bayrisch Dunkel which is a dark German beer (Bavarian, in fact!) sold at Dan Murphys in Australia .

If you can’t find German dark beer, any dark ale, porter or stout will do (even Guinness!). Just make sure it’s a proper dark beer else the gravy will lack richness, sweetness and colour. However, avoid stouts that are too heavy and bitter, as they can be overwhelming here.

German Beer for Beer Gravy
German Beer used to make Beer Gravy for crispy German Pork Knuckle.
  • Bay leaves, carrot, onion and garlic – Typical ingredients used in homemade stocks for the flavour base, which is essentially what we’re making here!

  • Chicken stock – For extra savoury depth in the gravy. If you don’t have any, I am confident the gravy will still have enough flavour if you just used water instead;

  • Juniper berries – More of that fruity, spiky-tasting berry echoing the flavour in the pork rub;

  • Salt and sugar – Seasonings for the gravy; and

  • Cornflour / cornstarch – To thicken the beer gravy. This is fairly traditional in beer gravy for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it gives the gravy a clearer finish compared to flour, which makes gravies cloudy.

    Secondly, we end up with a fair volume of pan liquid after the the pork is roasted since we are building a tasty stock under it as it roasts. This is different to the roasted meat pan drippings like with roast lamb, roast pork etc, which lacks much liquid initially. So we need a thickener we can just stir straight into the stock to make the gravy, rather than cooking off flour in the fats of pan drippings, and then adding liquids.


How to make Crispy German Pork Knuckle

This section is a bit lengthy. Fear not: it’s actually just information rather than an indication of effort! In all honesty, once you get to the actual doing part, you’ll realise it’s actually a very low-effort recipe. 🙂

Here’s a rundown of how I’ve broken this section up:

  1. Preparing and seasoning the Pork Knuckle;

  2. Slow-roasting;

  3. Crisping up the crackling; and

  4. Making the beer gravy.


Part 1: Preparation & seasoning

Firstly, preparing the pork and seasoning it!

How to make German Pork Knuckle
  1. Prick skin – Poke lots of small holes all over the Pork Knuckle’s skin using a small, sharp knife or even a pin (eg. safety pin, sewing pin). Around 100 or so. Really. Lots and lots! The more holes you prick, the more crackling “bubbles” you will end up with – and bubbles are good! No holes = flat and hard crackling = chipped teeth!

  2. CAUTION: Don’t pierce the flesh! Take care not to pierce through the fat under the skin and into the flesh. Any holes that are too deep will cause the meat juices to bubble up through the hole and run down the skin. Everywhere the meat juices comes into contact with will not go crispy.

How to make German Pork Knuckle
  1. Brush flesh with vinegar – Brush or rub 1 tablespoon of the vinegar on the pork flesh, including inside any cracks or crevices, and under the skin where it meets the flesh (but do not peel skin back). See above in the ingredients section for why we apply vinegar.

    Note at this stage we just apply to the flesh. The skin will be done later during the high heat roasting step when we are crisping up the crackling!

  2. Stud with garlic: Make shallow incisions in the exposed pork flesh only with a small knife then stuff with the garlic slivers. This is to add flavour into the flesh;

How to make German Pork Knuckle
  1. Making the seasoning rub: Pound the rub ingredients in a mortar and pestle until it’s a coarse powder (or use a Nutribullet, spice grinder or similar);

  2. Rub seasoning over pork: Rub pork skin with olive oil. Then rub the seasoning mix all over the pork – on the flesh, skin, and getting it into all the cracks and crevices.

How to make German Pork Knuckle
  1. Skewer skin (secret for crispy skin! ): Pull the skin down to stretch it taut so there’s no creases. Then thread through 2 metal skewers near the base of the knuckle in an “X” shape. Do this by piercing the skin on one side, forcing the skewer through the flesh and through the skin on the other side so it pierces the skin about 2cm / 0.8″ from the edge of the skin. Repeat with the other skewer, perpendicular to the first (to form a “X”), to hold the stretched skin in place.

    TIPS:

    – Position the skewers so they pass through as close to the bone as possible;
    – Make the point at which you pierce the skin 2cm / 0.8″ from the bottom edge of the skin. If it’s too close to the edge, it might tear as it roasts;
    No metal skewers? Use wooden or bamboo skewers but soak them for 1 hour in water beforehand which will help stop them from burning in the oven. Also cut off most of the skewer excesses sticking out;

  2. Leave overnight: Place pork upright on a plate, then leave uncovered in the fridge overnight. The purpose of this is twofold. Firstly, to “marinate” the pork knuckle to get the seasoning flavours into the flesh as well as the salt. Secondly, to dry out the skin to ensure we get that awesome crispy crackling!


Part 2: Slow-roast

Seasoning and “marinating” done, now it’s slow-roasting time to make the flesh beautifully tender!

How to make German Pork Knuckle
  1. Prepare for roasting – Put all the beer gravy ingredients in a roasting pan that’s deep enough to hold more than ~1.5L (3 quarts) of liquid. Then set a rack over the pan and put the pork knuckle on top with the cut side face down.

    This setup achieves two things. Firstly, the steam rising from the liquid keeps the underside flesh nice and moist without affecting the crispiness of the skin (the angle of the sloped knuckle skin is such that it doesn’t get directly hit with steam). And secondly, the meat juices drip down into the pan which adds lots of meaty flavour into the stock we’re building for the beer gravy. Win, win, win!

  2. Slow-roast 2 hours 10 minutes – Roast for around 2 hours 10 minutes at 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan), rotating the tray halfway, or until the internal temperature in the thickest part reaches 85°C / 185°F.

    Having a meat thermometer really helps here to achieve the ideal cook time for the flesh. Pork knuckle meat is actually not that fatty or uniformly rich with connective tissue, so if you cook it excessively it can begin to lose juiciness in parts.

    It is still much more forgiving than lean pork cuts such as tenderloin, where dryness sets in quickly if you do cook it for longer than necessary. But it is not as forgiving as, for example, pork shoulder or pork belly, where you can go considerably over the required cook time and the flesh will still be juicy.

    In short, it’s best to use a meat thermometer! I have a Thermapen – more on that cool gadget here.

What it looks like after the initial slow-roast, before crisping skin

When you pull the pork knuckle out of the oven after this initial slow-roast, the skin should still be soft and rubbery, but very dry. The skin needs to be soft at this stage in order for the pork crackling bubbles to form when we put it back into the oven at a very high temperature. If the skin is crispy at this stage, those lovely bubbles can’t form and it’s game over! 😩

This is what it should look like after the first cooking stage:

Making German Pork Knuckle (Schweinshaxe) with ultra Crispy Skin
German Pork Knuckle after the slow-roasting stage, before blasting in a hot oven to form the crispy crackling skin.

Part 3: Make that Crispy Pork Knuckle crackling!

How to make German Pork Knuckle
  1. Crank up heat! – Transfer the knuckle to a separate tray, and increase the oven to 260°C / 500°F (240°C fan). Crackling needs a super-hot oven!

    The liquid in the roasting pan at this stage should be reduced, and just needs to be thickened to make the Beer Gravy – see Part 4 below;

  2. Brush skin with vinegar – Brush the skin with half the remaining 1 tbsp of vinegar. See above in ingredients section for the purpose of the vinegar.

    Don’t worry! Brushing with vinegar doesn’t affect the crispiness of the skin. We only brush on a bit and the high heat of the oven evaporates it quickly;

  3. Blast it! Put the knuckle in the oven for 30 minutes, rotating tray halfway and brushing with remaining vinegar at this point.

  4. And now, swoon … The skin should be crispy all over, deep golden and mostly covered with beautiful, tiny bubbles. It will be near-perfect – as perfect I believe as you can get crackling with pork knuckle! The plain fact is that the shape of a pork knuckle means the crackling will never be quite as perfect as what you can achieve with a nice, flat piece of pork belly where the crackling can be made perfect from edge to edge.

    But we get darn close, and I reckon better than anything I’ve seen out there!

    Now rest the pork for 15 minutes to allow the juices in the meat to redistribute. If you skip this step, then the meat juices will just run everywhere when you start ripping* into the meat!

    Don’t forget that jug of German beer gravy! See below for steps for how to make it.

* There is just no other way to describe how a pork knuckle should be eaten!

Crispy crackling on German Pork Knuckle. Not a single patch of rubbery skin!!

Part 4: German beer gravy

While the skin is crisping up in the oven into crackling perfection, make the beer gravy:

How to make German Pork Knuckle
  1. Strain – Strain roasting pan juices into a saucepan. The exact amount of liquid you end up with in the pan will be affected by things such as the accuracy of your oven, the size of the roasting pan and so on. But there’s no need to check for precise liquid quantity here, we can adjust it once the cornflour / cornstarch is added. Here’s how:

    – If you’re short on liquid, the gravy will be too thick so we can just add water to increase the volume;
    – If you have too much liquid, the gravy will be too thin so simmer the gravy for longer to reduce and concentrate;

    Aim for around 1.5 – 2 cups, but aim for gravy thickness as your guide for the right quantities. And taste, of course!

  2. Thicken gravy with cornstarch – Once volume and concentration is adjusted (if necessary), bring the gravy stock to a simmer. Mix cornflour and water to make a slurry, then pour into gravy while stirring.

    Then just simmer for 2 minutes until it becomes a thin syrup consistency. Beer gravy for Pork Knuckle is not supposed to be as thick as English-style gravy like you serve with roast pork or roast lamb. See above for adjusting thickness as required.

    Pour gravy into a jug and serve alongside the pork knuckle. Or, plate it the traditional way by firstly pouring a big pool of gravy into the middle of a plate, then placing the knuckle grandly on top!

Ladle scooping up Beer Gravy for German Pork Knuckle (Schweinshaxe) with ultra Crispy Skin
Close up photo of beer being poured over German Pork Knuckle (Schweinshaxe) with ultra Crispy Skin
Plate of German Pork Knuckle (Schweinshaxe) with ultra tender meat and really crispy skin with beer gravy

How and what to serve with German Pork Knuckle

Traditionally, Pork Knuckle is often served with a hefty German potato dumpling or two. The sticky balls make the perfect stodgy vehicle (in a good way!) for mopping up that delicious gravy! On the side, you might have some sauerkraut or a slaw-like cabbage salad (similar to this one, which would make a lovely side here).

Potato dumplings are beyond our scope for today, so later this week instead I will be sharing I’ve shared a German Potato Salad to go with the Pork Knuckle, as well as a refreshing sour cream and dill German Cucumber Salad that will be perfect to cut through all the sticky richness of the Pork Knuckle.

And for dessert? Well it’s just got to be everyone’s favourite cherry-laced German torte, Black Forest Cake hasn’t it? 😉 Watch this space!

With that, it’s over to you! Who can wait until Oktoberfest time to make this amazing roast?? Not me, that’s for sure!! – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

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Close up photo of German Pork Knuckle (Schweinshaxe) with ultra Crispy Skin

German Pork Knuckle (Schweinshaxe) – Slow Roasted with Crispy crackling!

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Recipe video above. Realistically, one knuckle will serve 2. But for wow factor, serve one per person!!!While producing tender Pork Knuckle flesh is straightforward enough, very few recipes truly nail the crispy crackling. So here is a recipe that finally does! The skin is crispy all over and fabulously bubbly, shattering into a thousand porky shards when you bite instead of breaking your teeth on hard, leathery patches!Meanwhile, the flesh is seasoned with traditional flavourings and the Pork Knuckle is served with an authentic, dark and malty German beer gravy. It’s every carnivore’s dream come true!

Ingredients

  • 1 x 1.25kg / 2.5lbpork knuckle(Note 1)
  • 2tbspwhite vinegar(Note 2)
  • 3garlic cloves, cut into 4 – 6 slivers (Note 3)

Marinade Rub:

  • 2tspsalt, kosher / cooking salt NOT table salt (Note 4)
  • 1tspblack pepper
  • 1tspjuniper berries(Note 5)
  • 1tspcaraway seeds
  • 1tspfennel seeds

Beer Gravy:

  • 2cupsdark German beer(Note 6)
  • 2cupschicken stock / broth, low sodium
  • 1carrot, unpeeled, sliced 2cm / 0.8″ thick
  • 1onion, unpeeled, halved, cut into 1.25cm / 1/2″ thick slices
  • 1head garlic, cut in two halves horizontally
  • 5juniper berries(Note 5)
  • 2bay leaves, preferably fresh otherwise dried

Gravy thickening and seasoning:

  • 2tspcornflour/cornstarch
  • 1/2cupwater
  • 1tspwhite sugar
  • 1/4 – 1/2tspsalt, kosher / cooking salt NOT table salt (Note 4)
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Instructions

Preparation and seasoning:

  • Prick skin: Poke lots of small holes all over the pork knuckle’s skin, using a small sharp knife or even a pin (eg. safety pin, sewing pin). Take care not to pierce through the fat into the flesh (Note 7).
  • Vinegar: Brush (or rub) 1 tbsp of the vinegar on the pork flesh only, including inside cracks / crevices and meat under the skin where it meets the flesh (but do not peel skin back). Avoid getting vinegar on the skin.
  • Stud with garlic: Make shallow incisions in the pork flesh (only) with a small knife then stuff with the garlic slivers.
  • Seasoning rub: Pound the rub ingredients in a mortar and pestle until it’s a coarse powder (or use a Nutribullet, spice grinder or similar).
  • Rub seasoning on pork: Rub pork skin with olive oil. Then rub the seasoning mix all over the pork – on the flesh, skin, and getting into all the cracks and crevices.
  • Skewer skin (secret for crispy skin! Note 8): Pull the skin down to stretch it tight so there’s no creases. Then thread through 2 metal skewers in a “X” formation near the base of the knuckle. Pierce through skin 2cm / 0.8″ from the base of the pork knuckle to hold the stretched skin in place.
  • “Marinate” overnight: Place pork standing on a plate, then leave uncovered in the fridge overnight (Note 9).

Slow-roasting:

  • Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan).
  • Beer gravy: Put all beer gravy ingredients in a roasting pan (deep enough to hold all liquids and vegetables).
  • Rack on pan: Place a rack over the pan. Place pork knuckle on rack, sitting upright. (Note 10)
  • Slow roast: Roast for 2 hours 10 minutes, rotating tray half way. (If the liquid in the pan is getting too low and in danger of drying out, top with 1/2 cup of water at a time.) Roast until the internal temperature in the thickest part of meat reaches 85°C / 185°F.

Make crispy Pork Knuckle crackling!

  • Remove knuckle from oven, transfer knuckle to a tray.
  • Increase oven: Increase oven to 260°C / 500°F (240°C fan) (Note 11)
  • Brush skin with vinegar: Brush skin with 1/2 the remaining 1 tbsp of vinegar. Place in oven for 30 minutes, rotating tray halfway and brushing with remaining vinegar.
  • Skin should be crispy, dip golden and mostly bubbly.
  • Rest: Rest 15 minutes before serving with German Beer Gravy!

German beer gravy:

  • Strain liquid: Strain roasting pan juices into a saucepan. Ideally you should have around 1.5 – 2 cups.
  • Thicken: Bring liquid to a simmer. Mix cornflour and water, then pour into liquid while stirring. Add sugar and salt to taste.
  • Simmer: Simmer for 2 minutes or until it becomes a thin syrup consistency (German beer gravy should not be as thick as normal gravy, but quite runny). If it’s too thick, add a touch of water. Too thin, simmer to reduce – it will thicken. Serve with pork knuckle!

Recipe Notes:

1. Pork knuckle – Also known as Pig Knuckle, Pork Hock or Pork Shank. For German Pork Knuckle, you must use hindquarter (ie. rear legs) Pork Knuckles because they are meatier. Ask for this at butchers as they sometimes have it out back, or order. The easiest place to find it in Sydney is at Asian butchers! Even if not on display, they will probably have it out the back or frozen. Ensure they cut it so it has a flat bottom. This is a good value cut: ~$8/kg ($4/lb).Note that sometimes knuckles / hocks are sold brined (ie. salted) as pickled hocks or ham hocks. Lightly brined knuckles may be suitable for this recipe, however I have not tested this. I recommend you stick to un-brined, raw pork knuckles.2. Vinegar – Used to brush onto the flesh and skin of the pork to reduce strong pork odour that you can sometimes get with secondary pork cuts. It’s not a step you see with all pork recipes, but it’s a precautionary step that’s advisable for this recipe.3. Garlic slivers – Cut them small enough so they will fit (and stay!) inside small incisions cut in the pork flesh. You want around 10 or so.4. Salt – Use kosher or cooking salt, not table salt (grains are too fine so will make this too salty). If you only have table salt, then reduce salt quantities by 1/3.5. Juniper berries – A traditional ingredient in German cuisine, it has a taste exactly like gin (because it’s the main flavouring of gin!) Find these are Harris Farm (NSW, QLD), speciality stores, or spice stores. It’s a distinct and authentic flavour in the pork knuckle and gravy, so really do try to find it! It’s easy to find online.6. Dark German beer – I use Weihenstephaner Tradition Bayrisch Dunkel which is a dark German beer sold at Dan Murphys (Australia). Dark beer gives the gravy richness of flavour and also colour. If you can’t find German beer, most dark beer, porter or stout will do (even Guinness!). Just avoid any dark beers that are too bitter, sweet or extremely rich.7. Pricking – Avoid penetrating the flesh while pricking. The meat juices will bubble through, preventing the skin going crisp.8. Skewering skin –  This is a technique that solves much of the challenge of achieving sensational crispy crackling on Pork Knuckle. Most recipes you see have pretty underwhelming, patchy crackling on the knuckle, often with lots of rubbery bits. Rarely do you see that great bubbly crackling we so desire. This is because the skin bunches, sags and and creases as it bakes. These parts never crisp properly because the oven heat doesn’t get evenly applied to the skin, and so we get poor crackling. The solution? Threading skewers to keep skin stretched out + pricking skin = exceptional crackling on pork knuckle that you rarely see!!No metal skewers? No problem. Use wooden or bamboo skewers instead, soaked in water for 1 hour. Photos in post show knuckles made with wooden skewers (black and burnt but they worked!). Video uses metal.9. Overnight fridge: This is to dry the skin for better crackling, plus “marinating” time with the seasonings.10. Pork standing upright – Ideally the pork can sit on its flat bottom with the leg bones vertical. If the pork is not stable in this position (depends how flat the butcher cut it) use folded pieces of foil stuffed underneath to help stabilise it (you don’t want it to fall over in oven!).11. Hot oven is key for great crackling! If you can’t go this high, just go as high as your oven can go.12. Serve with – You will want a nice, fresh, tangy salad to cut through all the richness of the meat. This German Cucumber Salad is just the ticket! Or our No-Mayo Coleslaw with Apple is inspired by the sort of cabbage salads seen in Germany. Potatoes also make an excellent side. I’m sharing German-style Potato Salad this week to go with the Pork Knuckle.13. Recipe references – Though the final recipe is a RecipeTin creation, it’s one we created with reference and learnings from a handful of online resources. We have also feasted on our fair share of excellent Pork Knuckle here and in Germany!

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 633cal (32%)Carbohydrates: 32g (11%)Protein: 65g (130%)Fat: 20g (31%)Saturated Fat: 6g (38%)Trans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 180mg (60%)Sodium: 3504mg (152%)Potassium: 1581mg (45%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 6g (7%)Vitamin A: 5115IU (102%)Vitamin C: 12mg (15%)Calcium: 146mg (15%)Iron: 5mg (28%)

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