My German pork knuckle recipe (Schweinshaxe) is a gloriously hearty dinner. With crispy crackling, tender meat and a flavorful gravy, this is is a surprisingly easy and budget-friendly feast.
German cuisine is famously meaty and hearty and we have a big love for pork dishes. Possibly the most well-known of these is Schweinshaxe - pork knuckle, served on the bone, surrounded by gloriously crispy skin.
Schweinshaxe is one of the meals you'll be able to order in any traditional German Kneipe and of course at Oktoberfest. It is served alongside sauerkraut and potatoes and not to forget a pint of beer.
I am from Hamburg, which is why my pork knuckle recipe reflects the way we make Schweinshaxe in northern Germany: Instead of just slow-roasting it, we simmer it first on the stove and then finish it in the oven to crisp up the crackling. I may be biased, but this makes the dish taste even better!
Oh, and just to put our own northern stamp on it, Schweinshaxe in North Germany is often called "Eisbein" (which literally translates into "ice leg" - don't ask me why 😂). But, since the Bavarians have made the term Schweinshaxe world-famous, I'll stick with that name for the rest of the post.
I love sharing traditionally German recipes with you, from rouladen to sausage salad. They make me feel like home. I can't wait for you to try this pork knuckle recipe!
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What's To Love About This Recipe
Crispy skin, succulent meat. My method of parboiling the knuckle softens the fat layer. This means the pork crackling won't be as hard as a shoe sole. It turns out crispy and simply a pleasure to eat, while the meat remains tender and succulent.
Easy! Many people shy away from making larger cuts of meat. I can assure you, this is a super easy recipe with only a handful of ingredients that always turns out like a dream.
Budget-friendly. Pig knuckles is an inexpensive cut of meat. And who doesn't like to prepare a feast without breaking the bank?
Low in carbs. Pork meat is naturally low in carbs and high in protein. But, I have tweaked the ingredients for the gravy to make it suitable for a low carb diet as well. All the spices and flavors that make the Schweinshaxe taste authentic remain!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you'll need:
Pork Knuckle
This is the end of the pig's leg, just above the ankle and below the meaty ham portion of the leg. The knuckles of the front legs are smaller than the hind legs, which means that their size varies considerably. My pork knuckles weighed 750g (1.6lb) each.
Pork knuckles are not a common cut of meat in the supermarket. I recommend to buy the knuckles from the butcher.
Pork knuckles are also called pork shanks, pork hock, pig knuckle and sometimes ham hock. Watch out though - oftentimes, ham hocks are smoked or cured and that is not what we want. Also, it is not the same as pig's feet!
Stock Ingredients
- Water - This turns into homemade pork stock because we are par-boiling the pig knuckles before baking them.
- Vegetables: Onions, carrots, celery, garlic. The vegetables flavor the stock we are making. Some of the veggies we'll use later in the gravy.
- Herbs: Bay leaves, rosemary, thyme.
- Seasonings: Sea salt, pepper, caraway seeds and juniper berries. Caraway and juniper are the secret ingredients in this recipe and add wonderful authentic flavor.
Gravy
- Homemade pork knuckle stock
- Red wine - Traditionally, pork knuckle gravy is made with German beer. I use dry red wine as an equally tasty lower carb option.
- Half of the cooked vegetables - We puree them, which thickens the gravy.
- Collagen peptides, ground chia seeds or xanthan gum - These additional thickeners are fantastic low carb alternatives to a cornstarch slurry.
- Optional: Pan drippings, apple cider vinegar as well as pepper and salt to taste.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Instructions
It is simple to make a German pork knuckle with super tasty crackling. Here are the basic steps.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed method with all timings, amounts and nutrition details.
STEP 1
Put the pork knuckles into a large pot and cover with water. Add the onion, herbs and spices and season with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until soft and the skin starts to pull off the meat.
Skim off any foam that rises to the top.
STEP 2
Score the soft rind in a diamond pattern with a knife. Then, place the knuckles on an oven rack with a pan below to catch any drippings.
Roast until the meat is pull-apart tender and the skin is golden brown and crispy.
STEP 3
Strain the stock through a fine sieve to remove the fat, or use a gravy separator like I did.
Set aside 1 onion, 1 carrot, 2 celery sticks and 1 garlic clove from the cooked vegetables to use in the gravy.
STEP 4
In a saucepan, bring 2 cups of the pork knuckle stock and ½ cup red wine to the boil. Add the reserved vegetables, cook to reduce the liquid by half.
Add optional collagen peptides to thicken as well as any pan drippings and a little apple cider vinegar. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth and season to taste.
Katrin's Top Tips
#1 Place a drip pan under the rack with a bit of water to catch the fat that drips off. Water stops the fat from burning the pan. You can use any brown bits or pan juices in the gravy later.
#2 Option to crisp up the pork crackling even more at the end of baking: Increase the oven temperature to 250C / 500F. Roast the meat for a further 10 minutes until the skin is bubbly and deep golden. Keep an eye on the knuckles so they don't turn too dark.
Pork Knuckle In The Oven
It is possible to slow-roast Schweinshaxe in the oven, without parboiling it first.
As I mention above, this way the crackling may end up a little tougher.
Here are the steps:
- Rinse the pork knuckles in cold water and pat dry.
- Score the skin.
- Crush the juniper berries and caraway seeds in a pestle and mortar. Rub the knuckles all over with salt, pepper and crushed spices.
- Put all vegetables and herbs into the baking pan with 2 cups of water or chicken stock. Place the pork knuckles on a rack above.
- Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F and roast the Schweinshaxe for about 2.5 hours or until it reaches an internal temperature of 80C.
- Turn up the temperature to 250C / 500F and bake for another 30 minutes or until the the crackling is bubbly and crisp.
- Make gravy.
Serving Suggestion
Traditionally, Schweinshaxe is served with potato dumplings or potatoes and sauerkraut.
To keep the dish keto friendly, go for cauliflower mash instead. Sauerkraut is naturally low in carbs and my go-to brand is Hurly Burly.
In the summer, pair the haxe with a German potato salad, keto potato salad, cole slaw without mayo or a refreshing cucumber salad with fresh dill.
As a dessert, I highly recommend my keto Black Forest Cake, a healthy version of Germany's most famous cake!
Recipe FAQs
My 2 pork knuckles (weighing 750g each uncooked) yielded 7 cups or 1.5 lb (700g) of pulled pork meat in total. This was perfect for 4 servings.
The pork knuckles are done when the skin is crispy and the thickest part of the meat reaches an internal temperature of 80C (175F). At this temperature, the connective tissues break down and the meat is tender and can be easily pulled apart with a fork.
For larger pork knuckles that weigh more, simmer 15 minutes longer and also increase the oven time by up to 15 minutes.
Keep it and use it as a flavorful base for soups!
Storage And Leftovers
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I normally shred the leftover pork and separate it from any leftover crackling before storing. This way, I can use the meat in soups or in Asian-style salads.
Storing will cause the crackling to soften. To crisp it up, you'll need to put it back into a hot oven (250C/500F) or under the broiler / grill.
The shredded pork knuckle meat as well as crackling also freezes well for up to 3 months. Defrost it in the fridge overnight.
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Recipe
German Pork Knuckle - Schweinshaxe
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
Ingredients
- 2 pork knuckles 750g each
For the Stock
- 2.5 litres water or enough to just cover the knuckles in the pot
- 2 onions peeled and halved
- 2 carrots cut into 3 inches
- 2 ribs celery 3 inch pieces
- 5 garlic cloves peeled and halved
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon juniper berries
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 sticks rosemary
- 4 stick thyme
- 2 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
For the gravy
- 2 cups pork knuckle stock 500ml, from the stock we made when boiling the knuckles
- ½ cup dry red wine 120ml
- half of the cooked vegetables (detailed amounts in the gravy method below)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp collagen peptides Optional, or 3 teaspoon ground chia or ½ teaspoon xanthan gum, to thicken
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar optional
- pan juices optional
Instructions
Pork Knuckles
- Rinse the pork knuckles with water and pat dry.
- Put the pork knuckles into a large pot and fill with water so they are just covered. Add the onion, herbs and spices and season with salt. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer with the lid on for 75 minutes, skimming off any foam that rises to the top.
- Remove the pork knuckles from the stock and score the soft rind in a diamond pattern with a knife. Place the knuckles on an oven rack over a drip pan. Add a little water to the drip pan. (Reserve the stock and vegetables for the gravy.)
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F (180C/350F fan).
- Roast the pork knuckles in the preheated oven in the lower third for 1 hour until golden brown and crisp and the internal temperature reaches 80C / 176F. (***see recipe notes for optional crisping up of crackling.)
- Rest the knuckles for 10 minutes before serving.
Gravy
- While the knuckles are roasting, prepare the gravy. First, strain the stock through a fine sieve to remove the fat, or use a gravy separator. Set aside 1 onion, 1 carrot, 2 celery sticks and 1 garlic clove from the cooked vegetables to use in the gravy.
- In a saucepan, bring 2 cups (500ml) of the pork knuckle stock and the red wine to the boil. Add the reserved vegetables and simmer for about 20 minutes to reduce the liquid by half.
- Mix the collagen (or chia/xanthan gum) with ¼ cup of the stock and add back to the pan. Option to add apple cider vinegar as well as any pan juices or browned bits from the roasting pan. Puree the gravy with an immersion blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another few minutes to let the gravy thicken.
Shauna Wyllie
Having had this meal a couple of years ago on holiday and really enjoying it, I always wanted to try at home. However I didn’t have a clue where to get it or how to cook it! Cue Katrin to the rescue!
I had a word with a butcher to get the cut and followed SFL recipe. It was even better than our holiday dish and one well certainly be having again.
Katrin Nürnberger
Wonderful! So happy that you enjoyed my "proper German" Schweinshaxe .
Sonya
I grew up on this type of food Coming from Australia with German/Austrian parents and now living in Austria. I absolutely love how you are making so many of my favourite foods keto friendly. I am so glad I came upon your site. Keep up the good work.
Katrin Nürnberger
So happy that you are enjoying the recipes!