German Pork Knuckle - Schweinshaxe
My German pork knuckle - also called Schweinshaxe - is a glorious hunk of fork-tender meat on the bone, surrounded by crispy crackling! Served with a flavorful homemade gravy and sauerkraut, this is a budget-friendly and surprisingly easy dinner.
Servings: 4
Calories: 294kcal
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.
Notes
0 net carbs per serving (meat only). Makes 4 servings. My 2 pork knuckles yielded 7 cups or 1.5 lb / 700g of pulled pork meat in total.
1 portion with gravy: 3.4g net carbs, 343 calories.
I have not calculated the nutrition for the pork crackling as not everyone will want to eat all the crackling and the amount of crackling varies from pork knuckle to pork knuckle. As a guide: 30 grams of pork scratchings contains 188 calories, 15g of protein and 14g fat.
***Option to crisp up the pork skin 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.
Serve with gravy, sauerkraut and potato dumplings or cauliflower mash.
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 175g | Calories: 294kcal | Protein: 35.8g | Fat: 15.7g | Saturated Fat: 3.2g
