Cooking Pork Knuckle – What To Look Out For

Pork Knuckle is a popular pork specialty in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. The meat is surrounded by a thick layer of fat and heavily marbled, but when prepared correctly it's very tender and aromatic. Here you'll learn how to cook and season pork knuckle and how the various preparation methods differ.

Preparation Of Pork Knuckle

When buying meat, always pay attention to the freshness and origin of the animal. We source directly from regional breeders. This guarantees the best quality and fresh meat, which we process according to old family recipes.

To make the meat of the pork knuckle tender and easy to pull off the bone, the pork knuckle needs to be cooked. Depending on the region, pork knuckle may be salted. This layer of salt should be washed off before cooking. Wash the pork knuckle under running cold water until all the salt is removed. Then pat the meat dry with a kitchen towel.

Before Cooking: Seasoning Pork Knuckle

It depends on whether you want to cook or grill the pork knuckle. Before grilling, the pork knuckle is rubbed with a spice mixture and oil.

If you want to cook the pork knuckle, you will need onions, carrots, salt, pepper, some caraway, allspice berries, and bay leaves for a classic broth. Let these ingredients simmer with the pork knuckle, giving it its typical aromatic flavor.

Into The Pot: How Long Does Pork Knuckle Need To Cook?

Cooking time varies. Since pork knuckle is very marbled, it requires a long time to become tender. Each piece differs in its composition; some pork knuckles have more, some less marbling. The pieces are also of different thicknesses. If you want to prepare several pork knuckles at once, it is advisable to choose pieces of similar size, as the cooking time will then be quite similar. This will prevent one pork knuckle from being cooked while the other, larger one is still tough.

You can roughly follow these cooking times:

• 500 grams pork knuckle: 1.5 to 2 hours
• 1 to 1.5 kilograms pork knuckle: 2.5 to 3 hours
• 2 kilograms and more: 3 to 4 hours

Put the pork knuckle with the ingredients for the broth into a pot. Add enough water to completely cover the meat. Bring the broth to a boil, then let it simmer with the lid closed for the remaining cooking time.

You will know the pork knuckle is done when the meat easily pulls away from the bone. If in doubt, leave the pot on the stove for a bit longer.

How Long To Cook Pork Knuckle In A Pressure Cooker?

You can also prepare pork knuckle in a pressure cooker. The advantage of using a pressure cooker is that it requires only about half the cooking time. Due to the pressure in the cooker, the pork knuckle cooks faster. This is quite practical for long cooking times and saves a lot of time.

Preparing Pork Knuckle – Delightful Flavor Variations

Meat can be seasoned in many ways. Here are two of the most popular marinades for grilled pork knuckle:

Beer-Honey Marinade

A not only in Bavaria popular recipe for pork knuckle, which is called Haxn or Hachse there, is a marinade of beer and honey. First, cook the pork knuckle until tender. Then remove the meat from the broth and score the skin in a diamond pattern. Brush a marinade of 200 milliliters of beer, 3 tablespoons of honey, salt, and pepper onto the meat and place it on the grill rack in the oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes. Don't forget to place a drip pan at the bottom of the oven. The pork knuckle will become crispy on the outside and remain tender on the inside. The beer-honey marinade can be made in countless variations – with light and dark beer and different spices.

Mustard Marinade

For this tasty variant, put the raw pork knuckle in a freezer bag. Mix a small cup of oil, 2 tablespoons of mustard, salt, and pepper into a marinade and add this to the bag. Seal the bag. By turning the bag, the marinade spreads evenly over the meat. Let the pork knuckle marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours, preferably overnight. Then grill the pork knuckle crispy, turning it regularly.

Canning Pork Knuckle And Making It Last

Meat can be canned well for stock and will then last for several months. If you can pork knuckle, you get a hearty pork knuckle in aspic, as the broth gels during cooking. It becomes a whole new dish that can also be eaten cold and is very aromatic.

Canning Pork Knuckle - Here's How

First, you need to cook the pork knuckle until tender. Then remove the meat and take it off the bone. Remove the rind and tendons and cut the meat into smaller pieces. Strain the broth through a sieve to remove the spices, carrots, and onions.

Put the meat into clean canning jars and fill them up to 2 centimeters below the rim with the broth. Depending on the type of canning jar used, either screw it shut or put on the rubber with the lid and clamp it. The jars are then placed in a pot. Add water. The jars should not be completely covered; they should stand about three-quarters in the water.

Then bring the water to a boil and keep it at 98 to 100 degrees. The pork knuckle needs to be canned for 75 to 100 minutes, depending on the size of the jars.

After the canning time is up, let the jars cool in the water for a few minutes. If they are removed too quickly, the vacuum can break, or the glass can crack due to the temperature difference. Then take the jars out and let them cool down.

Serving Canned Pork Knuckle

The canned pork knuckle in aspic can be served in many ways. Traditionally, it is served with bread, but it also tastes delicious with fried potatoes.

An opened jar of pork knuckle will keep for about two days in the refrigerator. Unopened, canned pork knuckle will last for several months. A dry, cool, and dark place is recommended for storage.

Safety Tips: Is The Canned Pork Knuckle Still Good?

If you are unsure whether the canned meat is still edible, use your senses to test it: spoiled meat changes color and smells unpleasant. If in doubt, discard the can to avoid any health risks. Spoiled meat hosts a multitude of germs and bacteria and should under no circumstances be consumed.

Sometimes problems can also arise during the cooking process. When canning, the meat is heated to high temperatures, killing germs. At the same time, a vacuum is created in the jars, ensuring a long shelf life. If the temperature is incorrect or the lids are not properly sealed, this vacuum may not form. The result: the freshly canned pork knuckle spoils in the jar after a short time.

The same happens if the jar has a crack. In this case, the vacuum can also not form. A crack is an additional risk, as the jar may burst during canning, possibly damaging other jars as well.

Therefore, always check all jars before canning to ensure they are properly sealed and undamaged, and monitor the temperature with a thermometer during the cooking process.

Cooking Pork Knuckle: What Side Dishes Go With It?

Pork knuckle is served with different side dishes depending on the region. Cooked pork knuckle is traditionally served with sauerkraut and boiled potatoes. Alternatively, mashed potatoes or pea puree are suitable. If you prefer something less rustic, fries are also possible. There are no limits to your taste.