I have to admit that this cooking method is less messy and less work-intensive than cooking crispy pata the traditional way. Of course, we have simplified the traditional a bit by air frying instead of deep frying crispy pata. But still, it’s still a two-step process.
But… pork knuckle? Isn’t that pork hock? Apparently, pork leg is knuckle in some parts of the world and hock in others. Some even call it shank. But they all refer to the leg minus the trotters or feet.
So… cooking German-style crispy pork knuckle (schweinshaxe) requires an oven. I doubt very much if you can make this in an air fryer. The pork knuckle has to be roasted in a standing position and that means the top part will be too near the heat source. I really recommend that this be cooked in a traditional oven.
First, season the pork
Mix together caraway seeds, salt and grated garlic and rub the mixture over the pork. Juniper berries are traditionally added to the seasoning mix but when I cooked this dish back in March of 2011, there were no juniper berries available so I just omitted them from the seasoning mix.
What goes into the roasting pan / baking dish
To roast the pork knuckle, you’ll need a baking dish tall enough to contain three to four cups of liquid. The liquid — a combination of beer and broth — should come up to almost half the height of the pork knuckle. Depending on the size of the pan, you may need to use more or less broth. That’s why I said three to four cups of liquid. The trick really is to expose the skin to the oven’s dry heat while the meat absorbs the liquid to prevent it from turning dry. That’s why the pork knuckle is in a “standing” position.
German-style crispy pork knuckle (schweinshaxe)
Ingredients
- 1 whole pork knuckle (called hock, shank or leg in some regions)
- 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons grated garlic
- 2 large onions thinly sliced
- 1 can beer (pale, not dark) plus equal amount of broth
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 sprigs thyme
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C (about 390F).
- Mix together the garlic, caraway seeds and salt.
- Rub all over the pork.
- Cover the bottom of an ovenproof dish with the onion slices.
- Stand the pork knuckle in the dish, the end with the exposed meat touching the onion slices. Pour in the beer and broth.
- Add the herbs. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Roast at 200C for three hours. Turn up the heat to 220C (425F) and continue roasting for another 30 minutes until the skin is crisp.
- Transfer the pork knuckle on a plate. You may make a gravy by straining the remaining liquid from the pan, adding flour and butter and cooking until thick.
