German Eisbein – Roasted Crispy Pork Knuckles/hock
What do you prefer, smoked or pickled? I would go for Pickled and select only the best. The best results you get are from quality pickled pork shanks
If you have a good cured Pickled Eisbein you don’t need to add too much to the boiling process. Just add a bit of Soy sauce to the water and some bay leaves and the taste is perfect.
Remember, to crisp your Eisbein in the oven with an even oven-heat or you can also grill it. It is better with no basting or marinades to retain the crispy outside. There is nothing as beautiful as a perfect crisped up natural eisbein and good old fashioned English Mustard or Dijon on the side.
Cooking Tips: The best oven in crisping a good Eisbein is when you have a wood burning Pizza oven or a griller, just simply the best.
German Eisbein Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
1 kilogram pork hock/shank (preferably pickled)
1 onion – peeled and halved
12 whole cloves
6 tablespoons soft brown sugar
6 bay leaves
freshly grounded black pepper
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons melted butter.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Place the pork hocks into a large pot.
Puncture/pin the halved onions with the cloves. Then add to the pot, with the some dash of soy sauce, brown sugar, bay leaves and black pepper.
Add water to the hocks until fully covered. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and just let it simmer for 90 to 120 minutes (until the meat becomes very soft).
Pre-heat the oven to 220°C.
Once the pork is done, transfer the pork onto a roasting pan, pat dry or air dry the pork (reserve excess broth for dipping sauce).
In a bowl, combine the mustard, honey and melted butter and brush over the pork.
Roast in the pre-heated oven until the skin is crisp and becomes golden in color. This may take hours to make it super crispy. Turn off heat and remove from oven once the perfect roast color is achieved.
