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Pork Knuckle Recipe

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is a chef, food photographer, cookbook author and blogger.
Here he shares recipes, answers cooking questions and helps with cooking.

Today I’ll show you my pork knuckle recipe in this post.

The pork knuckle is known regionally under different names:

As Eisbein, Hachse, Haxe, Haxn, Hechse, Hämmchen, Bötel, in the Hessian language area Haspel, in Austria Stelze, in Bavarian Schweinshaxn.

The Franks call it Knöchla or Adlerhaxe, in Switzerland the Hachse is called Gnagi or Wädli.

The knuckle is prepared differently depending on the region, in Northern Germany and Poland mostly salted, in southern Germany uncured crispy fried or boiled.

In this article with a recipe you will get a good overview of how to prepare knuckles yourself.

Delight your guests and loved ones with a crispy knuckle. Good succeed!

1. Recipe Pork Knuckle

So that you achieve a 100% result, follow the step-by-step instructions.

Please note the tips after the recipe.

I wish you good luck!

Pork Knuckle

Cooked, photographed and written down by chef Thomas Sixt.

Servings 4
Calories 2201
Preparation Time 120 Min.
Cook Time 0 Min.
Total Time 140 Min.

Prepare simple instructions for pork knuckle.

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Average Rating:
4.76 from 3654 ratings

Pork Knuckle Recipe picture
Pork Knuckle Recipe image © Thomas Sixt

Ingredients

1-1,2 kg knuckle of pork
500 g Spareribs Spareribs, pork ribs (or 250g pork bones)
1 tbsp plant oil
5 pinches black ground pepper
1 tsp paprika nobel sweet
1 tsp Caraway
1/2 tsp primal salt
1 bunch soup vegetable (Carrot, turnip, parsley root, celery)
1 pc glove of garlic (quartered)
2-4 pc shallots
6 pc big potatoes
500 ml blond beer
500 ml Water (or broth)
1 tsp Cornstarch (I use it optionally to thicken the sauce.)
50 g butter
some brown cane sugar (I use it to taste the sauce)

Instruction

Preparation step 1
Pork knuckle ingredients
The pork knuckle ingredients at a glance.

Prepare ingredients

Prepare the ingredients in the kitchen.

Preparation step 2
Pork knuckle fresh
Fresh knuckle of pork on the kitchen board

Wash knuckles

Wash and dry the shank.

Preparation step 3
Pork knuckle fresh meat side
Pork knuckle fresh meat side

Remove bristles

Check the skin of the shank and remove the bristles.

Preparation step 4
Score the skin of the pork knuckle
Score the skin of the pork knuckle.

Incise skin

Score the skin of the shank in a ring with a sharp knife.

Cut the skin vertically once on the back of the shank.

Preparation step 5
Seasoned pork knuckle in the roaster
Seasoned knuckle of pork in a roaster.

Prepare Knuckle

Place the pork knuckle in the roaster.

Add bones for the sauce.

Rub the shank with a little sunflower oil.

Season with plenty of salt, pepper, paprika and cumin.

Preheat the oven to 200°C hot air.

I think hot air is the best method of preparation, because you don’t have to twist and turn the shank.

Put the prepared knuckle in the roaster (optionally unpacked from the freezer bag) into the oven

Preparation step 6
Vegetables for the roast
Prepared vegetables for roasting.

Prepare vegetables

Prepare vegetables:

–> Wash the potatoes and peel them thoroughly, halve or quarter them depending on their size.

–> Peel the carrots and cut into long, thick slices.

–> Peel the celery and cut into pieces.

–> Leave the leek whole so that it doesn’t burn.

Peel the shallots.

Preparation step 7
Pork knuckle with vegetables
Knuckle of pork with vegetables in a roaster.

Add vegetables

Add the vegetables to the shank and set the kitchen timer to 60 minutes.

Put the roaster back in the oven.

Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C.

Preparation step 8
Add pork knuckle beer
Supplement the pork knuckles with beer.

Prepare sauce

When the kitchen alarm clock rings, pour the beer into the roaster.

Continue cooking the shank in the oven for a further 40 minutes.

Preparation step 9
Sauerkraut recipe image
Sauerkraut recipe Image © Thomas Sixt

Prepare Sauerkraut

Prepare the side dishes for the knuckle, see the recommendations in the article.

I like to serve the pork knuckle with

–> bread dumplings,

–> serviette dumplings,

–> potato dumplings and

–> sauerkraut.

Preparation step 10
Cook pork knuckle sauce
Cook pork knuckle sauce

Finish sauce

Take the shank out of the roaster and put it back in the oven.

Keep the vegetables warm.

Bring the roaster to the boil and add broth as needed.

Cook the roasts from the bottom of the roaster.

Preparation step 11
Cooking roast pork sauce
Cooking roast pork sauce

Cooking sauce

Pour the sauce and the bones into a saucepan and bring to the boil.

Add broth to taste and thicken with cornstarch.

Season the sauce with a little butter, cumin, salt, pepper and a little sugar and strain.

Preparation step 12
Crispy grilled knuckle of pork
Crispy grilled knuckle of pork, served on the board.

Knuckle ready

Check the degree of doneness of the knuckle with a thin meat fork, I do it as follows:

When the meat hardly gives way when you pierce it and clear meat juice runs out, the shank is done.

Before serving, grill the knuckle briefly under the grill until crispy, if necessary, then serve.

Tips:

–> Before grilling, season the shank again with salt and turn so that the entire skin is crispy.

-> With my knuckle, the one-time turning and setting hot air for about 8 minutes at 220°C worked perfectly.

Preparation step 13
Pork knuckle recipe image
Knuckle of pork recipe image © Thomas Sixt

Serve

Arrange and serve:

–> Arrange the sauerkraut in bowls.

–> Lift the cooked dumplings out of the water, drain on kitchen paper and arrange.

–> Arrange hot roasted vegetables and sauce.

Lay the pork knuckles on boards and serve.

Enjoy your meal!

Video

I took the food photos with a Leica Q2.

2. Calories and Nutritional Values

Attention, these are the nutritional values without side dishes!

3. Buy Front or Back Pork Knuckles and Quantity Per Person?

The rear knuckle of pork is generally meatier than the front knuckle because the front knuckle has a higher percentage of bone.

Therefore, a back knuckle is ideal for family dinners or invitations with many guests.

You can count on at least 500 g raw weight of the axle per person, after all there is a bone in it.

The quantity calculation for the pork knuckles: 2 people approx. 1 kg pork knuckle, 4 people approx. 2 kg or two knuckles.

Says chef Thomas Sixt
Pork knuckle fresh
Fresh knuckle of pork on the kitchen board
Pork knuckle fresh meat side
Pork knuckle fresh meat side

4. Tip for Preparing Grilled Knuckle of Pork Crispy

The grilled knuckle of pork is crispy and fresh on the table.

You can basically use uncured knuckle or cured knuckle.

Season the shank with salt, pepper and paprika and rub.

Preheat the oven to 200°C hot air and put the knuckles in the oven after 15 minutes.

You can place the seasoned shank on a cooking grate (grid) (baking tray with water underneath) or place the shank in a roasting pan.

You then reduce the temperature to 170°C and let the pork knuckle cook for about 1.5-2-3 hours, depending on the size, until crispy.

Grilling knuckle of pork: I prefer to use the uncured knuckle, it’s healthier.

Recommended by chef Thomas Sixt
Pork knuckle closeup
Knuckle of pork on board with cutlery © Thomas Sixt
Crispy grilled knuckle of pork
Crispy grilled knuckle of pork, served on the board.

5. Prepare Bavarian Knuckle of Pork like a Star Chef

Marinate the meat – the day before you prepare it, put it in a large freezer bag:

Put the washed, patted dry knuckle into the bag and tie a knot in the bag.

Then rub the knuckle with the spices and flavors and put the knuckle in the fridge overnight.

Prepare:

6. Cook Tip for Knuckle of Pork and Serve with Sauerkraut

For cooked knuckle of pork you buy cured pork knuckle .

Then cook the knuckle until soft:

Prepare a soup from strong vegetable broth with onion , soup vegetables , bay leaf , cloves , caraway and marjoram and let this soup cook for 15 minutes.

Next you put the pork knuckle in the soup and let the knuckle gently simmer.

The preparation time for a 500 g knuckle is approx. 1.5-2 hours ,

larger knuckles need longer, the knuckle can remain in the soup for up to 3 hours.

The preparation time is halved in the pressure cooker, you can use the knuckle broth to prepare sauerkraut.

7. Side Dish Ideas for Pork Knuckle

8. Other Suitable Ideas

All roast pork recipes here in the cooking blog:

–> Roast pork with red wine and plums
–> Crust roast
–> Quick roast pork with pork fillet
–> Bavarian roast pork
–> Roast pork in a pot

Comments, Cooking Questions and Answers

4.76 from 3654 ratings

Below you can write to me directly.
Please don’t forget the star rating on the recipe, 5 stars means you liked it!

  • Hi Thomas,

    this is an exceptionally beautiful recipe and the implementation was excellent.

    Leave you stars and a great feedback.

    When are you coming to the states?

    The food pictures are absolutely fantastic and the steps are perfectly explained.

    Thank you very much! Steve

    Reply

    • Hello Steve,

      Thank you for your nice feedback and praise.

      My trip to the US is not yet planned.
      Still waiting for an invitation to cook!

      Kind regards Thomas

      Reply

  • Hello Thomas,

    this is a successful recipe and it reminds me of my visit to the Oktoberfest in Munich.

    Thanks for the …at home tutorial!

    Love greetings Corr

    Reply

    • Hello Corr,

      Thank you for your nice message.

      I hope your knuckle has become crispy!

      Wish you continued success 🙂

      Greeting Thomas

      Reply

  • Hi Thomas!

    Thanks for this recipe, I had my Oktoberfest in my garden and not in Munich 😉

    Many thanks

    Reply

    • You're welcome, send greetings!

      Reply

  • Wow, we're really overwhelmed!! Are always in a good mood for Bavarian food at the end of September… but then it usually doesn't taste like it does in Bavaria… but this pork knuckle made according to your recipe… awesome!

    Reply

    • Thanks Timon… I just made new pictures.. I'm looking forward to your feedback. Kind regards Thomas

      Reply

  • Good recipe and well explained! Can I also rent a car from you? 😉 😉👍🥂

    Reply

    • Thanks Fritz, no, the car business is another part of the family. The name guarantees quality 🙂

      Reply

  • The taste and the sauce were outstanding. However, I was expecting the meat to be tender and the meat would almost fall off the bone by itself. This was not the case.

    Reply

    • Hello Christoph, the cooking times for meat are longer or shorter depending on the origin and age of the animal. Please also note: Many ovens heat differently and sometimes do not reach the temperature that you set. —> Cook longer! Overview of cooking times for meat I wish you continued success and send greetings from the kitchen!

      Reply

  • Great the recipe. Accidentally switched it down to 170° after an hour which made the sauce darken a bit, but the meat and crust was very good after 3 hours.

    Reply

    • Hello Frank,

      the art of cooking comes to those who experience it themselves… 🙂

      The sauce must have had a great taste, which you unintentionally achieved through the long roasting time and the high temperature.

      If you look at the veal stock , you can understand that again.

      The long roast, dark brown and almost black brings the bones in the right direction of flavor.

      You will also find a picture of the vegetables in the article, I photographed the vegetables raw, fried and deglazed.

      You can use the photo as an example if you are not sure how dark the vegetables should be when roasted.

      Which beer did you use? I wish you continued success and please enjoy!

      LG Thomas Sixt

      Reply