German
Eisbein
Cured pork knuckle simmered with juniper, coriander, roots, and aromatics until the meat turns silky and spoon-tender.
4 servings · 30 minutes prep · 180 minutes cook
Ingredients
Main
- 2 whole pork knuckles, 2 1/2-3 lb each
- 1 gallon water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 16 g pink curing salt, Prague Powder #1 (6.25% sodium nitrite); weigh exactly; calculated for 3.8 kg water plus about 2.5 kg pork
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 1 tbsp juniper berries, crushed
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 2 tsp coriander seed
- 2 whole yellow onions, halved
- 2 whole carrots, chopped
- 1 whole leek, cleaned and chopped
- 1 whole celery rib, chopped
Directions
Method
- Dissolve the kosher salt, sugar, and Prague Powder #1 in the water. Add the bay leaves, crushed juniper berries, peppercorns, and coriander seed.
- Submerge the pork knuckles completely in the brine and refrigerate for 3 days, turning them once a day if they are not fully weighted down.
- Rinse the cured pork well. Place it in a Dutch oven with the onions, carrots, leek, and celery, then cover with fresh water by 1 inch.
- Simmer gently, never boiling, until the skin is soft, the meat is tender near the bone, and the center reaches about {{temperature:195°F}}, 2 1/2-3 hours.
- Rest the pork in the hot broth for 15 minutes before serving so the meat stays moist and the gelatin-rich skin relaxes.
