READY IN 4 hr

Schweinshaxe

Read Reviews (9)

"German/Bavarian style pork knuckles. Pork knuckles are also known as foreshanks, or ham shanks. Water may be used in place of beer." — MATTI422

Directions

Place the carrot, onion, leek, celery, and pork knuckles into a large stockpot. Throw in the peppercorns, and season with salt to taste. Add enough water to the pot to cover the vegetables. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 hours, or until everything is tender. Remove the knuckles from the water, and drain. Reserve vegetables and cooking liquid.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F ( 220 degrees C). Melt the shortening in an enamel coated cast iron baking dish or pan. Place the drained pork knuckles, cooked vegetables, and about 2 cups of the cooking liquid into the pan.
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. During the last 10 minutes, sprinkle with beer in which a good amount of salt has been dissolved. Dust lightly with cumin to increase flavor. Serve with potato or white bread dumplings, or sauerkraut salad. In Bavaria, the cooking liquid and juices are strained, and served as an accompanying sauce.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 30 mins
COOK 3 hrs 30 mins
READY IN 4 hrs

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Sep 24, 2009

Good recipe, but I'd like to suggest making it more authentic by grilling the Hax'n, instead of braising it in a pot. At the Oktoberfest and other large festivals, and in most Gasthäuser in Bayern, you’ll find gegrillte Schweinshax’n on the menu. Grilling the hocks is what makes the skin so crispy (like pork rinds). And you want to make sure they’re fresh, not smoked or cured. I’d also recommend, instead of white wine, which no real Bayer would have with his Hax’n, a good Märzenbier or a Doppelbock. Serve with a Semmelknödel and some Blaukraut, and you’ll have an authentic bairisches Schmankerl. Prost! Brad

—the Baron

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Oct 21, 2005

This is probably much easier to prepare and eat, than it is to pronounce! I didn't find pig knuckles, by name, so I used the more easily found meaty hocks. Are they the same? To me, cumin does not seem particularly German and a pinch wouldn't add too much flavor, would it? BTW, just how do you pronounce the name?

—selhull

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13 Ratings

Oct 28, 2006

Found this recipe VERY good, reminds me of when I ate it at the real Hofbrauhaus! The way to pronounce it is Shhh-vine-shacks-uh. Basically means swine shanks.

—Jonesie

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Sep 04, 2006

I made this for dinner tonight and my husband absolutely LOVED! I used one 2 lb boneless pork knuckle and followed the rest of the recipe as written (well, except I didn't have any leeks...) Thanks so much for sharing. I'll be making this again soon!

—Heather

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Feb 23, 2010

Quite good. the pork hocks came out very tender and the gravy in the pan was perfectly flavoured. the beer is unnecessary as i substituted water with a teaspoon of salt dissolved to sprinkle it with and it turned out fine. i just might suggest as well to add the veggies maybe during the last 1/2 hour or so of boiling since they came out too mushy by the time it was done.

—spicyme

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Feb 22, 2011

I made this for Christmas dinner for my fiance, at his request. I was wary since I'd never done anything like this before, but it worked out pretty well. My one problem was that all of the liquid burned away before the meat was finished roasting, so watch it carefully and add more cooking liquid if needed. My fiance thought it tasted like what he had eaten in the Czech Republic (although our pork knuckles here are apparently much smaller). I have to say that I wasn't a fan of the pork knuckle itself, but if it's a type of protein you like and eat, then this is a good recipe for it.

—AllieDream

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Nov 27, 2007

very tasty and easy to prepare; this is like what my mother used to make at home; when I was in Germany (Stutgart) I had schweinshaxe that were the very best - the skin was roasted more than this recipe & I will try to get there.

—GCG

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Sep 08, 2007

I grew up eating this and used to sneak feed it to our dachshund; nicknamed "Schweinhund". Altho it's still not my favorite thing in the world, I knew that my Scottish hubby would love it as he adores German and Austrian food. I'm happy to say that I wasn't wrong and he gobbled it up. Thanks so much Matti!!

—LINDA MCLEAN

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Nutrition

Calories
566 kcal
28%

Carbohydrates
17.4 g
6%

Cholesterol
95 mg
32%

Fat
42.7 g
66%

Fiber
3.3 g
13%

Protein
26 g
52%

Sodium
131 mg
5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Schweinshaxe

Serving Size: 1/2 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 2
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 566
Calories from Fat: 384

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 42.7g 66 %
Saturated Fat 13.5g 67 %
Cholesterol 95mg 32 %
Sodium 131mg 5 %
Potassium 755mg 21 %
Total Carbohydrates 17.4g 6 %
Dietary Fiber 3.3g 13 %
Protein 26g 52 %
Sugars 6.1g
Vitamin A 137 %
Vitamin C 22 %
Calcium 10 %
Iron 29 %
Thiamin 112 %
Niacin 87 %
Vitamin B6 50 %
Magnesium 20 %
Folate 34 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.