Delicious pork knuckle

FavorFlav editor-in-chief Marcus Polman has a soft spot for delicious pork and came across an amazing Schweinehaxe, or roasted pork knuckle, in Münster’s oldest Gaststätte. And he got the recipe too.

The Schweinehaxe has been on the menu at Altes Gasthaus Leve, located in the center of the student city of Münster, since 1936. Münster’s oldest Gaststätte looks like an authentic tourist trap: a menu with Gothic lettering, female servers in dirndl dresses, beer served in stone beer mugs. And it’s completely packed—with Germans.

Substantial piece

They come from far and wide for ‘Schweinehaxe mit Bratkartoffeln und Sauerkraut’. Schweinehaxe is the leg of the pig (more precisely: the upper part of the front leg, above the knee), also known as the shank. A substantial piece: wonderfully fatty and tender roast pork, on the bone.

Simple preparation, maximum flavor

The meat is roasted in its own fat for 2 to 3 hours, at 150 degrees in the oven, with no more seasoning than pepper and salt. The secret to Altes Gasthaus Leve’s preparation is the crisp, crunchy crust (‘kross gebraten’, the menu says). Before cooking, the fat on the outside of the pork knuckle is scored crosswise in a diamond pattern. Once a core temperature of 70 degrees has been reached, the pork knuckle gets another blast in the oven at 240 degrees. The result is an incredibly delicious crispy crust and melted fat beneath the skin. Simple preparation, maximum flavor.

The front legs are the tastiest and have the most meat.

Superior fried

At Altes Gasthaus Leve, it comes with superbly fried Bratkartoffeln (the way grandma used to make them) and homemade sauerkraut or red cabbage, served in silver dishes in the finest old-school Van Der Valk style. You drink a local Pinkus beer with it, a fresh, hoppy pilsner on tap.

It’s only a matter of time before the first retro Gaststätte (with Schweinehaxe, Bratkartoffeln and Sauerkraut) appears on the streets of the Netherlands—in the wake of the growing popularity of Berlin-style Brezel & Bratwurst & Schnitzel restaurants.

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Homemade

For those who want to get started at home: order your pork knuckles from your butcher several days in advance. Pork knuckle (also known as Eisbein) is also available from better wholesale suppliers. Note: the front legs are the tastiest and have the most meat.

For an extra tender result, you can brine the knuckle first in a brine bath. For 2 liters of brine: 50 grams of sugar, 100 grams of salt. Fully submerge the knuckles and refrigerate, covered, for at least 24 hours.

Altes Gasthaus Leve
Alter Steinweg 37
48143 Münster, Germany

Text: Marcus Polman
Images: Marcus Polman