Eisbein
A cured pork knuckle simmered for 2 hours 30 minutes until the meat falls from the bone, served with sauerkraut and mustard.
Photograph credit: Eisbein-2 (image of Eisbein on Wikidata Q15751203) by Rainer Zenz · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Where This Goes Wrong
Soak cured knuckles overnight to draw out the salt.
Keep the water below a simmer.
Warm the sauerkraut in some of the broth for flavour.
How to Make Eisbein
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Soak the knuckles in cold water overnight if cured. Drain.
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Put them in a large pan with the onion, bay, peppercorns and half the juniper. Cover with cold water and bring slowly to just below a simmer.
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Cook very gently for 2 hours 30 minutes, until the meat pulls from the bone.
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Warm the sauerkraut with the lard, the remaining juniper and 200 ml of the broth for 10 minutes.
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Serve the meat in thick slices with the sauerkraut and mustard.
Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.
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Why the Method Works
Most home versions come out salty or tough, and the fix is a long soak and a very gentle simmer. Eisbein is the north German pork knuckle, cured in brine and then boiled, not roasted, so the meat is pale, soft and mild, with a layer of jellied fat under the skin.
If the knuckle is cured, soak it in cold water for 12 hours, changing the water once, or the finished dish will be too salty to eat. Cover it with fresh cold water, add an onion, bay leaves, peppercorns and juniper berries and bring it up slowly. Hold the water just below a simmer, with an occasional bubble, for 2 hours 30 minutes. A hard boil toughens the meat and clouds the broth.
The knuckle is ready when the meat pulls from the bone with no resistance. Lift it out and keep it hot in a little of the broth. Warm the sauerkraut in some of the same liquid with a few juniper berries. Serve the meat in thick slices with the cabbage, mashed peas and a dab of sharp mustard.
Leftovers, Reheating and Keeping
Keeps for 3 days in the fridge in a little broth.
Good With
- Mashed peas
- Boiled potatoes
- Mustard
- Dark beer
Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Bratkartoffeln, Gurkensalat, Kartoffelklosse.
Questions and Answers
How long does Eisbein take to make?
20 minutes of preparation and 2 hours 30 minutes of cooking, plus 8 hours of Soaking, so allow 10 hours 50 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 4.
Nutrition per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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