Schweinshaxe (German Ham Hock) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 lbs pork hocks
pepper
salt
paprika
20 g lard
1 onion
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon juniper berries
1/2 tablespoon clove
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1/4 quart water
1/8 quart beer
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Preparation

Preheat oven to 200\u00b0C/400\u00b0F.
Rinse the hocks and pat dry.
Cut the fatty skin diagonally in both directions so that you have a diamond pattern. Season with pepper, salt and paprika.
Heat the lard in a dutch oven and brown the hocks for approx 10 mins on all sides (quite hot).
Peel and quarter the onion and add to the pot, add the bay leaf, juniper berries, cloves and mustard grains.
Pour in 1/8 quart of boiling water and place the pot in the middle of the oven.
The hocks will need approx 1 1/2 - 2hrs, depending on size, baste with beer from time to time and if required add a little water.
Remove the hock from the pot and using beer and water make sure you scrape up the bits from the bottom of the pan.
Thicken using a cornstarch/water paste and season with salt and pepper.
Serve with sauerkraut and knoedel or mashed potatoes.