Czech: Vepřové Koleno (Braised Pork Knuckles in Dark Beer)

Recipe by Paul Young <info@cooking-with-paul.com>

(serves 1-2)

Ingredients:

• 1 large pork knuckle (or 2 smaller hocks)
• Water for blanching
• 1-2 bottles of dark beer (i.e. Guinness), divided
• 6 tablespoons honey
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons ginger paste
• 4 tablespoons garlic powder
• 3 medium onions, quartered
• 6 whole cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 carrots, sliced into chunks
• 1 potato, peeled and sliced thick (or use whole baby potatoes)
• Sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme (optional)
• Small Kosher pickles (optional)

Sauce ingredients

• 6 fresh cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 bottles of dark beer (i.e. Guinness)
• 3-4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons ginger paste
• Ground black pepper to taste
• Drizzle of Kitchen Bouquet for color

Procedure:

1. Add pork knuckle to soup pot, add water to cover, blanch for 5 minutes, drain, pat dry
2. Shave off any bristles that may be on the skin (using a razor)
3. Add enough beer to cover about half of the pork knuckle (about 1-2 bottles), stir in honey, soy sauce, ginger paste, garlic powder
4. Cover pot and bring to boil; turn down heat and simmer for 3 hours (flip knuckle every 30 minutes)
5. Or: transfer contents of pot to a pressure cooker and cook for 45 minutes until pork knuckle is almost falling apart
6. When the pork knuckle is cooked, transfer the meat to a deep baking dish (optional: set aside the cooking liquid to make the sauce)
7. Add quartered onions, whole garlic cloves, carrot chunks, and sliced potatoes to the pork knuckles in the baking dish
8. Preheat oven to 425°F
9. Make the basting sauce: Saute minced garlic in olive oil briefly, add beer, mustard, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, honey, soy sauce, ginger paste, black pepper
10. Pour half of the basting sauce over the pork knuckle and veggies in the baking dish
11. Finish the sauce: boil remaining basting sauce to reduce it into a thick broth; add Kitchen Bouquet for color
12. Bake the pork knuckle uncovered for about 20-30 minutes until brown and crispy (baste the meat often)
13. Remove from the oven, cover dish with foil and let it “rest” about 10 minutes
14. Transfer to a serving plate and pour thickened broth over the top
15. Add rosemary and thyme sprigs for garnish (if desired)
16. Serve with pickles (if desired)

Note: If you have the time, you can re-use the cooking liquid as a starter broth for the basting sauce. Simply refrigerate the broth overnight in the refrigerator, then skim off the grease in the morning. Add the additional ingredients as indicated to make the basting sauce, then reduce it into a thick broth for serving.