Currently in the Czech Republic or Germany has become very popular pork knuckle, but in our country they have not forgotten about it. Basically such a dish is usually prepared in the winter, it’s even begins to enter into tradition to some extent. It’s cold in winter, and shank refers to a hot product that everyone needs man, and besides, she’s with fat.
In fact, if you look, the pork knuckle is cooked easily and not for long, there’s absolutely nothing complicated about it. But the problem may to be that there is nothing complicated for an experienced hostess, but inexperienced can spoil the meat so that it turns out not juicy shank, and a piece of dry and hard meat that you can’t even eat.
The knuckle is a different pork ham, namely its lower part. In order to prepare the shank, you will need a back ham. It is better suited for this type of food. From the front it’s good to cook jellied meat, or you can cook some soup. There is a lot more meat in the back ham than in the front, so he is more suitable.
They sell ham in almost any form in stores: at least raw, even boiled, even smoked. There are a lot of options. Before proceeding to bake the shank, it will need to be boiled with various vegetables in one pan. It will give more enjoyment. aroma, and also make it ultimately very juicy. Meat will seem much more tender than if it immediately toss in the oven. When immediately without boiling inexperienced housewives start to bake this product, it becomes in the form of rough and not juicy meat. In principle, even the shank has a cooking method quite strict, but you can turn on the fantasy and cook it differently.
When boiling, you can add not only vegetables, but besides them special herbs with spices are also suitable, anything what your soul can wish for. Each needs a different aroma, and the taste is different for everyone. Therefore no need to be afraid to fantasize. After boiling the shank, you can immediately send to the oven, but here again, not for everybody. Can and pickle it in different ways and in different spices before bake.
For baking, you can also add to the dish everything you like it. Be sure to spread it with sauce and, of course, thicker. Thanks to this, the aroma will be more pronounced. Well, again, as with boiling, you can add vegetables when baking herbs, and you can also add them more, you should not regret. The dish will be very fragrant. In addition, it should be noted that it is not you can only bake the whole, but you can also cook from the shank a huge number of different dishes. You can cook soup with already boiled shank, it will turn out very tasty and aromatic. Also her can be stewed with various vegetables. All the potatoes are fried and know that it’s not difficult at all, so you can also fry it with shank. And of course, the most enjoyable dish is baking pork knuckle in a pot, and not just bake it, but also add to it mushrooms. This is a very tasty dish, which, however, is very rare. for some reason they cook.
In no case should you restrain your imagination when cooking a dish like shank. I need to try everything the possible that only comes to your mind.
First of all, before you go and buy a pork shank, you need to figure out which dish you will to cook. Much depends on this. If you are planning to cook pork shank soup or aspic, then in this case not do without a front ham. In fact, in the front ham a lot of meat, but the plus is that it still has a lot of good qualities. Smoked shank can be used if decided to cook soup with peas. Well, or you can stew it with various vegetables, and it is best to stew with cabbage. Such a dish will be so delicious that you can’t just pick it up and forget it taste. But if you decide to bake the shank in the oven, then the front no longer suitable. I need a back one, there’s a lot more meat on it, for the second course is ideal. Therefore do not be confused for cooking the first dish you need a front ham, and for the second – rear.
When buying a shank, you should look at how it looks. Her appearance is of great importance. But apart from the view it’s not worth it forget about the smell. There should be nothing on the skin, it should to be white, without any spots and bumps. If there are spots on the skin, then it can be spoiled or just old.
On meat, too, there should be nothing superfluous, except fat interlayers, also it should be moderately dense. If meat friable, then this is no longer quality meat, if on the contrary too dense, then something bad was added to it. Density it’s not difficult to check, you just need to press a finger lightly, the meat will be washed, but as you release it, it will return to that position, in which it was before clicking.
The trace of pressing will also disappear immediately. This suggests that the meat is very high quality and you can buy it. If the deformation after pressing did not return to the desired position, then far low-quality shank. It may of course not be spoiled, but anyway, not the first freshness, somewhere a lot lay, and very for a long time. It is necessary to pay attention to the color of meat with fat. If a the meat is dark, and fat detachments have a bright yellow tint, then the pig was far middle-aged.
Therefore, taking such meat is also not worth it, the knuckle will turn out too dry and rather tasteless. A good shank can only work from young and quality meat. Well and of course do not forget about smell, this is also the main factor due to which you can choose good meat. Fresh meat smells very good, even a sweet smell is felt. If it smells like some acid, or even rot, then go ahead immediately, such meat is clearly spoiled. It may even smell like ammonia, it also suggests that the meat was most likely spoiled and processed with a chemical composition to discourage the smell of spoiled. Such meat even poison for long, so in no case should you take it.
To begin cooking, you need to spend a few preliminary procedures. First you need to hold the knuckle over fire to burn the skin, after which it will need to be scraped off with a knife and rinse thoroughly. The skin should be very good processed. After such processing, it’s already possible to do everything with it. whatever. She is ready for cooking. You can give her softness more, but it is certainly not necessary, but at the request of the hostess. You just need to pour milk into the bowl and put this ham. In milk, it should be a couple, three hours and preferably in a place where it’s quite cool. Then the meat will be much softer and, by the way, will even be tastier after cooking. After milk, it should also be washed and dried a little.
After everything done on the knuckle, it is worth salt as you need to add seasoning, well, and everything else. Then it follows put in a pot of water. Water will need to be heated so that she boiled. Previously, the knuckle from the water will need to be laid out, and when empty water begins to boil, it will need to be put back. Well then, you will need to add a whole onion there, though Do not forget that it needs to be cleaned. Well and still cut celery in half, or rather its stem, and also into the pan put it down. Then the water should boil again, the fire will need choose an average level and for an hour it should cook like that. After hours of cooking should turn off the fire, the knuckle should not be removed immediately, she must be in her broth, at least she should cool down there. It’s necessary to cool it, not necessary completely cold, but hot anyway it’s in the oven cannot be immediately. She should move away from cooking in water.
After it cools down, you can put it on a baking sheet and feel free to send to the oven. Well, of course, send it to the oven too not dry. Just shift from pan to pan a little will be. You will need spices, various vegetables, and most importantly – this sauce, with the help of which the knuckle is then baked. Without sauce she it’s just that it’s just that it can burn everything. Well burn or not, that’s for sure You can’t say, but the dish will go bad – this is a fact. The oven should be heated to a temperature of 200 degrees. Then it will be necessary put the shank there and bake for about an hour. After which they lubricate the shank with special sauce and again it is sent for baking, which should last about 15 minutes, then it will already be ready.
After it can be safely served, of course cool slightly initially. The dish is ready and you can apply to food. After cooking, it will also be possible add some spices, well, of course it’s all to your taste. Can and do not add extra spices, this is not special ingredient. Everyone will be happy with such a dish, especially if it is served on a winter evening. No wonder I still pork shank is called a winter dish.
