Eisbein

[adnan]

Let me tell you how to make a delicious eisbein. For those of you who don't know what eisbein (or haxe) is: its the lower leg of This dish is very common in Germany, usually served with sauerkraut.

The pork leg is best cooked in a clay cooker. First thing is to prepare the clay cooker for use, which means you have to completely submerge both the top and bottom of the clay-pot in cold water for about 15 minutes.

Take the cooker out of the water (no need to dry it off)

Rub the porkleg with salt, pepper and garlic pouder and place in the clay cooker.

Chop an onion and place arround the porkleg

add one glass of red wine (and pour one for yourself if you want ) I like to use red wine from chilli for this.

Now close the clay cooker and place in the (cold) oven.

Turn the oven up to about 350 degrees and cook for about 2.5 hours

After taking the meat out of the clay cooker you can place it under a grill for a little to make it crispy.

Pour whats left in the clay cooker into a pan to make a nice sauce.

Enjoy!

 

[Half Baked]

Welcome to DC, Adnan!

The pork legs sounds fantastic. What sides do you usually serve with this dinner?

 

[adnan]

Hi! Originally this should be served with sauerkraut and boiled potatoes.
But personaly I like them more with knoedel and red cabbage (with apple ofcourse)

 

[mitmondol]

Hi adnan,

that dish is an old favorite of mine! Do you make sultz too? That is a great thing isn't it?

 

[Seven S]

red wine from chilli??

 

[Hades]

red wine from chilli??

I think he means the country, not the vegetable (fruit?)
It's fairly cheap here and quite enjoyable realy.

 

[adnan]

Hi adnan,

that dish is an old favorite of mine! Do you make sultz too? That is a great thing isn't it?

This is my favorite meat. I've never tried making sultz though.

seven: yes I mean wine from the country Chile. It has a very distinct taste that works very well with this dish.

 

[mitmondol]

C'mon, you have to try sultz! Very easy to make and oh soooo good!

 

[ChefJune]

so post the recipe, Adrienne!!!!!!

 

[mudbug]

I've got a clay cooker, but how big is this leg? and what is sultz?

 

[adnan]

The English call sulz headcheese, its made of pigs head and all the other parts that don't look too appealing. I like what the Dutch make better: frikandellen

Oh and the pigs leg is about 8 to 12 inches long.

raw:

and cooked:

 

[mitmondol]

No, no adnan, I'm talking about German sultz!
Which is a broth cooked with pigs' feet (I like to add some smoked meat to it too) and becomes aspic with lots of meat in it.

Ok, here is how you do it. (oops, will be in trouble with measurements now...)
Get a big stock pot first.
Add 4-6 pig's feet (depending how much you want to make...),
1-2 smoked ham hocks (in Hu it would be some awsome ,double smoked meat, some smoked pork tongue too)
1 peeled onion cut in half (I like to brown the cut side in a dry skillet first, that gives the broth a nice color),
3-4 garlic cloves,
10-15 whole peppercorns,
1-2 peeled whole carrots and cover it generously with water. Salt and a pinch of paprika (never hurts!) and
simmer slowly until the meat falls off the bones.
By then the liquid will reduce about half or so.
I put my hand above the pot, into the steam, and when a sticky film covers my hand it is done and gelatinous.
Now you devide that goodness, I mean the meat into , say 6, deep , wide bowls. I like to slice the carrots (ok, ok, I admit I even score the vertically before slicing, so I get these cutsy flower thingies when sliced..) and put some of those in there too.
Ok, now you strain the liquid into a smaller pot and put it back to the heat.
Beat 2 egg whites, not too stiff just nice and foamy, and mix into the broth.
Keep on cooking and stirring, after a while the whites will harden and gather all the impurities from the broth.
Skim that off.
Now you could go ahead and use it, but I just have to have a clear aspic. So I strain it through a double layer of cheesecloth (rinse that in cold water first) and then pick every remaining fat bubble(?) with a napkin...ok, I"m anal...
You're almost done!
All you do next strain this golden goodness over the meat in the bowls!
BUT, do it really slowly, so you don't get bubbles (didn't I tell you I'm anal ?)
Chill until becomes aspic Voila!
Gosh it brings back memories too...
Anyway, when you serve it, provide lemon wedges for everybody. It is great sprinkled on top!

Geeeez, I talk too much!
And on top of that, I gave you the Hu way to make it!!
No problem, just don't add paprika and you get the German/Austrian version!

 

[adnan]

yes, we are talking about the same thing here, headcheese:

 

[Horab]

Okay, I'll admit that I had no idea what the **** eisben was until I read the title post. Sounds as though it'd be very good, like a classic German dish.

Hmmm...a clay cooker and Chilean wine, that'll work.

 

[mitmondol]

adnan, that is headcheese on the pic, what I'm talking about is a big bowl of aspic with meat in it.In other words, aspic is the lead player.

 

[adnan]

there's about a million different ways to make it and they are all called sulz... I think I'm going to give your recipe a try soon!

 

[mitmondol]

Yes, try it! You will like it.

 

[mudbug]

adnan, your cooked leg looks lovely, but it won't fit in my little cooker.

I'm gonna skip the sulz...................

 

[adnan]

When I buy them here, they are sometimes cut in 3 pieces, maybe that will fit in your cooker...