Roast pork knuckle

Beer-braised then roasted Czech pork knuckle (pečené koleno) with garlic, mustard and caraway — crisp-skinned, fall-off-the-bone and made for sharing.

Ingredients

• pork knuckle1.5 kg
• light beer500 ml
• garlic4 cloves
• mustard2 tbsp
• caraway1 tbsp
• salt2 tsp

Method

1. Prepare the knuckle. Score the skin of the pork knuckle deeply with a sharp knife in a crosshatch pattern — cut right through the fat but not into the meat. Rub all over with the salt, caraway and mustard, pressing firmly into the scored cuts.
2. Stud with garlic. Cut the garlic cloves into slivers and push them deep into the score lines and any natural seams in the skin. Let the knuckle sit at room temperature while you heat the oven to 160°C fan.
3. Begin the braise. Place the knuckle in a deep roasting tin or heavy casserole and pour the beer around it — not over the top, so the rub stays on the skin. Cover tightly with a lid or a double layer of foil and braise in the oven for 2 hours, until the meat is completely tender and starting to pull away from the bone.
4. Check for tenderness. Carefully remove the foil and pierce the thickest part of the meat with a skewer — it should slide in with no resistance. If there's any firmness, cover and return to the oven for another 15–20 minutes.
5. Blast to crisp the skin. Turn the oven up to 220°C fan. Uncover the knuckle, baste it briefly with the braising juices, then roast uncovered for 20–30 minutes until the skin is deep golden, crackling and blistered all over.
6. Rest, then plate. Lift the knuckle onto a board and rest for 10 minutes — the juices will settle and the skin will crisp further. Skim any excess fat from the braising liquid and pour it into a jug to serve as a sauce alongside.

Safety & hygiene Important

• Pork internal temperature. The centre of the meat must reach at least 75°C before the final roasting stage. Use a probe thermometer if you're unsure — after 2 hours of braising a 1.5 kg knuckle it should comfortably exceed this, but check before you uncover it.
• Hot braising liquid. The tin will contain a large volume of very hot liquid when you remove the foil — tilt the foil away from you to release steam and use oven gloves throughout to avoid a serious burn.