My Version of Pork Knuckles

I haven't tried an actual German Pork Knuckles, yet, or what the original name is known as the Schweinshaxe. But I saw this amazingly beautiful pork knuckles in the shopping centre, with so little amount of fats (yeah, just my type!) and I simply just couldn't resist buying it.

Schweinshaxe, I don't even know how to pronounce it. But, darn! I like the "complexity" of this dish name. I wanted to do this dish initially. However, as usual, when you need something, that thing is always not available, I couldn't get all the neccessary raw ingredient. Hence, I changed it into my self-modified version of Pork Knuckles for the small pot-luck birthday dinner for our dear friend, Ah Chai.

From Left : Christopher, TengRong, Birthday Boy---Ah Chai

But this took my half-a-day away. I didn't expect it to be so time-consuming, because never would I expect myself to be pulling out the hair of those knuckles for 1.5hours early in the Sunday (Luckily it's Sunday) morning :(
Ingredients :
2kg Pork Knuckles
2 Carrots
Garlics
1 big Onion
2 large Potatoes
100g Ginger
1 Granny Smith Apple
100g Sour Cream
0.333L beer

Marinade :
Five-spiced Powder
Pepper
Salt

Methods :
1. Prepare the ingredients just as in picture .
2. Clean the pork knuckles, dry it and marinade it with the ingredients listed above for an hour or more (preferably overnight). Make sure you marinade all of the parts and outer layer too.
3. Heat pan and fry the skin of the pork knuckles till slightly crisp. Set aside.
4. Using the remaining heated oil, fry the garlic, ginger and onion.
5. Add in the carrots.
6. Then potatoes.
7. Add some water (sufficient to cover the knuckles) and allow it to boil. Then shift to a large pot.
8. Add the fried Pork Knuckles into the pot. Then the apple. (Add water if not enough)
9. Season with about 4 teaspoons of salt and 4 tablespoon of sugar. Pepper if you want.
10. When the water halves, add half of the beer into it. And continue to cook till the meat is tender. (About 2-3 hours)
11. When the meat is tender, take out the knuckles (as clean as it can be) and place them in a tray, pour in the remaining half can of beer, and bake in oven at 220-250°C till the skin is crisp again (Mine was about 40-60 minutes).

Sauce :
Strain the thickened gravy in the pot, where you will get a cleaner lighter sauce in a smaller pot. On the stove, add about 100g of sour cream, 1-2 tablespoon of sugar. And continue stirring till it boils. Then, it's done.

Strained, before cooking with sour cream

The sauce done :)

This summer I will be visiting Munich, Germany. I am definitely going to try out the authentic Schweinshaxe in Hofbräuhaus which I have long heard of ... ...