Traditional Pork Knuckles - A Typical Oktoberfest Dish From Germany

Pork knuckle is a traditional Bavarian delicacy. Served with potato dumplings, it's a beloved and well-known dish that's synonymous with Bavarian culture around the world. There are, of course, many different recipes. Wolfgang Reithmeier, the head chef at Munich's Hofbräuhaus, shows us how to prepare an authentic Bavarian pork knuckle--and he reveals the secret to making it nice and crispy.
#oktoberfest #munich
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CREDITS:
Report: Gerhard Sonnleitner
Camera: Holger Erken
Edit: Manuela Reuss
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[@alphacause]

When most people think of German food, outside of Germany, they think of things like the wienerschnitzel, sauerkraut, and bratwurst. In my opinion, the Schweinshaxe (pork knuckle) should eclipse all these delectable German staples. The Schweinshaxe has the perfect combination of crispy skin and juicy tender meat. Thank you for featuring this dish. It makes me salivate.

[@larswesterhausen7262]

Wiener Schnitzel is Austrian, not German. However all these dishes are typical Bavarian and leave out all the great dishes from the majority of Germany. Sad to see my country reduced to a few mountain dwelling weirdos from the South that no one else really understands. :p

[@davtona]

@@larswesterhausen7262 I’ve worked here in the U.K. for German companies based in both the north and south of Germany, great food whenever I travelled to our factories, if I had to pick a favourite it would be Schäufele from the Franconian region which never gets mentioned, but as a Brit I’m used to stereotyping, after all it always rains here and we only eat fish & chips and roast beef….. 🙄

[@wed3k]

I had to try the pork knuckle when I visited germany

[@alphacause]

@Alban Musa From the brief Google search I did, I believe the distinction is that Schäufele is a pork shoulder. Scheweinshaxe is a pork knuckle/pork shank. So Schäufele is a different cut of the pork. It looks similar because the crispy skin gives it the same texture

[@saschaeggert2148]

@@alphacause Schäufele are the "paws" of the pig.

[@RobertClolery]

One beer for the oven, one for the cook!

[@Theoryofcatsndogs]

Schweinshaxe - Roast Pork Knuckles Ingredients: Pork hock, Salt, Pepper, Caraway Seed, Garlic, Dark beer. Steps: 1. Mixed seasoning with diced garlic. 2. Rub on pork hock but not the rind. Wait 1 hour. 3. Put hock in oven on a rack at 160C/320F for 30mins. 4. Pour some beer on top the of the hock and let it drip to a pan below. Cook for another 2 hours at 110C/230F. 5. Increase oven to 230C/446F for 30mins. 6.Pour more beer on hock 2 more times. 7. Ready to serve. Potato Dumpling: Ingredients: Russet/Idaho/Yukon Gold Potato, Salt. Steps: 1. Cooking and remove skin then mash potato, and add salt. 2. Shape it to a ball size of large egg. 3. Add potato to boiling salted water for 20 mins. 4. Ready to serve.

[@Kivas_Fajo]

The real secret is: You need to partially boil the pork knuckle by putting it in salted water that only covers the skin part of it. Simmer it for 10-20 minutes on slow flame. That way the skin gets so crispy. If you skip it, it won't be as good...

[@ristorantanen5769]

I have cooked a few thousands of those in the past thirty years. The best i have had were specially prepared with a rub of ground pepper, a hint of caraway, garlic powder, sweet paprika powder and just a wee bit of ground fennel seeds. The rub was then soaked in beer and injected with a syringe until saturated. The skin was prickled instead of scored making lots and lots of tiny crispy bubbles instead of barely chewable shards of hard pigskin. Then slowly roasted (only 160 degrees Celsius) until that bronzed color deepens while still retaining its juicy moist meat around the bone. (Sizes vary and therefore also the cooking time but around a 2-3 h. You want it to ALMOST fall off the bone but still retaining its shape) And serving it without krautsallad (cold or warm) and mustard is ofcourse a crime you can only get away with in Bavaria.

[@ciripa]

2 hours at 110C , is this correct?

[@travisbeagle5691]

What about the sauce?

[@expensivetechnology9963]

Thank you for showing me (a guy from the foothills of Georgia) a glimpse of Bavarian culture. I can almost taste it.

[@Kivas_Fajo]

Dude, if you copy exactly what he does (beware, it is Celsius, not Fahrenheit), then it will come out exactly as seen in the video...

[@davidh9844]

Uhm, it ain't Helen, no how. (He will understand, even if no one else does.)

[@BernhardSchwarz-xs8kp]

It is food dude and very tasty beer - not culture. Nothing stops you from doing it right in the foothills of Georgia. You got pigs in Georgia too. Some of them have actually become famous in recent years.

[@Krpfl]

@@BernhardSchwarz-xs8kp But, hey, I mean "cultural appropriation" and so..... haha, just kidding! Coming from Bavaria I tell you: Enjoy the Schweinshaxen, the Knödel and help yourself to a Mass Bier

[@user-xg1vw8dz8b]

I work at the Hoffbrauhaus in Newport KY. We have the same food and beer. If you are ever in town, stop by.

[@waydegardner7373]

I know Italy and France get a lot of love for their cuisine and justly so. However if you just give German food a chance you’ll possibly find it the ultimate comfort food. Crispy pork knuckle and a cold beer. Whew! We took a cruise up the Rhine and ate at every stop. We didn’t have a single meal we were dissatisfied with. My wife’s family is from Bavaria. She know the real deal. 👍

[@dazcleveland5041]

Amen Bruder

[@richardhart3442]

I love German food! Very hearty.

[@robzsarmy5471]

Germanic food is known to be Bland and bad (Scandinavia , Netherlands , British isles) But Id say germanic is the best comfort food inn Europe and Germany having the best cuisine in Germanic countries

[@toffonardi7037]

I m from Italy and I love german cousine

[@guineapigshavetakenovermyl6602]

totally agree. love this dish

[@kicocol]

I lived in Bayern for 2 and a half years and I remember this was my first typical dish in Germany (Bayern). Simply delicious!

[@edsalinas9996]

I've been to Germany a couple of times, and I know for a fact that I could live there based on their cuisine alone. They know how to cook.

[@Christoph-sd3zi]

I would have loved to have lived in Germany in the 1930s

[@893160007]

@@Christoph-sd3ziwat

[@theotheleo6830]

@@Christoph-sd3zi Let me guess, the color of your favorite shirt is brown.

[@papiosloux9751]

😂😂😂😂😂😂 Worst food on the planet hahaha

[@amazinggermany8431]

Not Worst. Wurst. 🤣

[@eteng64]

In the Philippines we have a similar recipe for PORK Knuckles and it's becoming famous as well, it's called CRISPY PATA or Crispy Fried Pork Knuckles and it is also best for beer drinking.

[@tallboda668]

That is just a copy cat.

[@MaximilianDaniel_]

@@tallboda668 relax

[@mjfullente3359]

@@tallboda668 Nah, most people around the world have a mindset that fried food was best with a beer 🍺🍺🍺

[@robzsarmy5471]

@@tallboda668 Im not filipino but a pork lover and Filipino pork knuckles is better because they use a vinegar and chilli sauce that cuts down the fat when you eat them.

[@milan79tomic66]

Yes i tried Crispy Pata in the Philippines and in Poland they have similar dish called Golonka

[@sethsoderman2731]

Beer and pork are just a great combination the awesome German food in October

[@M3RRIH3W13]

Whatta memory for me! I was stationed in Augsburg and Schweinshaxe was served at Beerfest. They were roasted on a rotisserie on a wall on fire. The crust is the thing for me. It is a perfect pork rind, a dinner by itself! I have ingested many Schweinshaxe in my 2 years. They are so delicious!

[@richymoto]

Greetings from Augsburg ;-)

[@goodbarbenie5477]

I am Soo happy to know it still exists in all its glory..hah...I visited The Hofbrau House way back in 1967... On a school tour. I and a friend snuck in and savoured real German hospitality...Hahaa....I 've never tasted such good food and beer ever since...Besides the food was one thing but, the people gathered there was another thing...We just stared in amazement...hah. Greetings from South Africa... Hahaa...

[@zarakdurrani7584]

haahaa

[@kunalm15]

Bavarian food is underrated. Deserves more love.

[@existentialcrisis9757]

German women as well.

[@Kivas_Fajo]

@@existentialcrisis9757 true...for some.

[@xitzbit926]

​@@Kivas_Fajobetter than American women.

[@Kivas_Fajo]

@@xitzbit926 I can't tell. Don't know any American women.

[@myself3209]

Yo its a giant slab of meat thrown on a plate with sauce and a dumpling, its literally an insult to your body

[@EDX2308]

The food he made is impressive. The equipment he used I was even more impressed. The Benz of cooking equipment.... and I work in a kitchen.

[@josevelez7539]

Oh, I miss those German meals and their culture a lot!!! Enjoyed many great meals all over Germany, especially in Bavaria!

[@BernhardSchwarz-xs8kp]

And when you are on vacation - you have the time to enjoy whatever you do.

[@1993dana15]

This dish nd roasted pork belly with pickles was my favorite bar food when I was studying in bavaria. Pan hot crispy pork and fresh keller beer was a divine combo. I miss my bavarian days alot now

[@everythingsalright1121]

Thats interesting, what motivated you to study there? Actually, what were you studying?

[@melissawong4125]

I was there last month! Most crispy pork knuckle I have ever tasted. Not a fan of the potato dumpling though.I love the atmosphere of the beer garden and I enjoy talking to strangers on the same table.

[@richardhe5973]

you have to eat them together, a slab of pork with a little potato dumpling, some sauerkraut on the fork, a dash of mustart, all in one big bite! Then down a large gulp of beer!

[@Kivas_Fajo]

Next time ask for a Semmelknödel, which is a dumpling made from one day old buns, but in squares, with onions, parsley, salt&pepper, some nutmeg, eggs and milk. You make a dough out of this, but you do not destroy the bread parts inside. So...gently mixing by hand. Make fistful spheres, dumplings and simmer, not boil them in salted water...for like 10 Minutes. Best you can do with them is. Make slices of 1/2 an inch, fry them in a pan with real good butter until they get some colour and crisp. This is heavenly delicious!

[@JulioHernandez-zs5pb]

In Mexico we call this part of the pork, Chamorro. We cooke it in a different style but this one looks really good!

[@heinzelmadchen7896]

I hope you can try it someday it's really yummy

[@happydog4929]

I WANT ONE!!!!! I like this report, and on all German food. Thank you.

[@chesterhigh5886]

Man that looks, “ sehr gut!!!”

[@ML-762]

My family has been American since late 1680's on my mom's side. We still have recipes past down from our German and Dutch ancestors. Grew up on the food and love it. This looks amazing.

[@weisthor0815]

sitting right between france and italy, both with great food, germany´s food however is totally underrated. germany has a variety of really good food to offer.

[@HuasoPodrido]

I had a wonderful time at the HB, good food and beer and of course the atmosphere is great.

[@roobadoob1984]

Great traditional content 👍

[@goodspeed1]

The pigs look happy to be next on the grill-- pick me, pick me!🐽

[@ikofiyo3412]

The pig knows it's bavarian quality 🤦‍♂

[@1rjona]

They are given beer when they go to the resturant

[@tallboda668]

That is true. Way more netter than us sh*t

[@griznatle]

Restaurant at the end of the universe, except it was a cow i believe

[@ProgressiveDiscussions]

The woman probably says I love all my babies until I cut your throats one by one. 😁🐷🍺🐖🍺🐽🍺

[@fredfloyd34]

What a genious owner....Fantastic restaurant...food top of the top.Chefs brilliant masters.

[@LichenMason313]

I like this video because it clearly demostrated the importance of regional business. Regional business generally values local cultural heritage, thus naturally orient towards use good local ingridents, putting good works into the products. Instead of being fueled by the ambition for profit, the regional folks tend to work hard out of a genuine enthusiasm. They have a genuine regional identity to consider and defend. Regional business also are based on regional features, such as Wolfgang's mention of using regional beer. This means reduces the cost of transportation, which is ecologically more sustainable. There are benefits of homogenous commercial culture, such as people can freely get what they want at lower cost. But that should be balanced by healthy amount of regional or local business in my opinion. Because without sufficient number of regional and local businesses, the business culture can easily be too profit driven, and sometime just detrimental for ecology.

[@BernhardSchwarz-xs8kp]

With Aldi and Liddle - the two major European Retailers, those were the days. They totally control the European retail markets.

[@LichenMason313]

Thanks for the information! I never lived in Europe and never knew.@@BernhardSchwarz-xs8kp

[@dougwright111]

I carried out that tradition when I visited this bierhaus over the summer! Delicious 😋

[@williamwindomtributesite1640]

Almost ate at Hoffbrahaus with hubby and mom. We ate next door and had Weiswurst mit bretzen. The best! Love, love, love potato dumplings!!!

[@Farksisten]

3:29 - a smile to die for!!

[@andriealinsangao613]

Oh, aye!!

[@nolanohana]

I had a similar dish one night in Wavre Belgium and it’s simply magnificent. Something you should definitely try.

[@darrentidwell4003]

I ate at the Hofbrauhaus back in 2018 after a joyous day at Octoberfest. What a treat and what a spectacle it was. If you ever get the chance...do it!

[@chargersrt10]

Looks great!! I remember my time in Bavaria fondly.

[@Heartadia]

i have tried bavarian pork knuckle twice in my life. definitely need to eat more of it.

[@Thenevisian]

It was such a pleasure going here last year. What a great experience

[@Piraat13]

Such beautiful culture

[@user-fu9vj9ix3g]

My mother was an Austrian who also was a fantasic cook. I paid attention because she never used recipes. The schnitzel, leiberknodel, etc was sublime. I was at the this restauraunt in 2002. The pork knuckle is just about the best pork I have ever tasted. There is a place in Vienna at the fairgrounds called Schweitzerhaus or something. Fantastic there, too. Comes with buckets of good beer. The wait staff knew I was a yank and they almsot stood over me, making sure I ate it all. Very good time.

[@BernhardSchwarz-xs8kp]

And the buckets of good beer and the good yank tipping makes every food way more enjoyable.

[@user-fu9vj9ix3g]

@@BernhardSchwarz-xs8kp 🤣Ha! I was there with my Austrian cousins. They never let me show my wallet!

[@BernhardSchwarz-xs8kp]

@@user-fu9vj9ix3g Your cousins are very nice humans - but not because they are Austrians, but because they are good by nature.

[@user-fu9vj9ix3g]

@@BernhardSchwarz-xs8kp The truth is, we hadn't seen eachother in over 25 years, sothey were veryhappy tohost me as their guest. It was the mosrmemorable two weeks of my life. I went back again two years later - this timedetermined tospend my own money. Another very memorable experience. We toured Austria by the back roads, and I traced my mother's young years before the War. She grew up in the east, in a village called Hundsheim - just directly south of Hainburg, on the other side of the hill called the Baumberg. The old farmstead is still there, greatly reduced after the war, and now owned by a doctor and his wife. I knocked on the gate and they kindly allowed me to come in and explore the estate with my aunt and uncle, who also grew up on the farm. They said nothing had changed since they remembered it. The huge walnut tree over the pond where they played as kids, the centuries old stone horse trough that my mother was required to keep full of fresh water. Still there. I took many photos, and I can see the trough on Google Earth. It was a very emotional visit.

[@AgentAO7]

Been there!!! It was soooo good!!! Highly recommended! I miss it so much..

[@babuzzard6470]

My Austrian chef taught me this when I was an apprentice in Brisbane , Australia! danke Hans

[@censusgary]

Many years ago, I ate this dish at Oktoberfest in Munich. Good times!

[@msalehtnt]

I love it, specially when my friend Rainer cooks it

[@OIFIIIOIF-VET]

I was born in a small town just south of Nuremburg. I loved growing up with German food. German goulash, rouladen, and potato salad are my jam. So good.

[@sixuangong5275]

Those potato balls are super delicious!

[@mellow-jello]

Glad I had a chance to have a pork hock with a Bavarian lager at a German bar in Toronto on my hirthday before it closed shop years later. It was certainly a hearty meal, best had while you are young.

[@wataruokada1857]

I like how he was eating the pork! He really looks happy haha

[@RJ6AV6]

Went to that location and it was a blast! Ate sooo good and drank a ton of beers 😋😋

[@ryankane1327]

Looks decent this simple as well would love to visit Germany one day love from the UK

[@croquest8749]

Looks very appetizing.

[@juliomarcelinodacostanetto5261]

Excelente! Parabéns!!

[@charlesyang1292]

i ate this in Sydney, The Rocks, and I fall in love with it！

[@nigelkhan9278]

I am very lucky to have a German Beer Garden, Dunderbak where I live and I am able to have this amazing dish. Great selection of German beer and Schweinshaxe, Kartoffelpuffer, Rotkohl, Brezeln, Klöße, and German warm potato salad. German food is very underrated and very delicious.

[@josiahowen5408]

Yum! Work takes me very near a grocer that has amazing large ham hocks everytime I'm there. Gonna whip some of these up for NYE.

[@Andrew-is7rs]

Looks utterly delicious. I’m going to make it at home

[@wellhungindung]

That looks so lovely, delicious.

[@DWFood]

So good!

[@xochitlruizzarate2875]

I ate it in Whistler,Canada at Table Nineteen, it was crispy and tender, so freaking mouthwatering, love it.

[@stillnessprayer]

awesome...thank you

[@zoom9897]

¡Excelente video! Puedo entender el por qué de la expresión de Tobias mientras saborea el Schweinshaxe. Lo dice todo.

[@peteshour768]

I love this authentic German food.

[@MatthewBaran]

I had one when I was in Bavaria. It is to Die for.

[@lolphdundgren4328]

> _ It is to Die for._ No, it is to live for the next one.

[@nerdothn892]

The Schweinshaxe and the Schweinebraten are my favourite dishes of all time 😋😋😋😋

[@AahhBurnedToast]

Went here and it's a dish that's more than the sum of its parts. It's so comfy to eat and you always feel like you're at home

[@brians2733]

I’ve had many schweinshaxe in Germany (including at the Hofbrauhaus), it never disappoints.

[@realitygaming4088]

Dam. I want to fly from the UK just for this. Them beers are my kind of beers 👌

[@jjildefonso3801]

Looks delicious 🤤

[@atlasgrim7791]

That looks sooo good

[@8rboy]

I had exactly that at that exact location 5 years ago! It was truly amazing.

[@momeara7482]

It looks delicious. Now I need to plan a trip to Munich.

[@SockAccount111]

i remember eating that dish in that same place 9/10 would recommend

[@zhengren8580]

Watching this 4am in the morning makes me hungry 😋

[@alexrodgers9247]

I had these in Thailand at a Bavarian restaurant! Absolutely great! (After 6 years there, needed some variation).

[@Subdood04]

These are amazing!!!!

[@larrykroger3100]

the look of pure content on Tobias' face when he takes a bite..sez it all !!

[@user-fg4fr2bz5y]

A Hungarian friend of mine use to make smoked ham hocks and lentils, very tasty!

[@atruefreethinker1944]

that looked DELICIOUS!!!!

[@YasirKhan-ct9od]

I was at Hofbrauhaus restaurant last month for an official dinner with our company clients! I had no idea it was such a famous restaurant. Btw the food was super tasty. Like 10/10. ! D

[@richardm7181]

@Null Pointer going there next week. Where do you recommend ?

[@Brandon-jw5cv]

My absolute favorite meal on the planet

[@ArielHoti]

I tried that, in that exact spot. Its delicious

[@UnclePutte]

I hope to try it there one day. Hofbrau is my favourite festbier brewer. Theirs has the fullest flavour of all the breweries whose products we have access to here in Helsinki.

[@tranducanh-ok]

Yummy 😋 everyone's favorite food 😊

[@avagrego3195]

Like that the chief explains things.

[@kenc9265]

During my younger days in military stationed in Goppingen Germany I had the pleasure enjoyed this German delicious delicacy in Octoberfest. Best memory I never forget

[@chaoxiong2256]

That looks really good

[@darrenburke9630]

It looks out of this world

[@fredmidtgaard5487]

Interesting that the traditional spice is Karve (Caraway in English - the Brits were never able to pronounce it correctly). It was a huge export article from Norway to Europe in the Viking and Middle Ages. So, it is still used there! The plant needs long summer days and a cold climate to perform and is specially grown in Northern Norway.

[@MartinCanada]

Caraway is such an important spice for German cooking and baking. Yet here in Canada it is very difficult to find and strangely expensive (C$10.00 = US$7.30 = 70 g). Most likely pandemic price gouging. An export opportunity for Norwegians!

[@fredmidtgaard5487]

@@MartinCanada Yes, I hope someone sees the opportunity! It is particularly grown in Lofoten Try to google the name! The New Your time declared that it was one of the 10 most beautiful places on earth.

[@CD-kg9by]

It's one of my fav herbs/spices. Meanwhile it's grown in Germany, too. I tried cultivating it myself once, but processing it was a lot of work.

[@fredmidtgaard5487]

@@CD-kg9by Yes, I think it is possible, but it is a bit funny that there is a spice that is largely grown north of the Arctic Circle that has been exported and used for more than 1.500 years! Most people think of India or South East Asia when it comes to spices - but not this one. The long historic trade connection between Norway and Germany is also heartwarming.

[@b6983832]

@@fredmidtgaard5487 Finland is the biggest producer of caraway seeds, but the spice is seldom used in modern Finnish cooking. It goes mostly for export to Central Europe.

[@karsaorlong3761]

that looks excellent

[@nandinhocunha440]

Damn, that looks great

[@surfrat8884]

My God that looks so good

[@grandmapamm]

How I would love to have one of those they look delicious

[@sunmoon9315]

I was in Frankfurt few years ago and ordered this from the menu since the waitress recommended- not fully understanding what it was ordered the same and enjoyed it - now I know it is SCHWEINSHAXE!!!

[@hjvdb6829]

O my world that looks good

[@TheForkedtoungue]

That looks great, I need to go there.

[@GoldenboY-DE]

aaaw 😍 die Schweinchen werden bestimmt zu tode gestreichelt, so harmonisch und schön alles 😍

[@pipo86]

schnauze

[@victorkalashnikov1866]

i love the music! bavari❤️❤️

[@tomcody2768]

Yum , looks so TASTY

[@kwanchan6745]

something similar available in dusseldorf altstadt walk through the old town, there is a food outlet with a pig's head icon, excellent schweinhaxe...eat at a table outside with a group of friends in the summer

[@france2j]

Love that place. Bit touristy, but not an absolute ripoff like alot of places

[@cshubs]

There's a Hofbrau House in Covington KY (across from the very German city of Cincinnati). I hope it's still there. I think one of my buddies got the pork knuckle. I got the schnitzel, which was great.

[@drunkweebmarine9492]

Sehr gut!

[@dfernandez3482]

That looks so good ☺ We Filipinos have a similar food called Crispy Pata 🇵🇭🙂👍

[@andreasbrunner7268]

you guys also have some really good pork dishes, greetings from Austria

[@andriealinsangao613]

@@andreasbrunner7268 Thanks from a Filipino!

[@samthesuspect]

As an American I can fully get behind cooking meat in beer. I made delmonico friday night with a glaze made from a porter, so damn good.

[@sindotj]

I must try this