Beef Shank and Pork Hoof Jellied Meat

Probably, it is simply impossible to describe the preparation of jellied meat in more detail and thoroughly. You can use this recipe as an alphabet if you have never prepared a popular Russian appetizer. And do not be intimidated by the ingredient "pork hoof" - now there are no problems with such parts of pork, they are sold in markets and in large supermarkets.

Ingredients

• beef knuckle - 1 piece
• pork hoof - 1 piece
• peeled onions - 2 pieces
• carrots medium-sized - 2 pieces
• parsley root - 1 piece
• bay leaf - 2 pcs
• black pepper - 10 peas
• allspice - 5 peas
• garlic - 3 cloves
• salt
• homemade pickles and pickled vegetables for serving

Directions

1. The closest attention should be paid to the fact that the meat bought on the market has the stamp of veterinary inspection (when cutting, the stamp must, of course, be cut off). The shank should be meaty enough. There is no need to choose the shank of a very young animal - the lighter the meat, the less rich and rich the broth will turn out.
2. As a rule, in the arsenal of a housewife there are medium-sized pots, so even in the market, ask a butcher to chop or saw a shank in half. Tubular bones split during chopping, so the meat must be rinsed in cold water, and then immediately remove small fragments of bones.
3. If the hoof is not cleaned, it is necessary to scorch it over a gas burner and clean the scorched areas with a knife. But it's much easier to buy an already scorched hoof. It is good if it is, like the shank, chopped.
4. There are several ways to achieve a beautiful amber broth. For example, pre-bake peeled vegetables in a dry frying pan without fat (until black markings appear) and add them to the broth. However, in this case, it will be difficult to remove greaves from the finished broth. Therefore, you can simply put the husk of one onion.
5. Put peeled carrots and parsley root into a saucepan along with bones, meat, onions and onion skins. Carrots will add sweetness to the broth, while the parsley root will add a light aroma typical for Russian cuisine. After cooking, the vegetables must be removed from the broth and discarded, since by that time they will have given all their taste to the broth.
6. Pour the contents of the saucepan with cold water so that the water level is 3 cm higher than the level of the placed food. Put on high heat, bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cook at low boil for about 5-6 hours. In this case, you should not close the pan with a lid, otherwise the broth will acquire a greasy taste and become cloudy.
7. During cooking, excess fat and curdled protein will collect on the surface of the broth in the form of foam. They must be removed with a spoon: foam - throughout the first hour of cooking, fat - every half hour. As a result, there should be no foam at all, and the fat should look like scattered small drops.
8. Add bay leaf and pepper an hour before the end of cooking. By the end of the process, the liquid will be reduced by half. The finished broth will not be perfectly transparent, like, for example, aspic broth, however, it will not be clearly cloudy. Remove the pan from heat, remove bones, meat and vegetables. Separate the meat from the bones by hand.
9. It is necessary to sort out the meat by hand, because only with your fingers you can feel the small bones. Cut the meat into small pieces across the grain. Sometimes it is simply taken apart into fibers, but this can cause some inconvenience when eating. Meat minced with a meat grinder is also not the best option.
10. If desired, you can add soft cartilage and boiled carrots to the meat, after cutting them. Peel and chop the garlic, also add it to the meat, stir. Salt the broth while still hot so that it is slightly saltier than usual. The fact is that the taste of salt in a cold dish is always less pronounced than in a hot one. Pour everything with broth.
11. Mix everything and transfer to the mold. The jellied meat must be allowed to stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, and then carefully rearranged into the refrigerator. Leave it overnight. Serve with homemade pickles and pickled vegetables.