pork knuckles

Of all the pork knuckle recipes I know, I like this one more than others. I will explain why I choose this option and show how to cook a very tender, soft and ruddy handle in a simple way.

Ingredients

• Pork knuckle - 2 pcs. (1 kg 150 g)
• Mustard - 4 tbsp.
• Honey - 2 tbsp.
• Zira or cumin - 1 tsp.
• Salt - 1/2 tsp. (or to taste)

Directions

1. First of all, I wash the handle with cold water, dry it with a towel, clean the skin very carefully with a knife and, if necessary, set fire to the bristles left on it. Here is such a clean and light handle should come out.
2. Put the knuckles (I have two of them) in the appropriate size pan, salt and sprinkle with cumin or star anise. Then pour cold water again and put on fire.
3. I wait for the handle to boil actively and carefully remove the foam until it stops accumulating abundantly on the surface in large quantities.
4. Then cover with a lid, reduce heat to low so that the water boils only slightly, and leave to simmer for 1.5 hours. My pan is not very deep, and the handles are quite large. Therefore, in the process of cooking, I once turn the handles from one side to the other.
5. A few minutes before the end of cooking, I prepare a very simple sauce that will make the handle very soft and ruddy. This is one of the reasons why I chose this recipe for myself. I take the usual not the most spicy mustard (preferably sweet) and add honey to it.
6. I mix it all with a fork. Although the mustard is thick and the honey is viscous, the sauce is not as thick as it may seem at first.
7. When the knuckles are cooked, I take them out of the broth, put them on a plate and let them cool down a bit. That's how cute they become after an hour and a half of cooking.
8. I water the slightly cooled knuckles with the prepared mustard sauce. I use the whole sauce, without residue, exactly half for each handle.
9. I take a brush and carefully lubricate the entire surface of the handle on all sides, including the protruding bones. And definitely from below. This completes the preparation process. There is absolutely no need to wait for the knuckle to soak in the sauce, which I also really like in this recipe. As you can see, so far everything is very simple and can be said elementary.
10. Next I will prepare the knuckles in the sleeve for baking. And this is another reason why my choice was based on this recipe. Baking the handle in this way the oven will remain completely clean. Splashes will NOT fly in different directions, as in open baking and do not have to wash anything, which in my opinion is very nice and comfortable.
11. So now I put each handle in the baking sleeve and carefully fasten it at the edges with clips. The sleeve should not fit too tightly to the handle. It should be like this.
12. Be sure to pierce the top of the sleeve in several places so that it does not burst during baking. I do it with a toothpick.
13. Now I put the packed knuckles in any container for baking.
14. And send in a preheated oven. I put the handles on the grille, which is set at a level just below the middle. I will explain why. The packages will start to swell during baking. They should never touch the surface of the oven, otherwise they will be damaged and all the juice will evaporate. Bake the knuckles first for 1 hour at 175 degrees.
15. Then I cut off the top of the bags, lubricate the knuckles with the juice that has accumulated at the bottom and put in the oven again, but only for 15 minutes. I increase the temperature to 180 degrees. During this time, the knuckles will brown very well and become very beautiful.