Golonka — Beer-Braised Pork Knuckle with Onions

Ingredients

• 2 Pork Knuckle, about 3 lb total
• 3 Onions, quartered
• 2 bottles (24 oz) dark lager
• 2 cups water
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp caraway seeds
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp coarse salt
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp coarse mustard
• Black pepper

Method

1. Rub the Pork Knuckle all over with the salt, half the caraway, and pepper, and leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight if you can — dry skin is crisp skin.
2. Score the skin in a diamond pattern, cutting through the rind but not into the meat.
3. Sit the meat in a deep roasting pan with the Onions, garlic, bay, remaining caraway, beer, and water. The liquid should come halfway up, not cover it.
4. Cover tightly with foil and braise at 325°F (165°C) for 2½ hours, basting twice, until the meat pulls back from the bone.
5. Uncover, brush with the honey mixed with the mustard, and roast at 425°F (220°C) for 30–40 minutes, basting every 10, until the skin blisters and crackles and the meat is around 195°F (90°C) — the temperature where collagen finally gives up.
6. Rest 15 minutes, strain and reduce the braising liquid into a gravy, and serve with sauerkraut, potatoes, and more mustard.