Fake pork knuckle in sterile casing

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 1 kg pork neck, well marbled
• 60 g curing salt
• 500 g water
• 10 juniper berries, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 g nutmeg
• 3 g pepper, white
• 1 ½ g garlic powder
• 1 ½ g coriander, ground
• 150 g aspic powder (130 Bloom or 120 g with 200 Bloom)

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

First, make a brine from the curing salt and water, to which you add the 10 crushed juniper berries and the bay leaf. Bring it to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes, and then let it cool. Cut the pork neck into goulash-sized pieces, stuff them into a freezer bag, pour the cooled brine over them, and cure for 24 hours—no longer. Then, mix the spices thoroughly with the aspic powder. Now, drain the brine, discard the juniper berries and bay leaf, place the wet meat in a bowl, and evenly coat the ingredients with the aspic powder, mixing well. Since the aspic powder sets quickly, you’ll want to hurry and stuff the whole thing into a 90mm sterile casing. Make sure the meat cubes are packed tightly. Tie the sterile casing tightly, but in such a way that the knot can be undone again after scalding if necessary. A maximum of 50 g of water per kg of meat is sufficient, as the meat draws its own juices. The whole thing is then boiled for 2 hours at 85°C. The fake pork knuckle is then briefly cooled in cold water. If there are any air pockets, open the knot, press out the air, and tie the casing tightly again. After that, the artificial casing can be weighed down with a board and a weight and left to cool. It is advantageous to turn the casing over after 4-5 hours, as the fat settles on top and massages it a little. The whole thing can be portioned and frozen – it will be so firm that it can be sliced ​​like cold cuts. It can also be canned – in this case, you cut raw pork rind to size, place it around the can wall, press the cured meat pieces firmly in, and add 2-3 tablespoons of water. The cans are boiled for 2 hours.