Sauerkraut soup with potatoes and smoked pork knuckle

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1 m.-sized pork knuckle(s) (Kasseleisbein)
• 2 large onions, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp, heaped peppercorns, coarsely crushed
• 1 tsp, leveled allspice berries, coarsely crushed
• 6 juniper berries, crushed
• 2 bay leaves, dried, shredded
• 1 tbsp, leveled smoked salt
• 500 g sauerkraut from the barrel
• 600 g potatoes, diced
• 200 g carrot(s), diced
• 200 g shallot(s), finely diced
• 1 liter meat broth, home-cooked
• 1 small lemon(s), untreated
• 1 tbsp, crushed paprika powder, sweet
• n. B. Salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 hours 30 minutes; Total time approx. 4 hours 30 minutes

Have the pork knuckle cut up at a specialty store, as the cooking process would otherwise take too long. Brown the meat in a wide roasting pan. Peel and roughly dice the onions, and sauté them in the same pan. Then add all the chopped spices and deglaze with water. The meat should just be covered. Bring everything to a boil and simmer, covered. Cooking time: about 2.5-3 hours. Then cut the meat into small pieces for the soup and set aside. Strain the broth and press it through a sieve. After about 10 minutes, separate it from the rendered fat. Set both aside as well. Squeeze out the sauerkraut, collect the juice, and set both aside for a moment. Peel and dice the carrots, potatoes, and shallots. Brown the vegetables in the roasting pan, adding a little of the rendered fat, stirring frequently. After about 10 minutes, add the sauerkraut and paprika. Now everything can take on some color, as the roasting aromas create the savory flavors. Now deglaze the mixture with the sauerkraut juice, the lemon juice, and the meat broth. Cover and continue to simmer the sauerkraut soup for about 30 minutes. Finally, add the shredded meat and heat through before serving.