My today's recipe has a very beautiful name: baked boar knee in Czech. Doesn't it sound very appetizing and delicious? So it really is: a boar knee is a knuckle that is cooked in beer, with spices and it turns out just incredible! Of course, we are not in the Czech Republic, but we can afford to cook such deliciousness. Moreover, it is not difficult at all, although it is rather long in time - more than two hours.
But believe me, the result is worth the wait. The meat is very tender, aromatic and tasty. And you can serve it both immediately, hot, and cold, some even like it better.
Such a knuckle is a very social dish, it will be great if you invite friends over for a couple of glasses of beer and serve a boar knee in Czech: believe me, everyone will be completely delighted.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 - 2 kg pork knuckle;
- 2 liters of beer;
- 1 medium sized carrot;
- 1 medium sized onion;
- 1 bay leaf;
- 5-6 cloves of garlic;
- 2 peas of allspice;
- 6-8 black peppercorns;
- 1-1.5 tablespoons of spicy table mustard;
- 1 teaspoon pepper mixture;
- 2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon of salt.
How to cook boar knee in Czech:
Thoroughly clean the skin of the shank with a knife. At the same time, we try not to damage the skin. If bristles remain in hard-to-reach places, singe it over the burner. Thoroughly rinse the shank with cold running water.
We put the knuckle in a wide saucepan and fill it with beer. It is desirable that the shank be completely covered with beer. If a very small piece comes out of the beer, you can leave it like that. If the shank protrudes by about 1/3, it should be cut into 2 parts. Of course, in this case, the appearance of the finished shank will suffer, but if you do not have a pan of the right size, you will have to do so. We put the pan with the knuckle on the stove and bring to a boil over high heat.
We clean the onions and carrots. Wash them thoroughly.
We remove the foam, put onions and carrots. Add 2 tablespoons of salt (without top), black and allspice peas, bay leaf. Bring the liquid back to a boil over high heat.
Then we reduce the fire and cook the shank for 1 hour. Then carefully turn the shank in the pan and continue to cook for another 1 hour. By the end of cooking, the shank is almost ready.
Now let's get ready to bake the boar's knee in Czech in the oven. We clean the garlic, rinse it. Cut each tooth in half lengthwise. Carefully remove the shank from the water. Making cuts 2-3 cm deep with a narrow knife, stuff the shank with garlic, trying to distribute it evenly. Sprinkle the knuckle with a mixture of peppers and the remaining teaspoon of salt, rub the salt and pepper over the entire surface. We spread the mustard and rub it over the entire surface.
Transfer the shank to a baking dish.
Surely many of you have been to the Czech Republic and Prague itself. If so, then they sat in the Old Town Square, which smells of smoke and the aroma of street skewers. Or in cafes and restaurants of the ancient streets of the center. And certainly, if you didn’t order, then you saw on the neighboring tables the most popular and famous dish of Czech cuisine - Veprevo knee. And for those who have not yet had a chance to visit our Slavic friends, today I will tell you how to make it in order to plunge into a cozy, satisfying, unique Czech atmosphere in their kitchens.
We'll need a pork knuckle and a lot of beer. Yes, yes, you heard right - a lot of dark fresh beer, but not for ingestion, as the good soldier Schweik would advise, but for the marinade of our future Boar's knee.
I’ll warn you right away - the dish does not tolerate fuss, but it is prepared in the simplest way, because the knuckle is pre-soaked in dark beer and spices from one to three days, and then stewed or baked. Proper and long pickling of the shank is the main secret of the Czech dish if you want to dine at home just like in the Prague cafe on the Old Town Square and become a brother to the Czech.
Therefore, we send men for dark unfiltered beer, preferably freshly brewed in a brewery, or velvety, but not very bitter, this is important, while we ourselves go to the market or to a butcher's shop for a shank. It is worth buying such a piece, the meat of which captures both part of the lower leg and part of the thigh, so that the knee itself is approximately in the middle. If you take it at the butcher's, and not in the store, you can explain.
It is enough to soak a small shank for a day, and it is cooked in the oven or in a saucepan for a couple of hours, so if you want to taste the Boar knee tomorrow, then buy the ingredients today.
You will need:
Pork knuckle weighing about a kilogram for two or three people;
1 kg of hard apples;
2 heads of garlic;
2-3 liters of dark beer;
5-6 bay leaves;
Black pepper and allspice peas - one or two tablespoons for the marinade;
A bunch of mixed fresh herbs;
Ground cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon - just a little bit, on the tip of a knife;
Mustard medium vigorous, 2-3 tablespoons;
Large food salt, not iodized and not sea, this is important;
A pinch of sugar, if you bet for one day.
Cooking:
You wash your knee, wipe it dry, make thin cuts on the skin so as not to cut through the meat itself, into which you put chopped cloves of garlic and pieces of bay leaves. There should be quite a lot of incisions, and most importantly, evenly and with a “mesh”. Rub salt, freshly ground pepper mixture and dry spices into the skin. Rub and massage, just like that. Leave it alone for an hour.
In a large saucepan, put the apples, peeled from the cores, herbs, peppercorns, mashed garlic directly with the peel, mustard, a little sugar to speed up the pickling process and sweet and sour balance with apples. Put your knee down and pour the beer upside down. Put in a cool place. You can under oppression, you can just cover with a lid.
Now we don't do anything for a whole day.
The next day, if you really can't wait, we start cooking (count on a couple of hours), and if you want an authentic and tender boar, then let it stand for some more.
I asked the Czech chefs of Švejk's numerous taverns, only one of which in Prague really has anything to do with him - "U Kalicha", since Jaroslav Hasek, the author of the famous novel, liked to stay in it, as well as the chefs of the Strahov Monastery Brewery, founded at the beginning In the 17th century, how long the knuckle needs to be aged, and whether it’s true in dark beer (there are many recipes with light beer on the Internet), everyone said - three days and in dark. I believe. This is what I do in my kitchen now.
The presence of mustard, which, by the way, can also be used in the dry version of the powder, will not allow the marinade to ferment in three days. Fresh beer, of course, will give foam, which you just need to remove in the morning and evening, and then do not put sugar: it activates the fermentation.
The soaked shank is either baked in foil in the oven, since not everyone has spinning skewers, and then it is stewed in the marinade for half an hour so that it is soaked and not dry. Or they put it in a preheated oven immediately in a deep bowl and with beer marinade, slightly covering the shank with foil or baking paper, turning it over several times. Or stew in a cast-iron pan under a lid on a conventional stove.
The last option is the simplest and most effective - put it on a small fire and went to do other things. Also, with such heat treatment, the meat is juicy and tender. Readiness is checked with a fork - if it begins to easily move away from the bone, the Boar's knee is ready.
If you want to get a double portion, then do as in Hasek's book "The Adventures of the Good Soldier Schweik", pretending to be insane:
There was also one who kept shouting that he was an archbishop. This one did nothing, only ate, and even, with your permission, did what rhymes with the word ate. However, no one is ashamed of it. And one even pretended to be Saints Cyril and Methodius in order to receive a double portion.”
Do not forget that today we are making an authentic Prague version, in which the skin from the shank is not eaten. Its subcutaneous fat serves only as a natural moisturizer and flavor for the pulp.
Photo: AS Food studio / Shutterstock.com
In German and Austrian cuisine, the same Edelweiss knuckle is not stewed, but baked until crispy, but this is not Boar's knee at all.
Mine is already soaked in black monastery beer (if you find one, I recommend it, but I remind you once again that the beer should not be bitter, otherwise the knee will be bitter), so there is time to tell you how the dish arose and why it is called that.
Once upon a time, in the deep Middle Ages, meat was obtained in the same way as in Russia, by hunting. In the Czech forests then there were real boars, or wild boars, from where the name itself came from. According to legend, the left front leg of the just killed animal was immediately cut off (do not even ask why the left one is a legend) and either fried on a spit, poured over with an analogue of beer, or stewed in it. No one can say for sure, there are no eyewitnesses left. With the advent of relative civilization and cattle breeding, the boar was replaced by a pig, but the name was not changed.
Initially, the dish was designed for the whole Czech family, the knee boldly pulls on one and a half kilograms, and is able to feed all hungry mouths. Today it is served in Prague restaurants for one. It’s impossible to eat, but all tourists are smart, they take it to the company, because a side dish is always served to the knee: two types of stewed cabbage, red and white, vegetables, and dumplings if desired. Not a single Czech meal is complete without them.
It is much more pleasant to peel potatoes in the kitchen, roll up dumplings and fiddle with meat, than under heavy enemy fire, putting on full underpants, yelling: “Einzelnabfallen! Bajonett auf! (One by one! Attach bayonets! (German))
Recipe
Shred the red head into thin long slices. Cut red onions or shallots into half rings. Slice the apple in the same way and set aside. Pour a little vegetable oil into a hot deep frying pan, pour onions.
Simmer (do not fry) for five minutes, and then add the cabbage. Pour in half dry red wine with water, a tablespoon of diluted vinegar, a teaspoon of granulated sugar, and simmer with an open lid over low heat until the alcohol and water evaporate.
When the cabbage is no longer tough, but by no means soft yet, add chopped apples and, if desired, a little cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, pepper and orange juice. Try everything for a sweet and sour balance and add either sugar or citric acid.
In the Czech Republic, along with red cabbage, stewed white cabbage, sauerkraut, stewed in its own juice until completely softened, is served along with red cabbage. Here you don’t need to tell how, every hostess knows. I don’t advise serving potatoes as a side dish, and it’s already a very satisfying meat dish, but any grilled vegetables are the very thing. And of course, let's not dissemble - Boar's knee without a mug of foamy beer, amber or dark, is money down the drain, or as Yaroslav Gashek could say - like a war without idiots.
Which was Schweik, who was engaged in the sale of stolen dogs and was dismissed from military service due to the recognition by doctors as a “complete idiot”, but who, despite his idiocy and rheumatism, wanted to go to the front. Schweik, who as a result ends up in the police, a lunatic asylum, a garrison prison as a deserter and a simulator, but is still recognized as fit for service, serves as a batman and orderly, following all the orders of his superiors with uncontrollable zeal and unpredictability of actions, which he always comments on with a story from his life .
Re-read while Boar's Knee marinates. You will discover many new things for yourself.
I think that everything should be looked at impartially. Everyone can make a mistake, and if you think about something for a very long time, you will surely make a mistake.”
So do not think for a long time, but go for beer and shank.
What can be said about those who have not been to the Czech Republic? They did not see Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral, did not walk around the Old Town Square, did not taste real beer and did not eat baked boar's knee.
Veprove koleno is a roasted whole pork knuckle with a crispy golden crust.
This dish is traditional, and the garnish for it is classic - and stewed cabbage. In restaurants, it is sometimes served with coleslaw, pickled hot peppers, tomatoes and herbs. Horseradish and mustard are a must. But in most cases, there will be no side dish. The famous Czech culinary specialist Zdeněk Poglreich advises in his recipe: "Serve with fresh bread."
The Russians liked the Czech dish
One of the Prague newspapers wrote: "Russian tourists are attracted to the Czech Republic by the Charles Bridge, beer and the knee of a boar." The opinion of the journalist is confirmed by the rave reviews of those who have tasted this masterpiece of culinary art.
It wasn't until the waiter brought the ordered portion that we realized how wise we had been not to order two. One rudder ate to satiety.
- Every time we come to Prague, we find more and more restaurants that cook Czech pork knuckle. The meat is baked on the bone and without, with different sauces and gravies. To say that boar knee is delicious is to say nothing. It's great!
- A huge, over a kilogram portion of deliciously fried meat with a golden crisp. The pulp is tender, spicy. The leg was watered with fragrant juice. Miracle!
- Try it for sure! The taste is unforgettable.
Similar reviews - yes, what are the reviews? - whole gastronomic odes are not uncommon on travel forums.
Where in Prague is the best boar knee cooked?
Those who have visited the Czech Republic at least once will understand how difficult it is to choose and recommend a place where you can eat deliciously. Prague is hundreds, if not thousands of pubs, bars and restaurants. And even an outwardly unremarkable beer house (pivnice) can surprise you with the quality of its cuisine. Nevertheless, we have found for you several places that are advised not only by tourist guides, but also by the Czechs themselves - pretty gourmets and connoisseurs of national cuisine.
Restaurace U Cejpu
The most famous and most frequently recommended restaurant on Czech culinary forums is U Cejpu. Baked shanks are the signature dish of the institution. "The best both in Prague and in its surroundings" - advertises itself "U Cheypu". Judging by the reviews on culinary forums, Czech food lovers agree with this.
Prices. Portion of the knee on the bones - 1200 grams for 193 crowns.
Smaller portion - 800 grams for 155 CZK.
Beer Budvar 12° - dark, light and mixed (rezane). The price for 0.5 liters is 34 crowns.
Address of the restaurant "U Cheypu": ul. U Strze (At Strzhe), 1/150. It is half a kilometer from Budejovicka metro station.
Uzlate konvice
Restaurant "U Zlate konvitse" is located right on the Old Town Square (Staromestske namesti), house 26, opposite the astronomical clock tower - Orloj. Here you will be served a knee with horseradish, mustard, pickled peppers and cherry tomatoes. Price 470 CZK cannot be called democratic. But, firstly, the knee is cooked right in the fireplace on a live fire. Secondly, this is a dish for two, and restaurants in the center of Prague, although expensive, do not save on portion sizes. And thirdly, "U zlate konvice" is a very stylish restaurant with a traditional Czech atmosphere and medieval interiors.
Classic beer Pilsner Urquell 12° costs 95 kroons for 0.5 l or 175 kroons for a liter mug. "Velkopopovicky Goat" only dark, 12°, price 95 EEK.
Novomestsky brewery
The third route we have chosen leads to Vodickova street, house 20. Here is located, familiar to many tourists from Russia. You will be offered a spicy knee baked in dark beer with mustard and horseradish.
Price per 1 kg knee 225 CZK, and 18 crowns for every next 100 grams.
The Novomestsky pivovar restaurant brews its own beer - Novomestsky lezak, light and dark. Price from 28 kroons for 0.3 l to 76 kroons for 1 l.
Czech cuisine in Russia
You can also try baked boar knee in Moscow restaurants. Let's list a few:
- Beer restaurants "Czech Yard". Shank baked with barbecue sauce, price 649 rubles
You can find the "Czech Yard" on Kakhovka: st. Kakhovka, 20/2, or in Yasenevo: Lithuanian Boulevard, 22.
- Restaurant-club "At Schweik's" on st. Barrikadnoy, house 2. “Giant pork knuckle”, baked in beer, with Moravian cabbage costs 100 rubles. per 100 grams serving.
- "Czech Pivnice", Orekhovy Boulevard, 15, building 7.
"Boar knee liver" with stewed cabbage, tomatoes, mustard and horseradish will cost 1205 rubles.
But do you know that before you have a meal in any Czech restaurant, it is advisable to use 50 grams of Karlovy Vary Becherovka for a good mood and improve digestion? about the beneficial properties of this miraculous drink.
Guests are treated to Czech dishes not only in the capital. In Ulyanovsk, you can try a boar's knee cooked by a Czech chef. D. Przybyl is responsible for the kitchen of the Veprevo Koleno beer garden. The price of the dish of the same name is 1200 rubles.
Baked Knee Recipes
You can enjoy Czech baked pork knuckle at home. You can cook the shank whole, or by separating it from the bone.
Recipe number 1. Boar knee in dark beer (recipe Zdenek Poglreich)
Ingredients:
- 4 shank;
- 1 head of garlic;
- 2 large carrots;
- 2 onions;
- 1 parsley root;
- 1/2 small celery root;
- 3 tomatoes;
- thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper;
- dark beer.
Rinse the rolls thoroughly. Lightly fry the garlic cloves in oil and insert them into the cuts in the meat. Fry coarsely chopped carrots, parsley and celery roots, add onion rings and unpeeled garlic cloves. After a minute, put the diced tomatoes, herbs. Transfer the resulting mixture to a baking sheet and pour dark beer. Put the prepared shank on top and send to the oven. Bake at a temperature of 180 until the pulp begins to move away from the bone. Water regularly with the resulting juice.
Remove the finished knee, drain the meat juice and fry from the baking sheet, mix them with a little butter. Pour the shank with the mixture. Served with fresh bread.
Recipe number 2. Bravcove veprove knee
For cooking you will need:
- 1 large shank;
- 2 tablespoons French mustard;
- 6 cloves of garlic;
- 1 onion;
- salt;
- light beer.
Cut the shank lengthwise in the place where the bone is felt under the skin. Then gradually separate the meat from the bone. Lay the knuckle skin down and cut the muscles so that a layer of uniform thickness is obtained.
Mix the gruel of mustard, crushed garlic and beer. Lightly beat off the meat, salt and grate with the resulting mixture. Twist into a roll and tie with a thread, then let it rest in the refrigerator for several hours.
Pour a little beer on a baking sheet, sprinkle chopped onion and place the roll on top. Bake for 90-120 minutes in the oven, periodically basting the shank with juice. Serve with horseradish and pickled peppers.
Whether you decide to cook Czech-style pork knuckle at home or visit one of the restaurants in Moscow, or maybe you decide to go to Prague and taste the real pecene veprove koleno. But every time a golden leg appears on the table in front of you, you will feel not only the smell of meat, but also the aroma of the old Czech Republic.
The shank recipe that I offer today can be conditionally divided into two parts: first, I will boil the pork shank in beer, and then bake it in the oven until golden brown. And in addition to everything, I will also cook a baked potato for a side dish. I promise you that it will be insanely delicious!
Editorial. Baked boar knee is perhaps the most famous dish in the Czech Republic. It is prepared with variations, but certainly in dark beer. Garnish is served with dumplings or stewed cabbage, as well as spicy mustard and horseradish.
In dark beer, the pork knuckle will acquire an amazing, spicy-sweet taste and special tenderness, and after baking in the oven, an appetizing blush forms on the surface - well, how can you refuse such a pleasure? Therefore, you can safely cook several servings at once, there won’t be a single piece left, it’s checked!
Ingredients
For the rudder:
- knuckle 1-1.5 kg
- dark beer 2 tbsp.
- water 2-3 tbsp.
- onion 2 pcs.
- carrot 1 pc.
- garlic 3-4 cloves
- salt 1 tbsp. l.
- bay leaf 1 pc.
- black peppercorns 6-8 pcs.
- parsley root or branches 10 g
Baking Ingredients:
- sugar 1.5 tbsp. l.
- dark beer 1 tbsp.
- garlic 1 head
- vegetable oil 3 tbsp. l.
- salt and pepper to taste
- carrot (optional) 1 pc.
- potatoes (optional) 5 pcs.
Cooking time: about 3 hours / 1-2 servings
Cooking
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I soaked the shank all night in cold water, thanks to which the specific smell partially disappeared, and it was much easier to clean the skin. With the help of a knife, I scraped off all the plaque from the skin, washed it thoroughly. Attention! If there is a bristle, then be sure to singe it over the fire, otherwise the dish will be hopelessly spoiled!
I placed the prepared shank in a large saucepan (a spacious cauldron or duckling will also work). Added salt, bay leaf and black peppercorns. I peeled the carrots and onions, cut them into large pieces. To remove the characteristic smell, I added parsley stalks and a few cloves of garlic - you don’t need to peel it, I just crushed it with the flat side of the knife. You can also put some celery or parsley root if you have it.
I poured the contents of the pan with 2 glasses of dark beer. And added water, about 2 more glasses. It's okay if the liquid does not completely cover the meat, since water can be added during the stewing process as needed.
The container was put on the stove, brought to a boil and cooked for about 2 hours - under the lid, over low heat. Maintained the amount of liquid at about half the pan. I turned the shank a couple of times, carefully, trying not to damage the integrity of the skin. Readiness was determined by piercing with a knife - the meat should be free to lag behind the bone.
I carefully removed the boiled shank from the broth and put it on a baking sheet with a high rim - I recommend covering it with foil so that you don’t have to wash it for a long time. I peeled the carrots and cut them into large rings, put a whole head of garlic for flavor. I decided to cook the knuckle with potatoes at the same time, so that I could immediately have a side dish for meat. Therefore, I added a few potato tubers to the mold (with a peel, thoroughly washed, cut into 4-6 parts). You can skip the vegetables if you don't want to. Topped everything with vegetable oil.
In order for the knuckle to acquire its famous crust, it must be lubricated with a special dressing based on dark beer. To do this, I diluted 1.5 tablespoons of sugar in the remaining glass of intoxicating drink, poured the shank and vegetables with the resulting marinade (I used about half of the dressing, and watered the rest during baking). I salted it a little and sent it to a preheated oven. By the way, instead of sugar, you can use honey.
Baked at 200 degrees for 20 minutes. Then she reduced the heat to 160 degrees and every 10 minutes she poured over the meat and vegetables with the secreted juice and the remaining dressing. Since the shank is already ready after stewing, at this stage the task is to get a delicious crust, which is considered a real delicacy among connoisseurs. Readiness was determined by the softness of the potatoes. In general, the baking time, regardless of whether you cook the shank with or without vegetables, will be approximately 30-40 minutes.
When the pork knuckle in the oven is finally ready, a breathtaking aroma will spread throughout the house, which is simply impossible to resist. Rather, we serve the dish, open a cold bottle of beer and enjoy! It would be nice to serve sauerkraut in addition to everything - it will come in handy here, it will play in contrast with the sweetish taste of meat and vegetables. Yummy!
Czech Republic ... majestic buildings, beautiful doors, multi-colored stained-glass windows, paving stones underfoot, century-old parks and bridges, horses, carriages, quiet cozy streets, dishes weighing half a kilogram and a magnificent, simply magical atmosphere around. The pearl of the Czech Republic is Prague, a city where you understand what real romance is. Old Town and Wenceslas Square, Charles Bridge and the National Museum, Gothic castles and towers, red tiled roofs, openwork balconies and colorful houses... But what kind of romance can you talk about on an empty stomach? The Czech Republic is a country of small restaurants and street cafes. No matter what street you find yourself on, seductively appetizing smells of fried meat and the freshest beer soar everywhere - just a fairy tale for lovers of tasty and hearty food.
The signature dish of Czech cuisine can be called "Boar's Knee Liver", which, closing their eyes and smiling mysteriously, is remembered by those lucky ones who had a chance to try this masterpiece. As the name implies, the original recipe uses the knee of a real boar, but it is unlikely that even the Czechs have preserved the custom of hunting a real wild and ferocious boar for dinner, so the wild boar is boldly replaced with an ordinary, domesticated, but no less ferocious one. Boar's knee is a very satisfying and very tasty dish, it is prepared simply, but for a long time, and it will not be possible to make a little of it. In the Czech Republic, depending on the restaurant, they will bring you a portion of boar's knee from 1 to 1.5 kilograms! Therefore, this dish is perfect for a company of 3-4 people who love to eat tasty food and drink fresh beer.
It is simply impossible to break away from eating a boar knee! But it is customary to serve a large number of vegetables and a couple of buns of fresh homemade bread to it. A very high-calorie pleasure, but so fragrant and tasty that without a twinge of conscience for a couple of hours you can forget about the time and nerves spent on losing weight and enjoy the original taste of a dish prepared in accordance with Czech culinary traditions.
In order to cook a boar knee in accordance with all the rules, you need to responsibly approach the choice of meat. It is better to take a piece that would capture part of the lower leg and part of the thigh, while the knee itself would be in the middle. Then the dish cannot be called dryish or bony, and there will be more meat. Cooking a national Czech dish cannot do without fresh beer. If possible, take a beer that has just been brewed. You can usually find it in beer restaurants that have their own microbreweries. If this is not possible, then you can buy regular draft beer. It would also be really cool if your oven was equipped with a grill, because the knee will have to be constantly turned over.
Stocked up on a good pork knuckle, the freshest beer and a couple of days of free time? Then it's time to start cooking. The amount of ingredients varies depending on the size of the knee. In addition to meat and 5 liters of light beer, you will need about 4 cloves of garlic, 25 allspice, 20 black peppercorns, ginger root, half nutmeg, a few bay leaves, a couple of sour apples, 100 grams of honey, salt, 4 egg yolks, 50 ml of soy sauce, a little olive oil, coriander, parsley and celery.
Where to begin? With knee preparation. It must be thoroughly rinsed, if there is any damage, carefully cut them off and dry the remaining beautiful part. Now you can do garlic and resurrect the skills of salting fat. Peel the garlic and cut it into very thin slices with a thin knife. From 4 cloves of plastic garlic, you should get 20-30 pieces. Using the same thin knife, make small cuts on the knee and put the garlic there. Try to spread the garlic evenly over the entire knee. When the knee is ready, you can salt and pepper it. For this purpose, you will need freshly ground pepper and large, preferably sea salt. Mix 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper and rub the knee thoroughly with this mixture.
Prepare a large pot, preferably 8-10 liters. Rinse all greens thoroughly and put half into a saucepan, add half of the peppercorns, nutmeg and bay leaf. Cut the ginger root into very thin, almost transparent slices and put on top. Lay the prepared knee on the ginger, pour all 2.5 liters of beer and salt a little. Wash the apples, peel them and remove the core with seeds. Add the peeled apples and remaining beer to the pot. And now attention! This procedure is best done in the morning, because the meat should be marinated in beer for almost a day, in any case, leave the meat until the next morning in a cool place, in the morning carefully so as not to mix the greens, turn it over and leave it until dinner.
With the onset of dinner, remove the meat, put it in a colander and let the beer drain. Turn on the oven on the grill mode, it should warm up to 60 ° C. If the thermometer in your oven cannot boast of high accuracy, you will have to check everything for yourself and set the appropriate temperature empirically. Reduce the heat to a minimum and after a few minutes try to put a tray in the oven into which fat will drain from the knee, the air should not burn your hands. Now grease the knee with olive oil with your hands, put it on a skewer and send it to the oven for 2 hours. This time is enough for the fat to start melting and accumulating in the pan, but not enough for the meat to cook, it will take him another 3 hours that you will be forced to spend alone with this knee. Therefore, stock up on an interesting book, put a clock on the table and take breaks in reading every 20 minutes, use these breaks to pour the fat formed in the pan on the meat. The more often you water your culinary masterpiece, the juicier the dish will turn out. Agree, it would be a pity to dry out the knee, on which so much free time was spent!
After 3 hours of constantly looking into the oven and watering the meat, you can poke it with a toothpick to check if it is ready: if a transparent juice remains under the toothpick, then the knee is ready, if it is reddish, then you need to continue the previous manipulations with watering until the juice turns into transparent. Now it's time to polish and create a fragrant ruddy crust. To do this, mix honey, soy sauce and egg yolks. Remove the meat from the oven along with the tray and use a cooking brush to apply the resulting mixture to it. Drain the fat from the pan, it will still come in handy, because the epic with watering is not over at all, and put the meat in the oven for another 30-40 minutes. When your house is filled with delicious Czech smells, you can open the oven and again pour the meat with the previously collected fat and leave it to bake for another 15-20 minutes for the last time. At this time, prepare your favorite vegetables, put them on a large plate, garnish with the remaining herbs and pour beer into glasses. You can make a sauce from mustard, lemon juice and herbs. Remove the meat from the oven without removing the skewer, put it on a dish with vegetables and serve.
You may have never been to the Czech Republic, but by preparing their national dish “baked boar knee” and washing it down with delicious fresh beer, you will provide yourself with the most vivid impressions of visiting this country. Although you haven’t seen all these ancient bridges and castles, you haven’t walked along the paved squares, you haven’t surveyed the surroundings from the walls of the famous town hall with an astronomical clock, but after tasting the boar’s knee, you will feel the taste of the real Czech Republic and find out the way to her romantic heart.
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