Name: Franconian Pork Shoulder (Fränkisches Schäufele) with Dark Beer Gravy
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 220 min
Total time: 260 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: German
Ingredients: 1.6 kg pork shoulder, bone-in with rind (Schäufele); 2 tsp salt; pepper from the mill; 1 tsp caraway, coarsely crushed (half for rubbing in, half into the braising pot); 1 tbsp clarified butter (for browning); 1 onion, roughly diced; 1 carrot, in rough pieces; 100 g celeriac, in rough pieces; 250 ml dark beer (for the braising liquid; malt beer works too); 400 ml veal stock, hot; 50 ml dark beer (for brushing the rind); 1 tsp cornflour (optional, mixed in 2 tbsp cold water, only if the gravy stays too thin)

Preparation

Rinse the meat, pat dry and score the rind in a diamond pattern. Rub generously all over with salt, pepper and half of the caraway. Preheat the oven to 160 °C (top and bottom heat).
Heat the clarified butter in the braising pot and brown the meat on all sides, then take it out. Add the onion, carrot and celeriac to the pot and let them take colour.
Deglaze with 250 ml dark beer and reduce a little. Return the meat, rind side up, add the hot veal stock and the remaining caraway and bring briefly to the boil.
Put the pot with its lid in the oven and braise the pork shoulder for about 3 hours, until the meat is butter-soft and the bone almost comes away by itself. Baste with the juices now and then.
Put the meat in a baking dish, rind up. Cover dish and meat with foil so that only the rind is exposed. Set the oven to 200 °C top heat/grill and let the rind crisp up for about 30 minutes, brushing it repeatedly with the remaining dark beer.
Meanwhile pour the braising liquid with the vegetables through a sieve and press the vegetables out well with a ladle. Bring the gravy to the boil, season with salt and pepper and, if needed, thicken with the cornflour mixed in cold water.
Let the meat rest briefly before carving, remove the bone and serve on warmed plates with the gravy. Potato dumplings and sauerkraut or coleslaw go well with it.

Drink with it

Dark beer · excellent match
Franconian Dunkel, Kellerbier or Bamberg Rauchbier
Roasted malt mirrors the dark beer gravy, and carbonation and light bitterness cut through the fat of the crackling.
Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecue
Red wine · good match
Franconian Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), medium-bodied
Red fruit and fine acidity loosen up the fatty pork without drowning the gravy.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
White wine · good match
Franconian Silvaner, dry, full-bodied
Earthy spice and acidity stand up to the rind and caraway, but beside the malt gravy the wine stays in the background.
Sherry-cask whisky · good match
Sherry-cask single malt, neat or with a little water, after the meal
Caramel, nut and dried fruit pick up the roasted note of the gravy.
What Does the Cask Do to Whisky?

Preparation

Rinse the meat, pat dry and score the rind in a diamond pattern. Rub generously all over with salt, pepper and half of the caraway. Preheat the oven to 160 °C (top and bottom heat).
Heat the clarified butter in the braising pot and brown the meat on all sides, then take it out. Add the onion, carrot and celeriac to the pot and let them take colour.
Deglaze with 250 ml dark beer and reduce a little. Return the meat, rind side up, add the hot veal stock and the remaining caraway and bring briefly to the boil.
Put the pot with its lid in the oven and braise the pork shoulder for about 3 hours, until the meat is butter-soft and the bone almost comes away by itself. Baste with the juices now and then.
Put the meat in a baking dish, rind up. Cover dish and meat with foil so that only the rind is exposed. Set the oven to 200 °C top heat/grill and let the rind crisp up for about 30 minutes, brushing it repeatedly with the remaining dark beer.
Meanwhile pour the braising liquid with the vegetables through a sieve and press the vegetables out well with a ladle. Bring the gravy to the boil, season with salt and pepper and, if needed, thicken with the cornflour mixed in cold water.
Let the meat rest briefly before carving, remove the bone and serve on warmed plates with the gravy. Potato dumplings and sauerkraut or coleslaw go well with it.

Drink with it

Dark beer · excellent match
Franconian Dunkel, Kellerbier or Bamberg Rauchbier
Roasted malt mirrors the dark beer gravy, and carbonation and light bitterness cut through the fat of the crackling.
Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecue
Red wine · good match
Franconian Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), medium-bodied
Red fruit and fine acidity loosen up the fatty pork without drowning the gravy.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
White wine · good match
Franconian Silvaner, dry, full-bodied
Earthy spice and acidity stand up to the rind and caraway, but beside the malt gravy the wine stays in the background.
Sherry-cask whisky · good match
Sherry-cask single malt, neat or with a little water, after the meal
Caramel, nut and dried fruit pick up the roasted note of the gravy.
What Does the Cask Do to Whisky?

Franconian Pork Shoulder (Fränkisches Schäufele) with Dark Beer Gravy

Preparation

Drink with it

Franconian Dunkel, Kellerbier or Bamberg Rauchbier

Franconian Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), medium-bodied

Franconian Silvaner, dry, full-bodied

Sherry-cask single malt, neat or with a little water, after the meal

This pairs well too.

Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy

Chicken in Mole Sauce

Oven-Roasted Pork Knuckle (Schweinshaxe)

Potato Soup with Cheddar and Bacon (Baked Potato Soup)

Franconian Pork Shoulder (Fränkisches Schäufele) with Dark Beer Gravy

Preparation

Drink with it

Franconian Dunkel, Kellerbier or Bamberg Rauchbier

Franconian Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), medium-bodied

Franconian Silvaner, dry, full-bodied

Sherry-cask single malt, neat or with a little water, after the meal

This pairs well too.

Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy

Chicken in Mole Sauce

Oven-Roasted Pork Knuckle (Schweinshaxe)

Potato Soup with Cheddar and Bacon (Baked Potato Soup)