Crackling Pork Shank with Fire Cracker Apple Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 pound sugar
• 2 pounds salt
• 4 pork hind shanks
• 4 pounds lard
• 2 pounds sauerkraut
• 1 quart Pineapple Mustard Glaze, recipe follows
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1/4 cup chives
• Firecracker Applesauce, recipe follows

Directions

Mix together sugar and salt. Score skin on the pork shanks and dust generously with salt and sugar. Place in the refrigerator and let cure for 24 hours.

Slowly melt the lard in a large saucepan to 225 degrees F. Add the pork shanks and cook for 2 1/2 hours, or until done. Carefully remove from the heat and cool.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Place the pork in a baking pan and bake for 10 minutes.

Heat the lard to 350 degrees F. Add the pork to the oil and fry until crispy.

While pork is frying, add sauerkraut to a saucepan and heat. Add 1 cup of the pineapple mustard glaze, poppy seeds, salt, pepper, and chives and remove from the heat. In a separate pan, reheat the remaining pineapple mustard sauce.

On 4 large plates, arrange sauerkraut and top with crispy pork. Drizzle pineapple glaze on side, and don't forget the Firecracker Applesauce

Firecracker Applesauce:

• 12 Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped with skins, plus 4, diced, for garnish
• 2 serranos, chopped, plus 4 whole serranos, for garnish
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 quart apple cider

Put all ingredients except for garnishes in a saucepan. Cover and simmer until apples are tender. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Puree ingredients in blender or with a hand mixer.

Strain through a fine sieve while sauce is still hot. Add diced apples. Cool applesauce. Garnish with serrano peppers and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pineapple Mustard Glaze:

• 1/2 white onion, thinly julienned
• 2 tablespoons mustard oil
• 48 ounces pineapple juice
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 peppercorns
• 2 ounces Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons arrow root
• Salt
• Pepper

Sweat onions in mustard oil. Do not color. When translucent, add pineapple juice.

Make a sachet with the bay leaf, peppercorn and add to the pan. Add the mustard.

Mix arrowroot with 2 tablespoons of water and stir to dissolve. Add arrowroot mixture to the pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer 10 minutes.

Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and strain.