Recipe courtesy of Maloney and Porcelli
Crackling Pork Shank with Fire Cracker Apple Sauce
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 servings
- Total: 4 hr 29 min
- Prep: 45 min
- Inactive: 24 min
- Cook: 3 hr 20 min
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
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
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
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:
- 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:
- 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.