Christmas Eisbein with Mustard Glaze
This Christmas Eisbein with Mustard Glaze recipe brings a familiar South African restaurant favourite to the festive table. The pork knuckles simmer gently until tender, then go into the oven with a mustard, honey and brown sugar glaze. It is a generous main course for sharing, with soft meat beneath a glossy, golden-brown finish rather than brittle crackling.
For a hot South African Christmas, serve it with chilled potato salad, crunchy cabbage slaw and pickled beetroot instead of a full spread of hot vegetables. You can do the simmering the day before, leaving only reheating and glazing for Christmas Day. Ask your butcher for cured, smoked pork knuckles that still need cooking, and leave extra salt out until you have tasted the meat.
Ingredients
For the eisbein
For the mustard glaze
Instructions
Simmer the pork
- 1Check the butcher's instructions for your eisbein. If soaking is recommended to reduce saltiness, do this in cold water in the fridge for the specified time, then discard the soaking water. Soaking time is not included in the recipe timing.
- 2Put the knuckles, onion, carrots, bay leaves and peppercorns in a large, deep pot. Add enough cold water to cover the pork. Bring just to the boil, allowing about 15 minutes, and skim off any foam.
- 3Reduce the heat, partly cover and simmer gently for about 2 hours 30 minutes, topping up with hot water if necessary to keep the pork covered. The meat is ready when a skewer slips easily into the thickest part and the meat begins to loosen from the bone. Large knuckles may need longer.
Roast and glaze
- 1Heat the oven to 200 °C, or 180 °C fan. Lift the knuckles out carefully and let them drain for a few minutes. Reserve 250 ml of the cooking liquid. Pat the skin dry with kitchen paper, then lightly score it with a sharp knife without cutting deeply into the meat.
- 2Line a roasting tin with foil for easier cleaning. Set the knuckles on a rack in the tin, with as much skin exposed as possible. Pour the reserved cooking liquid beneath the rack, keeping it off the skin.
- 3Roast the knuckles, uncovered and without glaze, for 25 minutes to dry and lightly colour the surface.
- 4Meanwhile, mix the wholegrain mustard, Dijon mustard, honey, brown sugar, vinegar and oil. Brush half over the knuckles, working some into the shallow cuts.
- 5Roast for 8 minutes, brush with the remaining glaze and roast for another 7 minutes, until glossy and browned. Watch closely because the honey and sugar can catch; cover any dark patches loosely with foil.
- 6Rest for 10 minutes before carving the meat from the bones. Divide the meat and glazed skin between six people and serve with cool salads and extra mustard, if liked.
Nutrition (per serving)
- Calories
- 640 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 15 g
- Protein
- 48 g
- Fat
- 43 g
- Saturated fat
- 14 g
- Sugar
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 0.5 g
- Sodium
- 1850 mg
- Cholesterol
- 170 mg
Estimated values based on the ingredients used.
Notes
Christmas tips
- For a head start, simmer the eisbein the day before. Drain and refrigerate the knuckles and reserved cooking liquid separately in shallow containers within 2 hours. The next day, reheat the knuckles, covered, with the reserved liquid at 180 °C until the centre reaches 74 °C; allow roughly 45–60 minutes, depending on size. Then uncover, increase the oven temperature and follow the roasting and glazing steps. This adds reheating time.
- Keep the Christmas spread light with cabbage slaw, cucumber salad or pickled beetroot. Put out small bowls of chilled salads and replenish them from the fridge rather than leaving everything in the summer heat.
- Cured eisbein and its cooking liquid can be quite salty. Do not add salt to the pot, and taste the liquid before using any of it in another dish.
- Refrigerate carved leftovers in shallow, covered containers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the temperature is above 32 °C. Use within 3–4 days; cold slices are lovely in rolls with mustard and pickles.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use fresh, unsmoked pork knuckles?
Yes. Use the same weight and simmer until tender, but expect a milder flavour without the cured, smoky character. Unlike cured eisbein, fresh knuckles need seasoning: start with 5 ml salt in the cooking water and adjust the seasoning of the finished meat to taste.
Will the skin turn into crispy crackling?
No. Simmering followed by a moist mustard glaze gives a sticky, browned skin with some chewy edges, not dry, shattering crackling. That glossy coating is the intended finish for this recipe.
How do I know the eisbein is properly cooked?
For uncooked cured pork, check that the thickest part reaches at least 63 °C, away from the bone, followed by a minimum 3-minute rest. Knuckles generally need much longer cooking to become tender, so also check that a skewer slides in easily and the meat pulls readily from the bone. Follow any higher cooking temperature specified on the packaging.
