Pork knuckle with croquant d'oignon rouge

Preparation

1. Wash the pork shanks thoroughly under cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Cut the rind in a diamond shape with a sharp knife. This will create the typical crispy crust later.
   Rub the pork knuckles generously with coarse Le Guérandais sea salt, pepper, mustard and caraway seeds. For a more intense flavor, you can store the meat in the fridge for a few hours or overnight and then prepare the pork knuckle as described in the following steps.

2. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-assisted (180°C top/bottom heat). Meanwhile, heat some clarified butter or vegetable oil in a large roasting tin. Wash and roughly chop the onions, garlic, carrots and leeks (or celery, depending on taste) and fry the vegetables in the roasting pan until the onions, garlic, carrots and leeks/celery are golden brown. Add the seasoned pork shanks and sear them on all sides to create roasted flavors.

3. Deglaze the shanks, onions, garlic, carrots and leek/celery with dark beer and meat or vegetable stock. For a milder taste, you can also cook the shanks with light beer instead of dark beer or use 250 ml white wine (and increase the amount of vegetable stock). Add the spices. You can use classic spices such as bay leaves and rosemary, or alternatives such as thyme, marjoram or even paprika. The more spices you use when cooking, the more flavorful the broth and the meat will be. For the best taste experience, make sure you use high-quality spices.
   
   The shanks should be about two thirds covered with liquid. Cover the roasting pan. If you don't have a suitable lid to hand, use aluminum foil instead. Now cook the knuckles in the oven for 2.5 to 3 hours at a constant heat. To keep the pork knuckles juicy, baste them with the stock every 30 minutes.
   
   Alternatively, you can pre-cook the pork knuckle in the oven. To do this, cook the knuckles for 60 minutes in a stock made from dark beer, stock and spices and then roast them in the oven for 60-90 minutes as described in the next steps. Pre-cooking saves you the time needed for roasting and the meat becomes particularly tender and comes away from the bone more easily.

4. To give the pork knuckles a crispy crust, increase the heat in the oven for the last 15 minutes. Set the oven to 220°C and switch on the grill function. Brush the rind with a little gravy or, for an even crispier crust, with a mixture of honey and beer, and leave the pork knuckles to finish cooking.
   
   Our insider tip: sprinkle a pinch of Croquant d'oignon rouge Jardin Intense over the finished knuckle as soon as you take it out of the oven. The seasoning salt not only provides a special texture, but also gives the dish a slightly sweet, elegant note.

5. Serve the crispy pork knuckle with plenty of gravy (especially if you are serving it with potatoes), which you can make from the gravy. Pour the stock through a sieve, thicken it with a little starch to taste and bring to the boil again. Pork knuckle goes well with potatoes (boiled or fried), potato dumplings, potato salad, sauerkraut or a fresh cucumber salad, topped with a pinch of Croquant d'oignon rouge Jardin Intense for more color and crunch.