German Pork Roast with Caraway Schweinebraten Recipe
Juicy pork roast with a crispy crackling, fragrant with caraway and garlic, is a classic Sunday dinner in many German homes. It’s often served with cabbage and dumplings, and the smell of slowly roasted meat fills the whole apartment. This is a Bavarian-style dish, a bit like Polish roast with gravy, but with a distinct caraway aroma and a dark roasting sauce.
A classic Bavarian-style pork roast with caraway and a rich dark gravy that brings German Sunday-dinner atmosphere straight to your table.
Chef's tips
Sear the meat well at the beginning – the deep browning is what gives the sauce its color and flavor. If the crackling is not crispy enough at the end, briefly increase the oven temperature to 210–220°C, watching carefully so it doesn’t burn.
How to serve
Serve with potato dumplings, bread dumplings or mashed potatoes and braised white or red cabbage. A cold beer or a glass of dry red wine pairs very well with this roast.
Ingredients
- pork shoulder - 1.5 kg
- carrot - 2 pieces
- parsley root - 1 piece
- celeriac - 0.25 pieces
- onion - 2 pieces
- garlic - 4 cloves
- vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons
- caraway seeds - 2 teaspoons
- stock - 500 ml
- beer - 200 ml
- salt
- black pepper
- wheat flour - 1 tablespoon
Preparation
- Rinse the meat, pat dry with paper towels, and rub thoroughly with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds. Leave for 15 minutes at room temperature.
- Peel the carrot, parsley root, and celeriac and cut into thick slices. Peel the onions and cut into wedges. Peel the garlic and lightly crush with a knife.
- Heat a large frying pan or roasting pan with a thick bottom with the oil over fairly high heat. Sear the meat for 3–4 minutes on each side until well browned on the surface.
- Transfer the meat to an ovenproof dish or leave it in the roasting pan. Add the vegetables and garlic to the same dish and fry for 5–7 minutes, stirring, until lightly browned.
- Pour in the beer and cook for 2–3 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom. Add the stock and the remaining caraway seeds and stir.
- Place the meat on top of the vegetables, cover with a lid or aluminum foil. Put into an oven preheated to 170°C (top–bottom heat) for 1 hour.
- After an hour, remove the cover, spoon some of the pan juices over the meat and roast for another 40–60 minutes, until the meat is tender and the top nicely browned. Baste the meat with the sauce every 20 minutes.
- Take the finished roast out onto a board and loosely cover with foil for 10 minutes so the juices can redistribute evenly.
- Pour the sauce with the vegetables into a pot. If you want a smooth sauce, blend it with a hand blender. In a small bowl mix the flour with 3 tablespoons of cold water to a smooth paste.
- Bring the sauce to a boil, pour in the flour-and-water mixture, whisking constantly. Simmer for 3–5 minutes over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly. Season with salt and pepper.
- Slice the roast and serve drizzled with the hot sauce.
Storage
Store leftover roast in the fridge, covered with sauce, for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a saucepan or in the oven, adding a splash of stock or water if needed so the meat doesn’t dry out.
