Schweinssulz mit Kernöl

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large stockpot (8-liter minimum)
• •Fine-mesh sieve and muslin cloth
• •Loaf tin or terrine mould (1.5-liter capacity)
• •Cling film for lining
• •Sharp slicing knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the pork

   Rinse the pork knuckle, trotter, and shoulder under cold running water. Place them in your largest pot. The trotter is here for one reason: collagen. It will dissolve into the cooking liquid over the next few hours and set the whole thing into a firm, clean jelly without you adding a single gram of packet gelatin. If the idea of a pig's trotter makes you uneasy, this is the moment to get over it. It's doing all the structural work.

   Ask your butcher to split the trotter lengthwise. It exposes more bone surface and releases gelatin faster. A good butcher won't blink at this request.
2. 2

   Build the cooking liquid

   Cover the pork with about two liters of cold water. As with any good broth, cold water is essential here. It draws the proteins out gradually and gives you a cleaner liquid. Add the carrots, celeriac, halved onions, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice berries, mustard seeds, parsley stalks, salt, and white wine vinegar. The vinegar does two things: it helps clarify the liquid and it gives the finished Sulz a gentle acidity that keeps the pork from tasting flat.

3. 3

   Simmer low and slow

   Bring the pot to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Gray foam will rise. Skim it off patiently until the surface stays clear. Then reduce the heat until you see only the laziest, most occasional bubble. This is the same principle as a good Tafelspitz broth: if the liquid rolls and boils, the meat tightens, the fat emulsifies, and your jelly turns cloudy. You want a surface that barely trembles. Let it go for three to three and a half hours. The knuckle meat should be falling off the bone. The trotter will have given up most of its structure. The kitchen will smell like a very good farmhouse.

   Gretel always said patience is the cheapest ingredient and the one cooks most often leave out. This simmer cannot be rushed. Three hours minimum.
4. 4

   Separate meat from liquid

   Carefully lift the pork pieces out of the liquid and set them on a large plate to cool. Discard the trotter, the vegetables, and the aromatics. They've done their work. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve lined with muslin or a clean tea towel into a clean pot. You should have roughly a liter of strained liquid. It will look like a rich, slightly golden broth. Taste it. It should be well-seasoned and faintly sharp from the vinegar. Adjust salt now if needed.

5. 5

   Shred the pork

   When the knuckle and shoulder are cool enough to handle, pull the meat apart with two forks or your fingers. Discard any skin, fat, cartilage, or gristle you don't want. Some people leave small pieces of soft skin in for texture. That's your call, but the meat itself should be in rough, bite-sized shreds, not minced and not in perfect cubes. Uneven pieces look right and eat well.

6. 6

   Test the set

   Spoon a tablespoon of the strained liquid onto a cold saucer and put it in the fridge for fifteen minutes. It should set to a firm jelly that holds its shape when you tilt the plate. If it's too soft, return the liquid to the heat and reduce it by a quarter. The trotter should have given you more than enough gelatin, but every animal is different. If the set is too firm, add a splash of water. You're looking for a jelly that slices cleanly but melts on the tongue.

   This test takes fifteen minutes and saves you from discovering a failed set the next morning. Don't skip it.
7. 7

   Assemble the Sulz

   Spread the shredded pork evenly into a loaf tin, terrine mould, or deep rectangular dish lined with cling film. The lining makes unmoulding easy later. Scatter the diced cornichons and chopped parsley through the meat. Grind black pepper generously over everything. Slowly pour the strained liquid over the pork until it just covers the meat. Tap the dish on the counter a few times to release any trapped air bubbles. The meat should be submerged but not swimming.

8. 8

   Set overnight

   Cover the dish tightly and refrigerate for at least twelve hours, overnight is ideal. The jelly needs this time to set completely. Don't touch it, don't check it, don't open the fridge to peek. Walk away. Make the Kernöl dressing tomorrow.

9. 9

   Unmould and slice

   Run a thin knife around the edges of the mould. Invert it onto a cutting board and peel away the cling film. The Sulz should hold its shape beautifully, a solid block of pork suspended in clear, amber-tinted jelly with flecks of green parsley and pale cornichon visible throughout. Slice it about a centimeter thick with a sharp knife dipped in hot water between cuts. The slices should be clean and firm.

10. 10

    Dress and serve

    Lay the slices on a wooden Brettl or a simple plate. Separate the onion rings and scatter them generously over the top. Drizzle cider vinegar over the slices, just enough to make the surface glisten. Then pour Styrian Kernöl in a slow, deliberate stream over everything. The oil is so dark it looks nearly black, but where it pools against the pale jelly it shows its true color: a deep, almost iridescent green. Serve with thick slices of dark rye bread and nothing else. This is good Austrian home cooking. Mahlzeit!

    Styrian Kernöl is not a substitute ingredient. It's the whole point of the dish. The roasted, nutty intensity of genuine Styrian pumpkin seed oil from the southern part of the country is what turns cold pork aspic into something extraordinary. Look for the green and white Styrian seal of origin on the bottle.

Chef Tips

• •The quality of the pork determines everything here. Find a good butcher who can give you a knuckle and a trotter from a well-raised pig. Factory pork makes watery, insipid Sulz. You'll taste the difference in every slice.
• •Don't be tempted to add packet gelatin. The whole beauty of Schweinssulz is that the pork sets itself. A trotter and a knuckle simmered slowly for three hours produce more than enough natural gelatin. If your test set fails, reduce the liquid rather than reaching for a packet.
• •Styrian Kernöl goes rancid faster than most oils because of its high unsaturated fat content. Keep it in the fridge once opened, and buy it in small bottles. If it smells stale or bitter, it's past its best. Fresh Kernöl has a deep, toasty, almost chocolatey aroma.
• •Schweinssulz keeps well in the fridge for five days, covered. It actually improves after a day or two as the flavors settle into each other. But always dress it fresh, just before serving. The vinegar, onion, and oil should hit the cold jelly at the table, not sit on it for hours.

Advance Preparation

• •The Sulz must be made at least one day ahead. It needs a full overnight set in the fridge to firm up properly. Two days ahead is even better.
• •The finished, unmoulded Sulz will keep in the fridge, tightly wrapped, for up to five days. Slice and dress portions as you need them.
• •Slice the onion rings and prepare the serving board just before eating. The dressing of vinegar, onion, and Kernöl should be applied fresh each time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 270g)