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shredded soft meat served with kraut close up.
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4.90 from 29 votes

Slow Cooked Pork Hocks

Meltingly tender slow cooked pork hocks with sauerkraut, a German classic recipe perfect for cooking in the slow cooker.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time8 hours
Total Time8 hours 20 minutes
Course: German Main Course
Cuisine: German
Servings: 4
Calories: 1035kcal
Author: Adina

Ingredients

  • 2 pork hocks total weight of about 1.5 – 2 kg/ 3.3 – 4.4 oz
  • 1 large onion about 150 g/ 5.3 oz
  • 1 large apple about 200 g/ 7 oz
  • 1 tablespoon lard or vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 can sauerkraut 800 g/ 28 oz (Note 1)
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 5 black peppercorns
  • 3 cloves
  • 2 cups beef or chicken stock Note 2
  • fine sea salt and ground black pepper
US - EU

Instructions

  • Chop the onions and the apple but keep them separated.
  • Cook on stove: Heat the lard or oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan. Cook the onions on medium-low heat for about 3 minutes. Add the apple and continue cooking for 2 minutes.
  • Caramelize: Sprinkle the sugar on top and let caramelize slightly for about 2 minutes.
  • Combine: Add sauerkraut, salt, bay leaves, caraways seeds, peppercorns, and cloves. Mix well. Transfer everything to the slow cooker. Add stock and mix.
  • Rub the pork hocks with salt and pepper. Nestle them on top of the sauerkraut.
  • Cook on low for 7-9 hours, turning the hocks halfway through. (Note 3 and 4).
  • Serve with boiled potatoes, German bread, or potato dumplings.

Notes

  1. Either fresh (homemade or from the butchers), from a can, jar, or bag. Search for a German product for genuine taste and texture. I recommend Mildessa/Hengstenberg. (Amazon affiliate link, but I am not getting paid for recommending the products).
  2. Use homemade or low-sodium stock, otherwise, the dish might turn too salty.
    Read the instructions for the slow cooker. Newer machines tend to be faster than the traditional ones which still have a ceramic pot.
  3. If you want to cook the dish without the slow cooker, check the blog post for instructions.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of the dish | Calories: 1035kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 104g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 30g | Cholesterol: 333mg | Sodium: 2058mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 12g