Pork Hock Baked Under a Sour Cream and Garlic Crust
The single most important decision here is to resist turning up the oven. The hock spends five hours simmering in a broth of parsley root, celeriac, parsnip and ginger, and then bakes at just 150°C (300°F). The meat is already cooked; fiercer heat only dries it out instead of colouring the coating.
That long, quiet simmer is what breaks down the collagen in the shank, taking dense meat to the point where it slides off the bone. The coating — onion, smetana (thick Eastern European sour cream; full-fat sour cream works), mustard, horseradish and garlic, brought to a boil together — goes on while the hock is hot, so it clings in a thick layer and sets into a crust.
On balance, and on leftovers
The prunes and tart apple aren’t garnish. Sweet and sour cut through the fat of the pork while mustard and horseradish supply the sharp edge, which is why sauerkraut alongside makes more sense than anything starchy. Use pitted prunes and avoid smoked ones — smoke will bury the broth aroma. If the crust stays pale, give it a final 10 minutes at 180°C (350°F) and watch it closely. And don’t tip out that five-hour broth; it’s a ready-made base for soup the next day.
Part of Ukrainian cuisine — 464 more recipes in the section.
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Ingredients
Instructions
Trim the skin from the pork hock, wash it, and set it to cook, adding finely chopped parsley root, carrot, onion, celeriac, parsnip, ginger, salt, pepper, cloves, bay leaf, and tomato paste.
Cook the hock for about 5 hours, until fully tender.
Separately, finely chop the onion and saute it in oil until golden.
Cut the prunes lengthwise into thin strips, neatly dice the apple, and fry it.
Add the sour cream, mustard, horseradish, and garlic to the onion and bring to a boil.
Remove the cooked shank from the broth and coat it with the sour cream and garlic mixture.
Bake in the oven at 150C until an appetizing crust forms.
Serve with cabbage, apples, fresh vegetables, and herbs.
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