Pork leg: how to choose and what to cook

The pork leg is not only a by-product, from which it is possible to prepare a cold. Some of its parts are suitable for baking, for example, shank. From it you can cook a lot of delicious and original dishes. However, in order to do this, you need to know how to choose the right handle and prepare it.

Choose correctly

The pork leg turns out appetizing and very tasty, if it is properly chosen and cooked. When buying a similar product, special attention should be paid to the following criteria:

1. The age of the animal. The structure of meat depends on this indicator. In this case, the principle "the younger, the tenderer" acts. The optimal age of the animal is not more than two years. If this figure is higher, then the meat can be sinewy and tough.

2. To prepare a dish, it is better to take the wheel exactly the back leg. The ideal part is that which is located above the knee, closer to the ham. In this place the meat is softer.

3. Buy a pig leg better in a specialized store or in an organized market.

4. Before buying it is necessary to ask the seller for the relevant documentation. It should indicate that the meat has been tested and is safe for health. Otherwise, there is a risk of acquiring a product containing pathogenic microorganisms.

Other criteria

I buy a pig leg, special attention should be paid to its weight. It should be from 1200 to 1800 grams. If this indicator is much larger, this should alert. This may indicate that the animal is very old, or the product will be too fat, or the seller has pumped products with liquid and tries to deceive their customers.

If you plan to cook the rusk immediately upon returning home, it is better to purchase it chilled. If the product you use not soon, it makes sense to buy it frozen. Fresh meat is kept poorly.

How to prepare the product

Most often, a pig's leg is cooked in the oven. However, before this meat should be prepared. The procedure consists of several stages:

1. Defrosting. The procedure is carried out only at room temperature. Do not use a microwave oven. Otherwise, the meat will not be so juicy and tender.

2. After defrosting the pork leg should be carefully scraped and washed in running water.

3. After that, it is worth boiling. This is recommended even before baking.

Features of preparation

After training, many people take off their skin. However, experienced chefs do not recommend this. The skin allows you to keep the juiciness of the pig's leg. Thanks to it, the meat will remain soft and not overdried.

The surface of the skin may be stubble, but do not remove it before cooking. It is better to do this after heat treatment. Then the hair will become softer. This will remove the bristles without much difficulty. In conclusion, the pig's leg should be burned with a candle or with matches.

Is it worth using a pickle? And in general, how to cook pork legs? The recipe is quite simple. Preliminarily, you can not pickle the marinade, since it takes a very long time. This can additionally soften it. In some recipes, garlic and a mixture of seasonings are allowed. As for vinegar, it will make the meat more stringent. But at the same time it will give the prepared dish a more spicy flavor and a piquant taste.

How to cook pork legs

As a rule, rulk bake in the oven. A variety of methods are used. How long does cooking last? Usually the pork leg is baked in the oven for two or even three hours. Therefore it is necessary to have patience. This is the time it takes to heat-treat these products. After this time the shank will become more gentle and soft.

To prepare the dish, you can use a variety of spices, vegetables, as well as alcoholic beverages, such as beer.

Recipe with beer

So, let's try to cook pork legs. The recipe assumes the use of the following set of products:

• Shank - 1 piece;
• Dark beer - from 2 to 2.5 liters;
• Garlic - 9 denticles;
• Salt, spices - to taste;
• Vegetable oil - 3 tbsp. L.

Cooking process

Recipe baked in the oven pork shank can master every mistress. First, wash it and then dry it. After that, in the rudder it is necessary to make several holes. This is required to ensure that the meat is well soaked in the heat treatment process. And it is also recommended to rub the pig leg with a mixture of spices and salt. Now leave the wheel for about an hour. The onion must be cleaned, but not chopped. As for garlic, it should be chopped finely.

The handle should be placed in a deep container. It is also worth laying onions and a few cloves of garlic. Products need to pour beer. The container should be placed on a fire and cooked for one and a half hours. After the end of the heat treatment, it is not recommended to pour the beer. It will still be required.

A ready handle is rubbed with the remains of garlic and placed on a baking sheet. Pig leg is recommended to water part of the remaining beer. After this, the pan should be placed in the oven. Cooking pilch is at 180-200 ˚С for an hour, periodically pouring beer.

Cooking in the sleeve

Pork leg, baked in the sleeve, is very tasty and juicy. To prepare it you will need:

• Pork knuckle - 1 piece;
• Garlic - 5 denticles;
• Seasonings and salt - to taste.

Stages of preparation

Rulk should be thoroughly washed in running water. Bristle - scorching before heat treatment. In this case, the pork leg should not be boiled. After all, when baked in the sleeve, the meat is well steamed and softened.

Prepared rulk should be rubbed with salt and seasonings. In addition, it needs to make a few cuts. They need to be put on the clove of peeled garlic. Now you need to leave the meat for a few hours for marinating.

After the specified time it is necessary to put a shank in a sleeve, and then in the form for baking or on a baking sheet. Cooking meat should be for two hours at a temperature of not less than 190 ° C. 20 minutes before the end of cooking, the sleeve must be pierced in several places. Thanks to this, a crispy, appetizing crust is formed on the shank.

Spicy recipe for pork knuckle baked in the oven

To prepare a fragrant and tasty dish you will need:

• Mid-size shank - 1 piece;
• Mustard - 50 grams;
• Mayonnaise - 50 grams;
• Honey natural - 50 grams;
• Salt and pepper - to taste.

How to bake

Rulka is washed, and then boiled, adding to it pepper and salt. Heat treatment should last at least an hour. During this time, you can prepare a marinade. To do this, in a deep container you need to mix honey, preferably liquid, mayonnaise and mustard.

Ready marinade is worth grinding boiled rolls, and then carefully wrap it with foil. In this case, the meat should be completely closed. In conclusion, the pig leg should be laid on a baking sheet and placed in the oven.

The dish should be prepared at 200 ° C for an hour. Then the heat should be lowered, and the foil should be unfolded. Bake the pilchards until golden brown at a temperature of at least 170 ° C. Serve hot.

In conclusion

Prepare the pig leg can be at home. It is not hard. The main thing - to properly prepare the meat and pick up spices. Compliance with all the requirements will make it possible to make a tasty and fragrant dish in the oven. As for pig hoofs, it is better to use them to produce a gelling agent, since they consist mainly of bones and veins. Such a by-product is ideal for making a cold.